CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE All organisms, no matter how different from each other, share certain features that are specific only to living things (you saw this with the lab we did!)

9 Characteristics of Life Energy Development Growth Adapt Reproduction Cells Homeostasis React/respond to environment Organization “EDGAR CHRO”

ENERGY Organisms need energy and they get it in different ways: –Heterotroph: get food by eating others –Autotroph: make their own food The sun is the ultimate source of energy: –Why?

DEVELOP Process by which an organisms changes into an adult. Be careful. Not the same as evolve.

GROW Multicellular organisms grow or get bigger as a result of cell division (more cells to the body) A unicellular organism gets bigger but if it undergoes cell division, it becomes two organisms (reproduction)

ADAPT Organisms gain traits or behaviors through mutations that help them survive better in an environment. Not all mutations result in adaptations! Most are harmful and depend on the environment (natural selection)

REPRODUCTION Reproduction= Process of organisms making new organisms like themselves –HOW? Organisms transmit hereditary information (DNA) to their offspring Important for survival of species, not individual Two types, but sexual reproduction creates variety which is important for evolution

CELLS: All Organisms contain at least one (unicellular) or more (multicellular) cells. In multicellular organisms, the cells do different tasks to help the organism survive Each cell can live on its own because a cell can perform the 9 characteristics of life!!!!!!! We have 100,000,000,000,000 cells

Homeostasis All organisms have the ability to maintain their conditions stable: Things that need to be maintained stable: temperature, blood pressure, water, mineral concentration, pH levels, etc Example #1: Body temperature control When body temperature is below 98.6 then body shivers to increase temperature back to When body temperature is too high, humans sweat to decrease body temperature The human body maintains a stable internal temperature of 98.6°F.

RESPOND Organisms respond to their environment for protection

Organization At molecular, cellular levels and at organism level