Living Things

Organism A living thing. Plants, animals, fungus, bacteria, (virus), plankton, etc…

6 Characteristics of ALL Living Things: Made of Cells. Contain similar chemicals. Uses energy. Grows & develops. Responds to its surroundings. Can reproduce.

1) Made of Cells Cell: Basic unit of structure and function in an organism.

Structure of a cell Function of a cell The way it is made The job it performs in the organism.

Unicellular An organism that is made up of only one cell that does everything. Ex: Bacteria

Multi-cellular An organism that is made up of many cells. Each cell has a specific job to do. Ex: human body

2) Contain similar chemicals Cells are made of chemicals. Most abundant: Water Basic Chemicals in a Life Form: C = Carbon H = Hydrogen O = Oxygen

3) Uses energy Cells use energy to grow, make repairs, reproduce, digest food, etc…

4) Grow and Develop Growth: process of becoming larger Development: process of change that occurs during an organism’s life.

5) Responds to its surroundings Organisms react to what is going on around them. Stimulus: Change in surroundings. Response: How an organism reacts to change – an action or change in behavior.

External Stimulus: Changes from outside the organism External Stimulus: Changes from outside the organism. (light, sound, temperature) Internal Stimulus: Changes from inside the organism. (hunger, thirst)

6) Reproduction The ability to produce offspring that are similar to the parents. Ex: Birds lay eggs which hatch baby birds that look like their parents. Oak trees have acorns which are planted and grow into new trees. Bacteria produce other bacteria exactly like themselves.

(under Reproduction Notes) Two main types of reproduction: Asexual & Sexual

Asexual Reproduction The reproductive process that involves only one parent and produces offspring that are identical to the parent

Sexual Reproduction The reproductive process that involves two parents whose genetic material is combined to produce a new organism, which differs from both parents