Characteristics of Living Things

Characteristics of Living

Things

Open Ended

What does it mean to be "alive" or "living"?

Multiple Choice

All living organisms are made up of ____.

• Cells

• Bacteria

• Organs

• Tissue

All living things are made of cells

•All living things are composed of one (unicellular) or more
(multicellular) cells.
•This leads to levels of organization in more complex living
things…
–Cells are organized into tissues.
–Tissues are organized into organs.
–Organs are organized into organ systems.
–Organ systems comprise an Organism!
•Organism – Displays all characteristics of life and considered
by biologists to be alive.

Multiple Choice

Fungi, Plants, and Animals

• Unicellular organisms 

• Multicellular organisms

Multiple Choice

Bacteria is an example of a(n) ______ organism.

• unicellular

• multicellular

• nonliving

• mammal

Multiple Choice

What type of organism is this?

• Unicellular

• multicellular

• no cellular

• both unicellular and multicellular

Multiple Choice

The coronavirus is an example of...

• Unicellular Organism

• Multicellular Organism

• Neither

• Both

All living things reproduce

•All living things reproduce to carry on their species.

•Some plants and bacteria reproduce individually via asexual reproduction.

–Upon maturity split into two organisms (budding).

–Offspring are genetically identical to parent.

•Some plants and animals reproduce through another member of their
species via sexual reproduction.

–Upon maturity exchange eggs and sperm (externally or internally) to create 1 or
more offspring.

–Offspring are not genetically identical to parent/s: a unique blend of recombined
DNA.

–May or may not have parental care depending on reproductive strategy.

All living things are based on a
universal genetic code called

DNA.

•Living organisms inherit traits from their parent(s)
via DNA and/or RNA.
•DNA/RNA are the codes or sequences that get
translated into all types of proteins.
•These are found

in the nucleus of
eukaryotic
organisms.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following choices are characteristics of prokaryotic cells?

• smaller, defined by their shape, no nucleus

• larger, has a nucleus

• are plant and animal cells only

• has DNA stored in the nucleus

Multiple Choice

Genetic material found in a cell

• prokaryotic

• eukaryotic

• DNA

• nucleus

Multiple Choice

What type of cell has a nucleus? 

• eukaryotic

• prokaryotic 

All living things grow and

develop

All living things obtain and use

materials and energy

•Living organisms require energy; in the most basic form of
ATP.

–Obtained through the breakdown of food and nutrients. (Heterotrophs)

–Obtained through inorganic sources (Photosynthesis, Chemosynthesis)

–Obtained through “stealing” ATP from other organisms.
(Microorganisms)

•This energy is used to carry out cell/life functions:
metabolism, locomotion, growth/development or cell
division, etc.

Multiple Choice

Which terms best describe heterotrophs?

• Plants; producers

• Animals; producers

• Plants; consumers

• Animals; consumers

Multiple Choice

Which terms best describe autotrophs?

• Plants; producers

• Animals; producers

• Plants; consumers

• Animals; consumers

All living things respond to

their environment

•living things respond to changes in light, heat, sound, and chemical
and mechanical contact.
•To detect stimuli, many organisms have means for receiving
information, such as skin, eyes, ears, and taste buds (the sensory
organs)
•Once a stimulus has been received by the organism, that triggers a
response.
–Lower organisms (lacking complex sensory organs) undergo types of taxis.
•Phototaxis, Hydrotaxis, Chemotaxis, Geotaxis, Thigmotaxis, Magnetotaxis, etc.
–Higher organisms (with complex sensory organs) undergo behaviors often
using chemical messengers (called hormones.)
•Conditioning, Imprinting, Insight learning, etc.

Multiple Choice

When Katie is fishing, she feels her rod start to bend. She immediately yanks the rod and reels the line in.

What is the stimulus?

• Katie yanks the rod and reels the line in.

• Katie feels her fishing rod start to bend.

Multiple Choice

Identify the response:
You are at the mall walking through the food court. You smell fresh baked pizza and realize that you skipped lunch.  You buy a piece of pizza and eat it before going to buy your CD

• the smell of pizza

• buying a piece of pizza

• buying the CD

• food court

All living things maintain a

stable internal environment in a

process called homeostasis

•All organisms maintain a stable internal balance, also known as homeostasis.

•This ensures that body systems work at their best levels.

–Temperature, pH, Water/Osmotic Pressure, Salt balance

•This is accomplished by various types of feedback loops.

–Positive Feedback loop: accelerates or enhances the output created by a stimulus that
has already been activated.

•Blood clotting, Oxytocin release during birth

–Negative Feedback loop: reducing the output or activity of any organ or system back to
its normal range of functioning
Shivering/Sweating, Blood Pressure

Multiple Choice

Which of the following describes homeostasis?

• keeps variables exactly at the set point

• organism's ability to maintain steady(stable) internal conditions

• acts to keep values outside of a desired range

• operates through positive feedback

All living things evolve, or

change, over time

•All organisms as a population (not individually) evolve to
the changing environment over time.
•Occurs via changes in DNA sequences (mutations) that
code for proteins (known as traits)

–Those with beneficial mutations will survive and reproduce in the
changing environment and pass them on to future offspring.

–Those without beneficial mutations will not survive and not
reproduce in the changing environment.

Example: Antibiotic resistant bacteria!

Multiple Choice

The process in which populations gradually change over time is called: 

• Ecosystem

• Evolution

• Environment

• Extinct specie

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic that all living things share?

• all living things may reproduce

• all living things obtain and use energy

• all living things obtain water by drinking

• all living things adapt to the environment

Multiple Choice

A plant growing towards a light source is an example of which of the following?

• attracting a mate

• destroying infectious germs

• responding to a stimuli

• obtaining moisture from the air

Multiple Choice

This image best represents which of the following characterists of life?

• growth

• levels of organization

• ability to reproduce

• composed of cells

• respond to the environment

Multiple Choice

Which characteristic is shown in the image?

• Organisms grow and develop

• Organisms react to stimuli

• Organisms can adapt

• Organisms use and obtain energy

• Organisms are made up of cells

Multiple Choice

All organisms have this in common.

• They are made of cells

• They need light 

• They cannot live in water

• They are nonliving

Open Ended

After reviewing the characteristics of living things- what do you think is missing? What is another characteristic you think all living things share that is not on this list?