OutputPageInput Measurement Tools Graphic Organizer 6Measurement Lab Report Reflection7Measurement Lab Report 8 Characteristics of Living Things Graphic Organizer 8Ch 1 Lecture – Characteristics of Living Things 8 Characteristics of Living Things Graphic Organizer 9Ch 1 Lecture – Characteristics of Living Things POD 8/13-8/1710Ch 1 Lecture – Scientific Method Scientific Method Graphic Organizer 11Ch 1 Lecture – Scientific Method

Characteristics of Living Things 6g*. Students know how to distinguish between the accommodation of an individual organism to its environment and the gradual adaptation of a lineage of organisms through genetic change

What is Biology?  The study of living things  All living things share certain characteristics.

1. Made of 1 or more cells  Unicellular (one cell) - ex. Bacteria  Multicellular (many cells) - ex. Animals, plants

2. Need energy to survive  Metabolism – chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials to carry out life processes  Autotrophs - get energy from sun  Heterotrophs - get energy by consuming nutrients from their environment

3. Respond to stimuli in their environment  Stimuli - factors in the environment that living things react to (ex. Light, temperature, sound, etc.)

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

5. Grow and develop  Each cell divides to make new cells (cell division) – results in growth  Some cells become specialized and perform different jobs than others (differentiation)

6. Maintain homeostasis  Homeostasis – a relatively stable internal environment (within a certain range) - (ex. Human body temperature (approximately 98.6 degrees F))

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

8. Adapt and evolve over time  Evolution - gradual change in a population of organisms over time  Individuals DO NOT evolve

Scientific Method

Steps in the Scientific Method  Observation  Hypothesis  Experiment  Data Collection  Conclusion  Retest

Observations  Gathered through your senses  A scientist notices something in their natural world

Hypothesis  A suggested solution to the problem.  Must be testable  Sometimes written as If…Then… statements  Predicts an outcome

Experiment  A procedure to test the hypothesis.

Experiment Variable – factor in the experiment that is being tested

Experiment A good or “valid” experiment will only have ONE variable!

The Control Variable  The experimenter makes a special effort to keep other factors constant so that they will not effect the outcome.  Those factors are called control variables.

What is the Purpose of a Control?  Controls are NOT being tested  Controls are used for COMPARISON

Other Variables  The factor that is changed is known as the independent variable.  The factor that is measured or observed is called the dependent variable.

Data  Results of the experiment  May be quantitative (numbers) or qualitative

Data  Must be organized  Can be organized into charts, tables, or graphs

Conclusion  The answer to the hypothesis based on the data obtained from the experiment

Retest In order to verify the results, experiments must be retested.