Characteristics of Living Things

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Characteristics of Living Things

© Jnana Prabodhini Educational Resource Centre

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We see living things like animals, plants and non-living things like water, stone, machines, vehicles etc around us. All living things have special characteristics while Non-Living things do not have.


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As you build a building with the help of bricks, similarly the body of living thing is made from micro cells.The number of micro cells varies with the size of living thing.Some living things are made from a single cell. These are called as unicellular living things- it is very small (micro) in size.Cannot be seen by necked eyes. You need microscope to see it.Example: Amoeba, Paramecium.


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Some living beings are big. Their body is made up of more than one cell . These living things are called multi cellular.You can see multi cellular with necked eyes.Example: All small and big animals, plants.Non-Living things are not made from cell.


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Living things move to get food or protect themselves etc.These movements are called self motivation.Example: Birds fly, fish swim , man walk , flowers bloom etc.Non-Living thing do not have self motivation. It can not move by itself. It need to be moved by someone (Living being).


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Living things respond to change around them.These responses are called Consciousness and response to consciousness is called reflex action Example: If dust is present in eyes ,we rub our eyes.If we throw stone to a dog , it runs away.Plants grow in the direction of light.


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Earthworm lives in dark place. If you take it in the light, it moves in the direction of darkness.This can be checked with simple experiment. Take one test tube and cover it’s half part with black colour paper. Insert one earthworm in the test tube and keep it in the sunlight.(After observation leave the earthworm on wet soil). Non-Living things do not have consciousness.


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Living things takes birth and can be seen growing.While growing, size of body, height and internal parts also grow. Height of a plant can be measured.Non-living things do not grow.


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All living things need Oxygen to live. Through inhale they take in Oxygen and through exhale they take out Carbon dioxide. The process of Inhale for oxygen and exhale for carbon dioxide is called breathing. All living things do breathing.Non-living things do not breath.


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All living things can create another living thing same as it is. Some animal give birth to baby animal. Some animals give birth through egg. Some plant can create new plant from seed, some from leaf and some from root. Giving birth to new living thing is called reproduction or regeneration.Non-living thing do not reproduce.


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All living things need food and water to grow.Animals use different ways to eat food. Plants absorb water and minerals using roots and make their own food.Non-living things do not eat.


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All living things use energy generated from food to live. In this process food waste gets created. The process of taking out food waste is called excretion.Animals excrete food waste through sweat , stool or renal. Plants excrete through dried leaves, dried bark or gumNon-living things do not excrete.


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Living things has life cycle as birth, growth, reproduction, weakening and death. Life activities started at birth time eventually stops and it dies.Animals and plants has different life span. Non-living things do not die. Some non-living things get attrition.



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Living thing have characteristics like cellular structure, movement, consciousness, growth, breathing, reproduction, food eating, excretion and death.Non-living things do not have these characteristics.