Preview

Characteristics of Living Things

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
435 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
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

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    BIO 104 Chapter 3

    • 7229 Words
    • 29 Pages

    More specifically what do all living organisms have in common? For example, do all living organisms carry genetic instructions? Do their cells all have a nucleus? What other features do they have in common? MEMBRANES AND TRANSPORT…

    • 7229 Words
    • 29 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    11. The body uses food to absorb the nutrients needed for the cells and tissues in our bodies. Water is used for chemical reactions, carbohydrates are sugars used for energy, fats are used for insulation and proteins are used for growth and repair.…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Biology Gcse Revision Notes

    • 11302 Words
    • 46 Pages

    Living organisms are classified into 5 groups, each of which has certain characteristics you need to learn…

    • 11302 Words
    • 46 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    AP1 chap 1study guide

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages

    1. List the functional characteristics common to humans and other organisms; explain the importance of each to maintaining life and what are the survival needs of living things.…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    WEEK 2 Written Assignment

    • 757 Words
    • 3 Pages

    2. Choose 3 non-living things in addition to the “pet rock” listed below (to get you started) and discuss how each one does (or does not) match up with at least 3 of the characteristics of life (you can choose different characteristics for each example).…

    • 757 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    A&P 1 Study Guide

    • 12864 Words
    • 52 Pages

    o Metabolism o Excretion o Reproduction o Growth • Survival Needs o Nutrients o O2…

    • 12864 Words
    • 52 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The burning of food in the cells results in the free of energy which is called respiration. Carbon dioxide and water, which are formed during respiration, are transferred through various organs of the body. The energy released in respiration fulfils the energy needs of the body.…

    • 2406 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bio 104 Final Review

    • 6313 Words
    • 26 Pages

    Biology Final Review Chapter 1 Biology unifies much of natural science * Living systems: most complex chemical systems on Earth * Constrained by properties of chemistry and physics * Science is becoming more interdisciplinary (combining multiple fields) 7 characteristics of all living organisms 1. Composed of cells 2. Complex and ordered 3. Respond to their environment 4.…

    • 6313 Words
    • 26 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Anat 1 assignment

    • 1933 Words
    • 7 Pages

    5. Which characteristics of life can you identify in yourself? Movement, Responsiveness, Growth, Reproduction, Respiration, Digestion, Absorption, Circulation, Assimilation, Excretion.…

    • 1933 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Which of the following types of mutation, resulting in an error in the mRNA just after the AUG start of translation, is likely to have the most serious effect on the polypeptide product?…

    • 2426 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Miss

    • 1529 Words
    • 6 Pages

    To form relationship and offer support: informal interaction about the child’s health as he has been absents for few days and overall any changes. It would help cares to offer support if the child feeling anxious when the parents leave, so the care could help him or her by reading any books or playing for a while. To support the child by given any comforters to help them to calm down and relax.…

    • 1529 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many ways in which living organisms differ from each other. In this essay I will discuss the various ways of which this occurs.…

    • 768 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Properties of Life

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages

    How can we tell if an organism is alive or not? Is a virus , prion, virod, or a rock a living organism? What is life? Biologist have studied what makes organism alive for many years and have come to the conclusion the there are nine characteristics of life. Each characteristic has a property which applies to how and organism is alive. Life characteristics are as follows: order, metabolism, motility, responsiveness, reproduction, development, heredity, evolution, and adaptation. All of the characteristics of life together are what makes an organism alive.…

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nine Properties of Life

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The nine properties of life are as follows, Order, Metabolism, Motility, Responsiveness, Reproduction, Development, Heredity, Evolution and Adaptations. To understand what each of these properties are and their role in life, each characteristic will be discussed. First, Order is defined as a precise arrangement of units and activities structured together. Second, Metabolism is the chemical reaction that is a acquired usage to repair, grow and other survival processes.…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Movement is another characteristic of living things which is very noticeable in most organisms. For example, animals walk. That is movement. But in some organisms such as plants it is less noticeable to see their functions as a living organism than others. For example, a sunflower plant responds to its stimuli and grows towards sunlight.…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays