Characteristics of Living Things

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Della Adams
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1 Characteristics of Living Things

2 What is biology? The study of living things All living things share certain characteristics

3 The Characteristics of Living Things Living things are called organisms. All living things have these six characteristics. Anything without one of these six characteristics is nonliving.

4 1. Made of 1 or more cells Cells= Building Blocks of Life! Unicellular (one cell) - ex. Bacteria Multicellular (many cells) - ex. Animals, plants

5 Cells.. unicellular vs. multicellular Red Blood cells Onion skin epidermal cells Human cheek cells

6 Cells Tissues Organs Organ Systems Organism Population Community

7 Are humans multicellular or unicellular? Explain Question

8 2. Need energy to survive Energy is the ability to do work. Autotrophs - get energy from sun Heterotrophs - get energy by consuming nutrients from their environment

9 2. Need energy to survive Ingestion - Taking in food Digestion - Breaking down food into usable form Respiration - The process of producing energy by combining oxygen & food Excretion -Getting rid of waste

10 3. Sense & Respond to Stimuli All organisms have features that help them survive in their surroundings. Movement- Internal: blood External: move to another place Adaptability For example: fish have gills Irritability - ability to respond to a stimulus

11 Stimuli Stimuli - factors in the environment that living things react to Any reaction to change is called a response. For example: A bright light may cause you to blink. Examples of stimuli: sight, sound, touch, pressure, temperature, chemicals, color, light, other?

12 Adaptations Changes to better survive in the environment Usually occur because a gene mutates or changes by accident Structural: physical features of an organism (ex. bill on a bird or fur on a bear) Behavioral: things organisms do to survive (ex. Migrate)

13 How do trees respond to stimuli since they can not get up and move? Question:

14 4. All living things reproduce Sexual - two sex cells required (sperm and egg) Asexual - only one parent cell is needed

15 5. Growth and development Each cell divides to make new cells (cell division) results in growth by increasing cell size and/or number Includes: development, aging, death

16 Development. Some cells become specialized and perform different jobs than others (differentiation) Differentiation cell specialization for a certain job EXAMPLES: Brain cells, heart cells, muscle cells, skin cells, reproductive cells etc.

17 6. Have a universal genetic All living things have DNA DNA passes on genetic information from one generation to the next code

18 DNA ALWAYS found in cells SO if you have DNA, you have cells IF you have cells, you have DNA

19 Summary Biologists use six characteristics to classify something as a living thing. 1. Made of Cells 2. Use Energy 3. Sense and Respond to Change 4. Have DNA 5. Reproduce 6. Grow and Develop All living things display all of the above characteristics.

20 3. Sense and Respond to Change A stimulus is any change in an organism s surroundings that will cause the organism to react. Examples- changes in: light, temperature, sound, amount of water, space, amounts or types of food, or other organisms present.

21 3. Sense and Respond to Change The reaction to the stimulus is called a response. It can be an action or behavior performed by the organism. Examples: leaves turn brown, fur turns white in winter, grass grows taller

22 Behaviors The way an organism responds to a stimulus in its environment Instinctive: they do not depend on experiences Learned: they depend on experience or observation of other organisms

23 Examples of Instinctive Behaviors Sea turtles, newly hatched on a beach, will automatically move toward the ocean. A joey climbs into its mother's pouch upon being born. Honeybees communicate by dancing in the direction of a food source without formal instruction. Other examples include animal fighting, animal courtship behavior, internal escape functions, and the building of nests.

24 Examples of Learned Behaviors Teaching a dog to roll over by giving a treat In cougars, the mothers teach their cubs how to hunt. The adult wolf pack also teaches their pups how to hunt together. In humans: Tying your shoes, eating, talking, walking, running, potty training, driving

25 Instinctive vs. Learned Behaviors Contact #16 How Do They Know That - Innate and Learned Behavior

26 Organisms Respond to Change Snowshoe Hare article How does it respond to changes in season? Describe how other animals respond to seasonal changes.

27 Organisms Respond to Octopuses Change Called cephalopods Survived mass extinction during Cambrian Period Why??????

28 Octopuses Camouflage Can change color Can disappear in a cloud of dark ink Can change body shape Can squeeze through small openings Can live in all oceans of the world Have great eyesight Can swim quickly Mimic octopus

WHAT IS SCIENCE? Chapter 1. Key concept: What is the goal of science?

WHAT IS SCIENCE? Chapter 1. Key concept: What is the goal of science? WHAT IS SCIENCE? Chapter 1 Key concept: What is the goal of science? SCIENCE: Is an Uses to events Collects and organizes Deals only with Looks for patterns and organized method evidence connections explain