Living Things

Characteristics Have cells Sense and Respond Reproduce Have DNA Use Energy Grow and Develop

Living things have cells. A.) A cell is a membrane covered structure that contains all of the materials necessary for life. B.) Organisms are made of: 1. One celled organisms are called unicellular for example amoeba, paramecium or bacteria. 2. More than one celled organisms are called multi-cellular, for example lions or humans

Cells are microscopic. Unable to see with your eyes alone.

Living things sense and respond to change. A.) Stimulus is a change in an organism’s environment that affects the activity of an organism.

1. A stimulus can be: a. Chemicals b. Gravity c. Darkness d. Light e 1. A stimulus can be: a. Chemicals b. Gravity c. Darkness d. Light e. Sound f. Taste g. Or anything that causes a cell to respond in some way.

B. Response: the reaction that an organism has. C B. Response: the reaction that an organism has. C. Homeostasis is the maintenance of a stable internal environment. Warm Blooded – animals that have a constant body temperature (ex. dogs).

Example: Your body maintains a temperature of about 37°C. a Example: Your body maintains a temperature of about 37°C. a. What happens when you get hot? You sweat b. What happens when you get cold? You shiver

Cold Blooded animals – have a body temperature that changes with its environment (ex. Snake).

3. Living things reproduce A 3. Living things reproduce A.) Asexual reproduction is when a single parent produces offspring that are identical to the parent. Examples: amoeba, paramecium

B.) Sexual reproduction almost always requires two parents to produce offspring that will share characteristics of both parents. Examples: bears, humans

4. Living things have DNA A 4. Living things have DNA A.) DNA provides instructions for making molecules called proteins which determine many of an organisms characteristics. B.) Heredity is the transmission of characteristics from one generation to the next.

5. Living things use energy A 5. Living things use energy A.) Metabolism is the sum total of all the chemical activity of an organism. B.) Metabolism can be influenced by hormones, exercise, diet, and aging. C.) The ultimate source of energy comes from the sun.

6. Living things grow and develop A 6. Living things grow and develop A.) Whether they are made of one cell or many cells all living things grow during periods of their lives. B.) Growth of unicellular organism occurs as the cell gets bigger. C.) Growth of multi-cellular organisms occurs by increasing their number of cells.

NECESSITIES OF LIFE Water Air A place to live Food

1. Water All living organisms are approximately 70% water. You can only survive 3 days without water.

2. Air 3. A Place to Live Mixture of several gases. Must have somewhere that contains all of the things a living thing needs to survive.

4. Food Provides organisms with the energy and raw materials needed to carry on life processes. A.) Producers: They can make their own food Example: plants *Photosynthesis: the process that converts the energy in sunlight to energy stored in food.

B.) Consumers: They must eat (consume) other organisms to get food.

Herbivore – A consumer that eats only plants *Herbivore – A consumer that eats only plants. Examples: rabbits, deer, grasshoppers, giraffe *Carnivore – A consumer that eats only animals. Examples: wolf, tigers, lions, owls *Omnivore – A consumer that eats a variety of organisms, both plants and animals. Examples: bear, mice, humans

C.) Decomposers: Organisms that get their food by breaking down the nutrients in dead organisms or animal wastes. Examples: fungi, Mushrooms, worms, bacteria

FOOD CHAIN: shows the path of energy from one living organism to another. Animals pass on only about 10% of the energy it receives.

FOOD WEB: shows the feeding relationships in an ecosystem. Different food chains often connect to form a large food web.

Energy Pyramid Energy Pyramid: Diagram that shows the energy transfer. Each level of the pyramid represents a link in the food chain. There is less energy for use at the top of the pyramid than at the bottom. This is because most of the energy is available at the lower levels.

Don’t forget: Plants are producers of food which is used by consumers Don’t forget: Plants are producers of food which is used by consumers. Example of directly getting the sun’s energy: Grass absorbing the sunlight, and through photosynthesis, converting that energy into food. Example of indirectly getting the sun’s energy: Grass cow humans The sun is the ultimate source of energy for all living things.

CHEMISTRY OF LIFE There are 6 Elements that living things are usually made of: Carbon Oxygen Hydrogen Nitrogen Phosphorous Sulfur

PROTEINS Second most abundant material in a cell (water is first) Made up of amino acids (building blocks) Function of Proteins: Form structures (ie. Hair, feathers, spider webs) Hemoglobin (found in red blood cells) Protection Enzymes (help cell reactions occur quickly)

CARBOHYDRATES Made of glucose (sugars) Source of energy Simple Carbohydrates – one or only a few glucose (sugar) molecules linked together. Example: table sugar B. Complex Carbohydrates – Hundreds of glucose (sugar) molecules linked together. Stored in the liver Stored as starch in plants Example: bread, pasta

LIPIDS A Compound that can not mix with water and that is used to store energy. Form membranes of cells Lipids store energy Examples are fats and oils Fats are solid at room temperature Oils are liquid at room temperature

NUCLEIC ACIDS Blue Prints of life that contain all the necessary information to make proteins. DNA is a nucleic acid ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) Major fuel used for all cell activities