1. The Simple Bare Necessities of Life
Chapter 2, Section 2
pages 40-41

2. Food provides organisms with the energy and raw materials needed to:
carry on life processes
build and repair cells
build and repair body parts

3. How organisms get their food
producers - make their own food
plants
use energy from the sun, water, and carbon dioxide
microorganisms in the Movile Cave
use chemicals in their environment

4. How organisms get their food (cont.)
consumers – must eat (consume) other organisms to get their food
examples – mammals, reptiles
decomposers – must break down nutrients in dead organisms or animal waste to get their food
examples – fungi, bacteria

5. Water
most of the chemical reactions involved in metabolism require water
most living cells are 70% water
humans can survive about three days without water

6. Air mixture of several gases
mostly nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide
most living things use oxygen to release energy from food
some organisms also need carbon dioxide for photosynthesis (process of converting energy in sunlight to energy in food)

7. A Place to Live
somewhere to live that contains all the things they need to survive
some organisms require a large amount of space
elephant
some organisms do not require very much space at all
bacteria

8. space on earth is limited
A Place to Live (cont.)
space on earth is limited
creates competition for territory

9. Closure Questions
Why are decomposers categorized as consumers? How do they differ from producers?
Why are most cells 70% water?
Could life as we know it exist on Earth if air contained only oxygen?
How might a cave, an ant, and a lake meet the needs of an organism?