Life Processes What are the characteristics of life?

LIFE PROCESSES Looking at living things

What is a living thing? Imagine that you are space traveler who lands on an unknown planet. How could you determine if what you are looking at is alive. Ex. A rock and a blade of grass.

What are the life processes? NUTRITION TRANSPORT RESPIRATION EXCRETION SYNTHESIS GROWTH REGULATION REPRODUCTION

Key Concepts Metabolism – all the chemical activities an organism must carry on to sustain life. Homeostasis – the maintenance of a stable internal environment in spite of changes in the external environment.

Nutrition Includes the activities involved in ingestion (obtaining food from the environment) and digestion (processing food for use by the organism). It also includes egestion (removal of solid wastes)

Nutrition - Ingestion

Nutrition - Digestion

Nutrition - Egestion

Nutrition – Egestion in Leukocytes in which the bacteria, having been ingested and enclosed in a digestive vacuole by the leukocyte, are ejected by the living cellto the outside

Nutrition – egestion in mammals

TRANSPORT The absorption of materials through cell membranes and the circulation, or distribution of materials to all the cells of an organism.

TRANSPORT Elodea cellsHuman Circulation

RESPIRATION The process of releasing energy from organic molecules for use by cells. During respiration glucose is broken down, and the energy released is stored in the compound ATP. Energy released by the compound ATP is used by organisms to perform life functions.

RESPIRATION Plants and animals use the oxygen in the air to turn food into energy.

RESPIRATION

Human Respiratory System

EXCRETION The elimination of cellular waste products from the organism. These wastes include water, carbon dioxide, salts, and nitrogen-containing compounds.

EXCRETION Urine Sample

SYNTHESIS Chemical reactions in which small molecules combine to form larger ones.

SYNTHESIS Combining 2 glucose molecules to make a larger maltose molecule

GROWTH An increase in size brought about by increases in cell size and cell number. The raw materials for growth are the products of synthesis.

GROWTH

REGULATION The control and coordination of life functions.

REGULATION NucleusBrain

All living things respond to changes. Living things notice changes in their surroundings and react to them. Eg. Plants grow towards the light. Eg. People react to the temperature around them.

REPRODUCTION The production of new individuals. Reproduction is necessary for the survival of a species, or kind of organism.

REPRODUCTION

LIFE PROCESSES VIDEO