1. It’s Alive! Or Is It? The Characteristics of Living Things

2. The Characteristics of Living Things What do All living things (organisms) have in common? There are six characteristics that all living things need in order to be living. Characteristic One: –A–All living things are made of one or more cells. –C–Cells are the smallest unit that can perform all life processes.

3. Characteristic Two: –L–Living Things Sense and Respond to Change. Stimulus- A change that affects the activity of an organism. –E–Examples of Stimuli- gravity, light, temperature, hunger. Homeostasis- The ability of an organism to keep steady or stable internal environment. –E–Examples of Homeostasis- After running, your heartbeat eventually returns to normal.

4. Characteristic Three: –L–Living Things Reproduce. Sexual Reproduction: Two parents produce offspring that will share the characteristics of both parents. –E–Example: Animals, people Asexual Reproduction: A single parent produces offspring that are identical to the parent. – Example: bacteria

5. The Characteristics of Living Things Characteristic Four: –L–Living Things Have DNA. The cells of all living things contain a chemical called deoxyribonucleic acid. When organisms reproduce they pass their DNA to their offspring. DNA contains all your genes. Heredity- The passing of traits from one generation to the next.

6. Characteristic Five: – Living Things Use Energy- All living things use energy to carry out the activities of life; Metabolism- The total of all the chemical activities that the organism performs.

7. The Characteristics of Living Things Characteristic Six: – Living Things Grow and Develop All living things increase in size over their lifespan. All living things develop or change over time. – Example: Babies learning to walk, a puppy learning to sit and play catch.

8. The Characteristics of Living Things 1) All living things are made of one or more cells. 2) Living Things Sense and Respond to Change. 3) Living Things Reproduce. 4) All Living Things have DNA. 5) Living Things Use Energy. 6) Living Things Grow and Develop.