Characteristics of Living Things

1. Characteristics of Living Things Based on Holt 12.1

2. Journal Entry • How can you tell if something is alive? • List two things that are alive and two things that are not alive.

3. 1. Living things use energy • All living things need to eat, drink, or absorb energy from the environment • Energy used to create and break down molecules • Metabolism: the total amount of activity happening in the body Courtesy of www.kidsexercise.co.uk

4. 2. Living things grow and develop • All living things (organisms) grow larger as they make more molecules • They either keep getting bigger or they make more organisms • Growing organisms often change in appearance Courtesy of www.aecos.com

5. 3. Living things reproduce • Asexual reproduction: single parent makes identical offspring (children) • Similar to a clone • Sexual reproduction: Two parents make offspring that share traits of both parents Courtesy of www.allposters.com

6. 4. Living things have DNA • DNA: molecule of information necessary for life • Tells the body what to do and how it should look Courtesy of rosenblumtv.wordpress.com

7. 5. All living things sense and respond to stimuli • Stimulus: (plural = stimuli): things in the environment that change and cause reactions in living things • Examples: light, heat, water, food, sounds Courtesy of http://www.eyedesignbook.com

8. 6. All living things maintain stable internal conditions • The body of organisms wants to stay “comfortable” • Homeostasis: keeping a stable internal environment • Examples: shivering, sweating, getting thirsty Courtesy of http://www.unexpectedpages.com

9. 7. All living things have cells • Cell: smallest living unit • Building block of living things • More details in Chapter 13! Courtesy of cell-wars.blogspot.com