Characteristics of Living Things What Is Biology Biology

Characteristics of Living Things

What Is Biology? Biology is the study of living things. Bio: life -logy: the study of 2

What does it mean to be living? Define living vs. nonliving by 7 characteristics 1. All living things are complex, organized and made of cells 3

2. All living things get nutrients and energy from their environment 4

3. All living things regulate their internal environment so as to maintain a stable, constant condition-homeostasis Examples: body temperature, p. H in blood or stomach, glucose in bloodstream 5

4. All living things grow and develop -increase in cell size or cell number 6

5. All living things respond to stimuli from their environment. (stimuli: things that provoke a response or activity) 7

6. All living things reproduce more of their own kind asexual reproduction…. . one parent produces …. . copies of itself sexual reproduction……………. . . two parents, each ……………. . . contributes to ……………production of ……………offspring based on universal code-DNA 8

7. All living things can adapt to their environment and evolvechange over time Adaptations are characteristics that allow organisms to survive and reproduce 9

Redi’s Experiment • Where does life come from? • Disproved the widely accepted idea of Spontaneous Generation – living things come from nonliving things. • Video: Spontaneous Generation 10

Redi’s Experiment Redi animation 1. One jar was left uncovered. The second jar was covered 2. Maggots appeared only on the meat in the open jar. 3. Redi concluded that meat did not produce maggots-flies did. 11

Louie Pasteur 1. Nutrient rich broth in flask 2. Boiled broth killing ALL microorganisms 3. Broth exposed to air but not anything in air because of bend in neck of flask 4. Never grew 5. Broke neck, life exploded in broth 12