1. Characteristics of Living Things
1. All living things are made up of cells
Some are unicellular e.g. bacteria, yeast
Others are multicellular e.g. plants, animals
All cells come from and give rise to other cells

2. 2. All living things grow & develop
Increase in size and number of cells
Growth may be different in different locations
Individuals change as development proceeds throughout life

3. 3. All living things regulate metabolic processes.
The sum of all biological chemical reactions in a cell or organism is metabolism
Metabolic processes use energy to maintain a balanced condition called homeostasis e.g. body temp 37o, heart and respiration rate, BP, glucose concentration in blood etc.

4. 4. All living things move of their own accord
Cells move, crawl, or swim & have internal movement
Some forms are sessile (attached to object) but move muscles, cilia etc. e.g. barnacles, oysters, anemones
Plants do move, although very slowly compared to animals

5. 5. All living things respond to environment/stimuli
e.g. light, temperature, food, opposite sex etc.
Cells “talk” to each other through cell signaling via special molecules
e.g., hormones, neurotransmitters
Organisms signal other organisms via behavior

6. 6. All living things reproduce All cells arise from previous cells
Asexual or Sexual ?
Asexual results in identical genes in offspring produced.
Simple cells by fission. Many unicellular organisms reproduce this way e.g. bacteria
Variation only by mutation in genes
Sexual allows genetic diversity (variation)
More complex: involves formation of zygote (fertilized egg)
Genes provided by parents

7. 7. Living things adjust & adapt to their surroundings = Evolution
Adaptations allow organisms to survive in a particular environment

8. 8. Organisms Contain Genetic Information
All living organisms contain DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
Genes are regions of the DNA on chromosomes that determine the characteristics of the cells and organism
DNA is passed on to the next generation the characteristics of one generation are passed on to the next.

9. 9. Living things have a life span
i.e. death occurs after life