Biotic & Abiotic Things (Living and Non-Living Things) We are surrounded by living and non-living things. All animals and plants are living things and biology is the study of these living things. A cat running and playing with a ball is obviously living, but the ball itself is non-living.

Sometimes it is not so easy to decide if something is living or not Sometimes it is not so easy to decide if something is living or not. Plants are living things but they cannot move from place to place. And some non-living things such as cars, can travel great distances. Well how do we decide if something is living or not? If something is living it will carry out all nine of the activities shown in the following slides. 

12 Characteristics of Living Things Cells Living things are made up of one or more cells. Cells are often called the “building blocks of life”.

2. Ingestion All living organisms need to take substances from their environment to obtain energy, to grow and to stay healthy. Animals: An animal cannot make its own food. Animals must take in their food and water from the outside. Ingestion is the taking in of food and water.

Plants: Plants do not take in their food from the outside Plants: Plants do not take in their food from the outside. Plants can make their own food (glucose). However, plants do take in important materials, such as water, carbon dioxide and light energy.

3. Movement All living organisms show movement of one kind or another. All living organisms have internal movement, which means that they have the ability of moving substances from one part of their body to another. Some living organisms show external movement as well – they can move from place to place by walking, flying or swimming.

4. Digestion Digestion is the breaking down of food into the form that can be used. Both plants and animals must digest their food. Plants and animals makes special chemicals that change food into usable forms. In many animals, digestion takes place mainly in the stomach and small intestine. In plants digestion takes place in the area where the food is made, in the leaves.

5. Breathing All living things exchange gases with their environment. Animals take in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide.  Plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen through their stomata. oxygen carbon dioxide

6. Respiration Respiration is the release of energy by combining oxygen with digested food. During respiration, oxygen is used to break food apart. This process produces energy. Water and carbon dioxide are also produced as the waste products of respiration.

7. Circulation Circulation is the movement o useful products to all parts of an organism and the carrying away of waste products. Circulation is also called transportation.

8. Excretion Excretion is the removal of waste from the body. If this waste was allowed to remain in the body it could be poisonous. Humans produce liquid waste called urine. We also excrete waste when we breathe out. All living things need to remove waste from their bodies.

9. Reproduction All living things produce young. Humans make babies, cats produce kittens and pigeons lay eggs. Plants also reproduce. Many make seeds which can germinate and grow into new plants.

10. Grow When living things feed they gain energy. Some of this energy is used in growth. Living things become larger and more complicated as they grow.

11. Sensitivity to Stimulus Living things react to changes around them and within them. We react to touch, light, heat, cold and sound, as do other living things.

12. Adaptation Organisms are adapted, or suited, to their surroundings. For example, polar bears live in sub-zero temperatures. You and most other organisms cannot. Polar bears are adapted to the bitter cold. They have a thick layer of fat and dense fur.