Characteristics of Living Things

1. Living things are made up of one or more cells Cells are small, self-contained units that are the building blocks of organisms

2. Displays Organization The levels of organization include: Cells Tissues Organs Organ Systems Organisms

What is an organism? Any individual living thing

3. Living things grow and develop An organism grows and develops by absorbing raw materials and processing them into new tissues and structures

4. Living things can reproduce Living things produce new living things of the same type

….reproduce Although a living thing does not need to reproduce in order to survive, life would quickly die out without reproduction

5. Living things respond stimuli (their environment )   Anything in an organism’s environment that causes it to react is called a stimulus

…respond to environment Light, temperature, odor, sound, heat, gravity, water, & pressure are all common stimuli

…respond to environment Also includes a population’s adapting to a changing environment What stimuli are you responding to right now?

6. Living things obtain and use energy Most plants obtain energy directly from the sun, whereas most animals get energy from chemical compounds in their food

…Energy Includes the intake of nutrients, the processing of those nutrients within cells, and the elimination of wastes

7. Maintain Homeostasis Organisms keep internal conditions stable through homeostasis

8. Adaption's evolve over time An adaption is: any inherited characteristic that results from changes to a species over time