Characteristics of Living Things

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Characteristics of Living Things
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Living creatures are ORGANIZED

• All made of the same collection of chemicals, but
  we are organized as
• molecules
• proteins, fats, carbohydrates, nucleic acids

proteins
carbohydrates
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DNA
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Living creatures are ORGANIZED

• All made of the same collection of chemicals, but
  we are organized as
• organelles cells
• plant cells animal cells

plant cell
animal cell
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Living creatures are ORGANIZED

• All made of the same collection of chemicals, but
  we are organized as
• organs organ systems
• respiratory, circulatory, digestive, etc.

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Cells of living things carry out Life Processes
necessary for Life.
An organism is said to be alive as long as the
cells perform these __8__ life processes.
1. Nutrition- Taking in food and processing the
materials needed for life
There are 2 types Autotrophic- Plants-Make own
food Heterotrophic- Animals- Need to go out and
get food
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Respiration

• Release of energy from the food and oxygen we
  take in. Mitochondria is the organelle that
  performs respiration.
• There are two types
• Aerobic- uses oxygen to make energy
• Anaerobic- does not use oxygen to make energy

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Excretion

• Removal of liquid wastes. Egestion-is the removal
  of solid wastes.

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Regulation

• Control of all activities in an organism. This
  helps maintain balance (Homeostasis). 2 body
  systems work to maintain this-Nervous and
  Endocrine(hormones)

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Growth

• To increase in size

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Synthesis

• Making simple substances more complex.
• Example Photosynthesis- plants use Co2 and H2o
  along with sunlight to make Glucose (sugar)

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Transport

• Distributing materials throughout the organism.
  Examples
• Cytoplasm liquid within the cell
• Circulatory system- blood carries materials
  needed for body ( oxygen, nutrients, hormones)

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Reproduction

• Production of a new individual. Not needed for
  individual to survive.Must have for the species
  to survive.

Two Types Sexual- 2 Parents Asexual- 1 Parent
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Virus

• A Virus is an exception. It cannot carry out all
  the life processes. To stay alive a virus must
  invade the cell of a living organism. It needs a
  Host cell to stay alive.

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Metabolism

• Is the total of all the life processes. When a
  person states he has high or low metabolism this
  is what they are talking about. It is the
  combination of all the life functions working
  together.

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Homeostasis

• Is the body maintaining internal balance (a
  steady state). When all the life processes are
  occurring normally, it is maintaining
  homeostasis.

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• If a body is not in homeostasis then FEEDBACK
  MECHANINSMS kick in
• Examples
• Body Temperature-
• Sweating cools body
• Shivering- heats the body
• Sugar Levels-
• Pancreas produces hormone called Insulin-
  maintains glucose (sugar) levels

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In Plants Guard Cells- open and close to maintain
water balance
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