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Characteristics of Living Things

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Characteristics of Living Things
Characteristics of Living Organisms

In order to identify living organisms, scientists listed 7 characteristics which all living organisms have:

1. Nutrition:
Taking in nutrients which are organic substances and mineral ions, containing raw materials and energy for growth and tissue repair, absorbing and assimilating them.

2. Excretion:
Removal from organisms of toxic materials, the waste products of metabolism and substances in excess.

3. Respiration:
Chemical reactions that break down nutrient molecules in living cells to release energy.

4. Sensitivity:
The ability to detect or sense changes in the environment and to make responses.

5. Reproduction:
Progresses that make more of the same kind of organism.

6. Growth:
The permanent increase in size and dry mass by an increase in number of cells, cell size, or both.

7. Movement:
An action by an organism or part of an organism that changes position or place.

The seven characteristics could be memorized by the term “Mrs. Gren”.

Definitions:

Metabolism:
Chemical reactions taking place in cells.

Stimuli:
Changes in the environment which organisms response to.

Characteristics of living things

There are seven activities which make organisms different from non-living things. These are the seven characteristics of living organisms.

1. Nutrition
Living things take in materials from their surroundings that they use for growth or to provide energy. Nutrition is the process by which organisms obtain energy and raw materials from nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

2. Respiration
Respiration is the release of energy from food substances in all living cells. Living things break down food within their cells to release energy for carrying out the following processes.

3. Movement
All living things move. It is very obvious that a leopard moves but what about the thorn tree it sits in? Plants too move in various different ways. The movement may be so slow

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