1. Characteristics of Living Things
Chapter 1-Book A

2. Initial Questions What do plants have in common with dogs?
What do bacteria have in common with fish
What people have in common with SLIME MOLD?

3. Living things have cells

4. Cells A cell is the smallest unit that can perform all life processes
Cells are covered by a membrane and have DNA and cytoplasm
Most cells cannot be seen with the naked eye

5. Cell functions Some organisms are made up of TRILLIONS of cells
Different types of cells have different functions
For instance….nerve cells transport signals and muscle cells are specialized for movement!
In organisms with one cell, different parts of the cell performs different functions (in a paramecium, part of the cell will eat, for example)

6. STIMULUS
Stimulus: anything that causes a reaction or change in an organism or any part of an organism
ALL organisms have the ability to sense change in their environment, and to respond to that change
How do pupils respond to light?
Stimuli (plural) can be light, chemicals, gravity, sounds, hunger, or ANYTHING that causes an organism to respond in some way

7. Example of Stimulus in Nature

8. Brainpop Video on the Venus Fly Trap

9. Homeostasis Organisms must maintain a stable internal environment…..
For instance, what is the average human body temperature?
Homeostasis is the maintenance of a constant internal state in a changing environment

10. Brainpop video on homeostasis

11. Responding to External Changes
What happens when you get hot? Why?
What happens when you get cold? Why?
Whether you’re sweating or shivering, your body is trying to return itself to normal temperature
Animals control their temperature by moving from one environment to the other

12. Living things reproduce
Organisms make other organisms similar to themselves
Sexual reproduction-reproduction in which the sex cells from two parents unite, producing offspring that share traits from both parents

13. Asexual Reproduction
Asexual reproduction: reproduction that does not involve the union of sex cells and in which on parent produces offspring identical to itself
Many invertebrates are asexual, as do single celled organisms

14. Brainpop Video on Asexual Reproduction

15. Living Things have DNA DNA-stands for deoxyribonucleic acid
Controls the structure and function of the cell
When organisms reproduce, they pass copies of their DNA to their offspring (therefore offspring’s DNA resembles their parent’s DNA)
Passing of traits from one generation to the next is call HEREDITY

16. Living things use energy
Organisms use energy to carry out all life activities (making food, breathing, walking)
METABOLISM: the sum of all chemical processes that occur in an organism

17. Living things grow and develop
ALL living things grow
Single-celled organisms: the cell gets larger and divides, making other organisms
In other organisms, the number of cells grow, and the organism gets bigger
Animals/humans also develop as they go through different life stages