Organism- Organism- living thing that has the ability to act or function independently Taxonomy- Taxonomy- The science of classifying living things Carl Linnaeus- Carl Linnaeus- Swedish scientist who developed a system that places organisms in groups based on their observable features.

All living things have these six characteristics. Anything without one of these six characteristics is nonliving. Living things are called organisms.

Biologists use six characteristics to classify something as a living thing. 1. Made of Cells 2. Use and Need Energy 3. Adapted to Their Surroundings 4. React to Changes 5. Reproduce 6. Grow and Develop

Organisms are made up of one or more cells. A cell is the basic unit of structure and function in living things. Cells = the building blocks of life

All organisms need and use energy to live. Energy is the ability to do work. Sunlight is the source of energy for most living things. Plants use the energy in sunlight to make food, and animals get energy by eating plants or other animals that have eaten plants.

Organisms are adapted, or suited, to their surroundings. All organisms have features that help them survive in their surroundings. For example: fish have gills

Organisms react to change in their surroundings. Any reaction to change is called a response. For example: A bright light may cause you to blink.

Organisms produce more organisms of their own kind. Reproduction can be sexual or asexual. Reproduction allows organisms to continue living on the earth.

Living things change, or develop, during their lifetimes. One way organisms change is by growing. Living things may also change in appearance. For example: tadpoles to frogs; caterpillars to butterflies All organisms grow and develop.

The classification system that scientists use today is based on the contributions of Linnaeus. But today’s classification system uses a series of many levels to classify organisms. Most biologists today classify organisms into the levels. Of course, organisms are not grouped by where they live, but rather by their shared characteristics. First, an organism is placed in a broad group, which in turn is divided into more specific groups. Domain to Kingdom to Phylum to Class to Order to Family to Genus to Species King Philip Crossed Over For Gold and Silver The more classification levels that two organisms share, the more characteristics they have in common.