Characteristics of Living Things Characteristics of Living Things

Characteristics of Living Things

Characteristics of Living Things �There are many kinds of living things. �Flowers, trees, animals people, etc. �Some living things are huge, like a hippo, and others are too small to be seen without special equipment. �What do you look for in living things that tells you that they are alive?

Characteristics of Living Things �Lets look at a volcano: �The lava that flows down the side of a volcano moves, just as some living things do. �Lets look at machines: �Scientists can build machines that can move and make sounds like living things. �But does the ability to move or make sounds mean that something is alive?

Characteristics of Living Things �Many non-living things show one characteristic of living things and some show several. �Living things are often referred to as an organism, but before a thing can be classified as an organism, it must show all of the characteristics of a living thing. �You can identify living things by all of the following characteristics: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Living things reproduce, grow, and repair themselves. Living things require energy. Living things react to changes in their environment. Living things have a lifespan. Living things create waste. Living things are composed of cells.

Living Things Reproduce, Grow and Repair Themselves �Living things grow as time passes: �Children grow taller as they get older. �Seeds turn into plants and trees over time. �Living things can also repair themselves: �Think of a time when you had a cut. After a few days, your body healed the cut. The cut is now gone and has stopped hurting. �Living things can also create more living things. �If living things could not create new life, then all life would die out. �Mother give birth to babies, most plants make seeds, and some living things divide themselves to create new living things.

Living Things Require Energy �All living things need energy. Energy helps living things grow, move and breath. �Living things that can not get energy will die. �Different living things get energy in different ways. �Plants get energy from the sunlight �People and animals get energy from eating plants and other animals.

Living Things React to Changes in Their Environment � When something tries to harm a living, the living thing reacts. � These reactions help living things avoid danger and stay alive. � A rabbit may sense a larger animal nearby. The rabbit would react by running away and hiding for safety. � Plants also react to their surroundings. � Plant cells can find wet soil. Plant roots grow toward the wet soil. This reaction helps plants grow and stay healthy.

Living Things Have a Lifespan �All animals and plants grow old and die. Some life spans are longer than others. �A queen bee lives for about 5 years. A rhinoceros can live for 40 years. �Living things can change as they get older. They may not see as well or move as fast. �Their bodies do not heal as quickly. �Eventually all living things die.

Living Things Create Waste �Waste is what a living thing does not use. When you eat a banana, the peel is waste. �When animals eat food, they use part of the food as energy. The remaining parts are not needed. These parts leave the body as waste. �Dead leaves are waste, snake skin that has been shed is also waste.

Living Things are Composed of Cells �All living things are made up of one or more cells. �Cells are the simplest and most basic part of all living things. �Different living things have different numbers of cells. �Humans have trillions of cells. Some living things only have one cell. �Living things may make new cells over time.

�All living things have all of these six characteristics. �Lets investigate how we know that a dog is a living thing. Things Living things reproduce, grow and repair themselves. Living things need energy. Living things react to changes in the environment. Living things have a lifespan. Living things create waste. Living things are composed of cells. Dogs

The Cell Theory �People have studied living things for hundreds of years. But for most of that time they could only study things that they could easily see. �About 400 years ago, the microscope was invented. It helped scientists see the cells that make up living things. The microscope also helped scientists find tiny cells they didn’t know existed.

The Cell Theory �The cell theory tells us what cells are and how they work. �The cell theory has three main parts. 1. All living things are made up of at least one cell. 2. Cells are the most basic part of life. (Cells give structure to living things) 3. Every cell comes from cells that already exist. (New cells form when old cells divide)