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Characteristics of Life. All organisms have many features or characteristics in common. Learning Objectives. Present an outline of the diversity of living things What defines a living thing? List the common features & behaviours identified as living Define the terms Metabolism
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Characteristics of Life All organisms have many features or characteristics in common
Learning Objectives • Present an outline of the diversity of living things • What defines a living thing? • List the common features & behaviours identified as living • Define the terms Metabolism Continuity of life
The Variety of Life All living things are divided into two main groups Plants Animals
The Diversity of Animals • There are more than a million different species of animals on earth • Scientists have organised all these animals according to how they are related • The animal kingdom is divided into groups called classes for example Reptiles Birds Mammals These all have similar features which distinguish them from animals in other classes
Worms Fish Insects Reptiles Arachnids Birds The Diversity of Animals Vertebrates Invertebrates
Algae Ferns Moss Conifers Flowering Plants The Diversity of Plants
Learning check What is meant by Diversity?
What makes Plants & Animals ‘living’? • Do they have common features? • Do they have common behaviours?
Common Characteristics Living things: • are highly organised • are composed of tiny units called cells • grow • excrete • move • react to their surroundings • feed • reproduce
Metabolism METABOLISM Metabolism is the chemical reactions that occur in the cells of living organisms These reactions are responsible for the process of • Growth • Repair • Responsiveness • Reproduction All living things metabolise
There are 2 types of Metabolic Reactions Anabolic Reactions These reactions use energy to join small molecules together to form larger molecules Example: Photosynthesis Catabolic Reactions These reactions use energy to break down large molecules into smaller ones Example: Respiration
Continuity of Life Continuity of life is the ability of an organism to exist from generation to the next You need reproduction and heredity to achieve continuity Genes are hereditary factors that are passed on from one generation to the next during reproduction All living things reproduce
Learning check Explain Metabolism Explain ‘Continuity of Life’
Need to know • Present an outline of the diversity of living things • What defines a living thing? • List the common features & behaviours identified as living • Define the terms Metabolism Continuity of life
1.2.3. Characteristics of Life Life describes an organic based object that possesses the characteristics of metabolism and continuity of life
Learning Objectives Definition and identification of the "characteristics of life", through fundamental principles and interactions of Organisation, Nutrition, Excretion, Response and Reproduction.
How do we know if something is alive? • It has organization – cells, tissues, organs, etc. • It uses energy • Grows and develops • Excretes • Reproduces • Responds to the environment • Adapts to the environment
Organisation • Unicellular or multicellular • Specialized structures • Cell is the basic unit of structure and function • If cell structure is damaged its function is also affected
Levels of organisation • Cell • Tissue • Organ • Organ system • Organism • Population • Community • Ecosystem • Biosphere
Energy • All energy for living things can be traced back to the sun (primary source of energy) • Organisms use light energy to see (vision), to make food (photosynthesis), for warmth (respiration) • Plants use sunlight to make food (producers) • Other organisms eat the plants to get energy (consumers)
Learning check How do we know something is alive? • It has organization – cells, tissues, organs, etc. • It uses energy • Grows and develops • Excretes • Reproduces • Responds to the environment • Adapts to the environment
Growth and Development • Growth – increase in size • Development – change in form or shape • Amount of growth varies in different organisms • Nutrition maintains the organisation and growth of living organisms
Nutrition This is the process involved in the making and receiving or the absorption and utilisation of food (energy and materials) from the environment
Sources of Nutrition In Animals: feed on other organisms In Plants: make food by photosynthesis and absorbing chemicals from the environment Energy flow: Sun Plants Animals
Excretion • Excretion - is the elimination of the waste products of metabolism from a cell, tissue or organ • All living things must get rid of waste material – if it was allowed to accumulate it would become toxic to the organism • A balance must be maintained between their internal and external environments
Methods of excretion Various organised structures involved In Animals: the urinary system, skin, lungs In Plants: the stomata
Learning check • What is meant by nutrition? • This is the process involved in the making and receiving or the absorption and utilisation of food (energy and materials) from the environment
Response and Adaptation • Response = reaction to a stimulus in environment • Adaptation – plants and animals change in response to long-term changes in the environment; these may be passed on to future generations (Charles Darwin)
Methods of response • In Animals: organised structures respond to light, sound, touch, etc. • In Plants: growth towards or away from a stimulus e.g. light, water, fertilisers, etc.
Learning check What is Excretion? • It is the elimination of the waste products of metabolism from a cell, tissue or organ
Reproduction • Life comes from life. • Reproduction is the ability of an organism to produce new individuals of its own kind and pass on genetic information to the next generation. • Necessary for the survival of the species • Offspring can be the same as or different from parent(s)
Methods of reproduction • Asexual: e.g. in bacteria and protista – binary fission (simple division in two) – mitosis • Sexual: e.g. in plants and animals – involves two parents and the production of male and female gametes
Learning check • What is the purpose of reproduction? • To produce new individuals of its own kind and pass on genetic information to the next generation. • Reproduction is necessary for the survival of a species.
Interactions between organisms • There are relationships between organisms living in same habitat • Predator-prey • Symbiosis (Mutualism & Commensalism) • Parasitism • A change in one type of organism can cause other organisms to change • Organisms that can’t adapt fast enough might become extinct
Summary • One characteristic is not enough to qualify something as being alive. • Life involves an interaction between metabolism and continuuity • Metabolism requires an interaction of organisation, nutrition, excretion and behaviour • Continuity requires organisation, nutrition, behaviour and reproduction
Need to know Definition and identification of the "characteristics of life", through fundamental principles and interactions of organisation nutrition, excretion, response and reproduction.
