Characteristics of Living Things There are 7 characteristics of all living things. 1. Organization 2. Growth & Development 3. Reproduction 4. Responses to Stimuli 5. Homeostasis 6.Energy 7. DNA

Organization All living things are made of cells. Organisms can be multicellular or unicellular Unicellular vs. Multicellular one cell many cells no nucleus nucleus Ex. Bacteria Ex. Everything but bacteria

Organization Cells→Tissues→Organs→Organ Systems→Organism

Growth & Development A unicellular organism grows as the cell increases in size. A multicellular organism grows and cells multiply during growth. Development- changes that occur in an organism during its lifetime.

Reproduction Process by which one organism makes one or more new organisms. 2 types of reproduction: 1. Asexual Reproduction – one organism reproduces by dividing into two new organisms. 2. Sexual Reproduction- two organisms reproduce and produce organisms that are similar to both parents.

Reproduction Ex. Asexual Reproduction Ex. Sexual Reproduction

Responses to Stimuli Responding to changes in the environment. 2 types of Stimuli: Internal: responding to changes within the body. 2. External: responding to changes in the external environment.

Homeostasis An organism’s ability to maintain steady internal conditions when outside conditions change. Maintaining homeostasis ensures that cells can function.

Energy All organisms must obtain and use energy. Every function requires energy. Energy can be obtained by eating food, or in the case of a plant, capturing the sunlight. Metabolism is the sum of all chemical reactions that occur in an organism. This requires energy.

Energy

DNA All living things contain DNA DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It contains blueprint of life It has the recipe on how to make proteins.