What is life? - · PDF filelight, temperature, effects of other living and nonliving things. –This causes organisms to react immediately to ... Characteristics of Life PPT Author:

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What is life?

Characteristics

Characteristics of Life

– Thereareeightcharacteristicsoflife.1. Madeupofcells2. Reproduces3. Organized

4. GrowsandDevelops5. UsesEnergy6. RespondstoStimuli7. AdaptstoChanges8. Homeostasis

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1. Life is Made Up of Cells

– Therearetwotypesofcellularorganisms1. Unicellular– madeupofonecell.Thiscellperformsall

jobsforthemicroorganism.

– Examples:Prokaryotes,bacteria,protozoa,somealgae

2. Multicellular– madeupofmanycells.Eachcellhasaspecificjob.

– Examples:allanimals,allplants

2. Life Reproduces

– Therearetwoformsofreproduction1. SexualReproduction– twocellsfromdifferentparents

cometogethertofromthefirstcelloftheneworganism.– Examples:mostmulticellularorganisms

2. AsexualReproduction– Neworganismcomesfromasingleparentcell.Theoriginalcellwilldivideandsplitintotwo

– Examples:mostunicellularorganisms

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3. Life Is Organized

AtomMoleculeOrganelleCellTissueOrgan

OrganSystemOrganismPopulationCommunityBiomeBiospherePlanetEarth

Smallest

Largest

– Lifeismadeupofsimpleandsmallbuildingblockstobuildlargeandcomplexorganisms

4. Life Grows and Develops

– Everyorganismhasapatternofgrowthanddevelopment

– Cellsmultiplyandbecomespecializedtoperformspecifictasks

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5. Life Uses Energy

– Allorganismstakeinmaterialsforenergy.– Example:Light(producers),consumingplantsand/oranimals

(carnivores,herbivores,omnivores),consumingdeadthings(decomposers).

– Thesematerialswillgothroughacombinationofchemicalreactionsthathelpanorganismbuildorbreakdownmaterialsasitcarriesoutlifeprocessessuchasphotosynthesis,cellularrespiration,proteinsynthesis– Thisprocessisdonethroughametabolism.

6. Life Responds to Stimuli (Short – Term)

– Environmentschangeregularlybasedonwater,light,temperature,effectsofotherlivingandnonlivingthings.

– Thiscausesorganismstoreactimmediatelytotheirenvironment– Example:Weputacoatonwhenitiscoldoutside

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7. Life Adapts to Changes (Long-Term)– Manychangesoccurthroughoutlife– butthisparticularchangeisthesamelifecycletheirparentswentthrough.– Evolution:agroupofthesameorganismexperiencesthesame

changeovertime– Organismsrespondovertimetotheirenvironmentratherthanreact

– Example:Treesthatcansurvivealongperiodwithoutwater

8. Life Maintains Homeostasis

– Allorganismskeepinternalconditionsstablebyaprocesscalledhomeostasis.

– Thisissimilartoathermostatinahouse– Example:Humanssweattopreventtheir

bodytemperaturefromrisingtoohigh.