8 Characteristics of Living Things Living Environment

Review previous day Biotic/Abiotic What makes something alive (biotic) or not alive (abiotic)? What is “Spontaneous Generation”?

Think – Pair – Share – Group Discussion What are some things that we as humans have in common with trees?

Organisms An ORGANISM is a living thing All organisms share characteristics that separate them from non-living things • All organisms share EIGHT characteristics that make them alive. A living (biotic) organism must have all EIGHT !

All living things… are made up of cells. A cell is the smallest “unit of life” CELL: the smallest basic unit of structure and organization of all living organisms Some organisms have only a single cell… others have many – the human body contains over 100 trillion cells That’s 100,000,000,000,000!!

All living things… are based on a universal genetic code. All organisms store the information they need to live, grow, and reproduce in a genetic code written in a molecule called DNA. That information is copied and passed from parent to offspring.

All living things… require and use energy. Used to run the processes of life Humans (and other animals) get energy from the food we eat Plants get energy from the sunlight, through a process called photosynthesis

All living things… grow and develop Growth: addition of mass to an organism Development:the process that occurs in an organism's life that results in a more complex organism.

All living things… reproduce. Basically, this means that they can make more of their own kind! SPECIES: A group of organisms that mate together and have fertile offspring Asexual Reproduction – when a single parent doubles its contents and splits in two to create a new organism (ex:bacteria) Sexual Reproduction – when two different parents unite to produce a new organism (ex:humans)

All living things… respond to stimuli. Stimuli: Anything from the environment that causes some sort of reaction, such as temperature, light, sound, and other factors that cause living things to respond. Nonliving objects (rocks for instance) do not respond to stimuli!

All living things are homeostatic Homeostasis is the ability of an organism to maintain relatively constant internal conditions. An example is temperature regulation in the human body. All organ systems contribute to homeostasis.

Living things change over time Adaptations come about through evolution. Evolution is the process by which a species changes through time. Adaptations are modifications that enable an organism to be suited to its way of life.

Quick Group Discussion!!! What about dead things?

8 Characteristics of Living Things Made up of one or more cells Based on a universal genetic code Obtain and use materials and energy Grow and develop Reproduce Respond to their environment/stimuli Maintain homeostasis Change over time

Categorize the following as Biotic or Abiotic 1. Sun: ____________ 2. bean plant: ____________ 3. wind: _____________ 4. river: ____________ 5. fossil: ____________ 6. giraffe: ____________ 7. apple tree: ____________ 8. bald eagle: ___________ 9. volcano: ___________ starfish: ___________ rock: ___________