Is It ALIVE???

What are living things? Organism – any living thing

Characteristics of Living Things All organisms must have cells Cell – basic unit of life Could be unicellular or could be multicellular

Characteristics of Living Things 2. All organisms must grow and change Development - organisms growing, changing, and becoming more complex 

Characteristics of Living Things 3. All organisms must use energy Metabolism – sum of the energy used plants  use energy from the sun to make food humans  use energy to ingest food, perform tasks, etc.

Characteristics of Living Things 4. All organisms must be capable of gas exchange Plants: CO2 to O2 Animals: O2 to CO2

Characteristics of Living Things 5. All organisms must maintain an internal environment Homeostasis – maintaining a stable internal condition to remain alive (temperature, water content, heartbeat, etc.) Sweating Eating salty foods

Characteristics of Living Things 6. All organisms are able to reproduce Sexual reproduction – combining genetic info to make a new organism Asexual reproduction – splitting into 2 organisms *Not every member of a species will be able to reproduce  infertility