1. All things considered to be alive
have what characteristics in
common?
Make a list of reasons why you think the
following organisms are considered
“alive”.
Group that comes the closest wins…
2.
3. 8 characteristics of living
things
- Have cells and DNA
- Reproduce
- Grow and Develop
- Use energy
- Have a need for resources and energy
- Respond to environment/stimuli
- Maintain internal balance
- Evolve over time as a species
4. 1. HAVE CELLS AND DNA
Multi-cellular: cells differentiate from a
single fertilized egg cell, and they just
“know” to become a heart, leg etc.
Uni-cellular : one celled organism
(amoeba or bacteria)
Both above have DNA ( the genetic code:
which is why we look like our parents)
6. 2. All living things reproduce
There are 2 ways in which this can be
done…
7. 2. All living things Reproduce
There are 2 types of reproduction:
Asexual : 1 parent (budding) - identical
Bacteria
Plants
Sexual: 2 parents
cats
people
8. 3. Living things grow and develop
What is the difference between the 2
words?
9.
10. Growth and Development
Bacteria- grow, they just increase in size
People – grow and develop … they
increase in size and their bodily functions
change over time….until they become an
adult
ex) puberty…
Plants grow and develop
from acorn to tree
12. Living things use energy to
grow/develop/reproduce… or just stay alive
Where do we get energy from?
Metabolism: combination of chemical
reactions through which an organism
builds up and breaks down materials (will
release energy) as it carries out life
processes
Fast metabolism- break down
Slow metabolism – store for later
14. How obtain energy?
Plants: From the sun’s energy
“photosynthesis”
Lion: From eating other organisms
“herbivore, carnivore”
Mushroom: From the remains of dead
organisms (decomposers)
16. 6. Respond to stimulus
Stimulus- signal to which an organism
responds
Response- (what they do because of the
signal)
Internal stimulus- ex.) sugar levels drop?
…then you feel hungry
External: ex.) flower leans toward the
window in a classroom
17. Practice Stimulus and Response
My niece kicked me in the shin and I
screamed
I slammed the door and the class jumped
I turned the light on and the mouse ran
under the table
I placed my hand on the hot stove and I
yanked it back and yelped
19. 7. Maintain internal balance
External: conditions may vary widely
But internal…. Should be kept constant..
This is homeostasis
Ex) temperature 98.6 F, water content, etc
Ex of how it happens?
Shivering/sweating
Thirst/feeling of fullness
21. 8. Evolve over time :Evolution
100,000’s of millions of years…changes
can be dramatic within a species…
ex) pre-historic horse was the size of a Barbie
doll horse