Characteristics of Life

What’s the Big Idea All Living Things Share Similar Characteristics of Life in Common

Learning Target I can describe the characteristics of life shared by all living things.

Living Thing = Organism Living Thing = Orgasm

Physical Body Structures 1.CELLS 2.GENETIC MATERIAL

LIFE PROCESSES 1.OBTAIN ENERGY 2.RESPIRATION 3.GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 4.MOVEMENT 5.RESPOND TO STIMULI 6.MAINTAIN HOMEOSTASIS 7.METABOLISM 8.EXCRETION 9.REPRODUCTION 10.EVOLUTION

Same processes, different methods Fish Gills Human Lungs Roach Spiracles

1. CELLS 1. Cells are the smallest units of life. Living Not Living

1. CELLS 2. There are Two Major Types of Cells * Prokaryotic * Eukaryotic Each organism is made of only one cell type

PROKARYOTIC CELLS No organelles surrounded by membranes Chromosomes not stored in a nucleus. Only bacteria made of this cell type

EUKARYOTIC CELLS Have organelles surrounded by membranes Chromosomes stored in nucleus Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists made of this cell type

1. CELLS 2. Unicellular – Organism made of one cell ex. Bacteria 3. Multicellular – Organism made of many cells ex. Animals, plants

1. CELLS 4. Eukaryotic cells of multicellular organisms develop specialized jobs through the process of differentiation. Ex. Skin cells, blood cells, nerve cells

2. GENETIC MATERIAL 1. Each cell contains a copy of the genetic code 2.Genetic code determines: a. Body Structure and Functions b. Some personality traits 3. Two types of genetic codes: DNA – DeoxyriboNucleic Acid RNA – RiboNucleic Acid

2. GENETIC MATERIAL All living things have DNA – it’s the universal genetic code DNA is passed from one generation to the next through reproduction

OBTAIN ENERGY 1.Energy is needed to power all life processes 2.Food provides energy (E)

OBTAIN ENERGY 2 Methods of Obtaining E rich food molecules 1.Autotrophs – Capture sunlight or chemical energy to make their own food molecules (ex. Plants, algae, some bacteria) 2. Heterotrophs – Feeds on living or dead organisms or their products (honey,nectar,dung) (ex. Animals, fungi, non-algae protists)

RESPIRATION Two Meanings: 1.Gas exchange between organism and environment (lungs, gills, cell membrane) 2. Cellular process by which E is released from the breakdown of food molecules. Aerobic Respiration – Cell must have oxygen Anaerobic Respiration –Cell doesn’t use oxygen

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT Growth is the result of cells dividing to make new cells (cell division) Some cells become specialized and perform different jobs than others (cell differentiation)

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 2. Development – orderly series of changes that result from genetic expression.

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 3. Even though they may live a long time…..All living things eventually die

MOVEMENT 1.Organisms use different methods of locomotion to move. 2. Plant movements are called tropisms. Phototropism – movement toward light Gravitropism – movement in response to gravitational pull

RESPOND TO ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI Stimuli - factors in the environment that living things react to (ex. Light, sound, temperature) Response – physiological or behavioral reaction to stimulus. (ex. sweat)

HOMEOSTASIS 1.Processes that maintain constant conditions inside an organism’s body. 2.All body's systems work together to maintain homeostasis. Essential to survival. 3.Makes sure temperature, pH (acidity), and oxygen levels (and many other factors) are set just right for your cell survival. 4.Homeostasis levels are different for each species.

HOMEOSTASIS Ex. Human body temperature stays at ~ 98.6 degrees F Thermoregulation Ex. Blood Sugar Levels High blood sugar triggers insulin release which helps cells take in sugar Too little, stored sugar is released from liver to blood. Diabetes – results from homeostasis failure

METABOLISM 1.All the chemical reactions that occur in the body Ex. Photosynthesis, Cell Respiration, Digestion Amazingly, many of these reactions are the same in different organisms.

EXCRETION 1.All organisms produce wastes as byproduct of their metabolism. Wastes are poisons that must be removed. Animals – urine, feces, sweat, CO 2 lungs, skin, kidneys Plants – O2 through leaf stoma Unicellular organisms – excrete directly through cell membrane

REPRODUCTION Organisms produce more of their own kind by passing down DNA to their offspring through reproduction.

REPRODUCTION Sexual - two sex cells required (sperm and egg) Asexual - only one parent cell is needed Bacterial binary fission

EVOLUTION Evolution - change in a population of organisms over time Individuals DO NOT evolve Changes that result in adaptations for survival are naturally selected for.

Types of Adaptations Physical / Anatomical (Body Structure)

Types of Adaptations Physiological (Body processes) Wood Frog Poison Ivy Rattlesnake

Types of Adaptations Behavioral Monarchs Wood frogs mating Sage Grouse

Summary Although there is great diversity among all the different living things, the characteristics of life unifies them as being alive. Unity – Characteristics of Life Diversity – Ways in which the structures and processes of organisms differ

Cool Down A friend (who didn’t pass Biology) is trying to tell you that fire is alive. Use what you have learned to convince them otherwise. Write out what you would say to them.