CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE 8 MAJOR TRAITS THAT ALL LIVING THINGS SHARE

Identify this Characteristic of Life Ameba Protists video

Living Things are made up of 1 or more CELLS Cells are small, self- contained living units Unicellular organisms are made up of a single cell Ameba Multicellular organisms are made up of many cells

Living Things can REPRODUCE SEXUAL REPRODUCTION - 2 PARENTS – Offspring different from parents ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION - 1 PARENT – To produce new organisms of the same type. offspring copy (clone) of parent

G ROW & DEVELOP All living things grow or become larger (cell enlargement or in cell #) Most living things go through stages of development in their life span (birth, infancy, childhood, adult, senior, death)

Paramecia feeding Tubeworms around Hydrothermal vent

Obtain and Use Energy Our bodies need energy to function Sun – ultimate source of energy for most life on earth Autotrophs use the sun’s energy to make food (Photosynthesis) Heterotrophs ingest other organisms for food & energy. - Cellular Respiration – The process used by all living things to break down food to release the energy in it.

HAVE A METABOLISM complex chemical reactionsInside every living organism complex chemical reactions are taking place Some of these chemical reactions build things needed by the organism. –Ex. Protein Synthesis (the making of proteins) These are called Anabolic Reactions. Some chemical reactions break things down –Ex. Digestion – all living things break down food to release the nutritents & energy in it. These are Catabolic Reactions. CATABOLIC REACTIONS + ANABOLIC REACTIONS = METABOLISM totalMetabolism is the total of all the chemical reactions going on inside an organism.

RESPOND TO STIMULI All living things do this in order to keep alive & healthy Examples: 1) Days become shorter and the temperature gets colder - bears grow a thicker coat 2) Your body temperature goes up - you sweat (Identify the Stimulus & the Response in these examples)

MAINTAIN HOMEOSTASIS HomeostasisResponding to the environment allows an organism to maintain Homeostasis. HomeostasisHomeostasis – keeping conditions inside their bodies stable and suitable for life. Homeo – “same” Stasis – “standing” or “state”

ADAPT AND EVOLVE

8 CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE LIVING THINGS: 1.ARE MADE UP OF CELLS 2.REPRODUCE 3.GROW & DEVELOP 4.OBTAIN & USE ENERGY 5.HAVE A METABOLISM 6.RESPOND TO STIMULI 7.MAINTAIN HOMEOSTASIS 8.ADAPT AND EVOLVE