Characteristics of Living Things Notes.pdf

Characteristics of Living Things Notes.pdf

1. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Characteristics of Living Things

By the end of this topic you should be able to:

identify the vital functions characteristic of all living things
recognize the cell as the basic unit of any living organism
comprehend the common features of all cells as well as the
basic differences between animal and plant cells
analyze the relation between the structure and function of
specialized cells
understand that cells, tissues, organs and systems represent
increasing degree of organization in living organisms

2. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things

The Seven Vital Functions



Living things include microbes, plants and animals.
They live on the land and in the lakes, rivers, and seas.
All very different but all are alive.
All can perform some common features
These are the Seven Vital Functions.
Only living things have all of these features
They are “tests” of being alive.

The Vital Functions are processes that all living organisms do.
They tell you whether something is alive or not.

3. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Movement

Living things move without outside help.
Non-living things move under external forces (e.g. machines, something falling).


Organisms like animals can
move their whole body
(E.g. walking, running, etc.)




Organisms like plants
can only move parts
of their body
(E.g. opening and closing
of flower petals)

4. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Can you match these types of movement to the pictures?








Flying Swimming
Chasing for food Migration
Venus fly-trap
catching insects
Turning flower
towards sun

5. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Sensitivity (Irritability)

Living things respond to conditions around them.
Organisms can identify stimuli in their surroundings and respond to them.




Green plants growing
toward sunshine
Blinking when light shines
into their eyes
Jumping up when stepping
on a sharp pointed object
like a pin


Stimulus Organism Response

6. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Can you match these responses to their stimuli?








The Venus fly-trap
catches insects
Roots grow
into soil

Flowers close during
the night
A deer runs away
from a lioness
Gravitational pull
Insect touches
hairs on leaves
Sun sets
Smell of predator
Roots grow down
Insect trapped
Flower closed
Fast running

7. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Nutrition (Feeding)

All living things try to get food, and they get it in different ways


Bite with teeth
(e.g. Humans and other Animals)

Suck up food with
specialized suckers
(e.g. flies and other insects)
Absorb it (soak it up)
through membranes/skins
(e.g. Bacteria and Fungi)

Do you know of any
other ways of feeding?

Amoeba engulfing food
Swallowing prey whole

8. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things

Some organisms can make their own food from water, CO2, nitrogen, and minerals.

Green plants

Photosynthesis is the build-up of food from Carbon dioxide and water
using the Sun’s light energy.





6CO2 6H2O C6H12O6 6O2

The Equation for Photosynthesis

Carbon
Dioxide
Water
Chlorophyll
Light
Enzymes
Glucose Oxygen

9. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Respiration (Energy)

All living organisms need energy.

They get this energy by burning food,
using a chemical process known as Respiration

Aerobic respiration uses oxygen to release energy from food.

Anaerobic respiration does not use oxygen to release energy from food.

Respiration is the burning of food (glucose) to produce energy.


C6H12O6 6O2 6CO2 6H2O 2830kJ

The Equation for Aerobic Respiration

Glucose Oxygen Enzymes
Carbon
Dioxide
Water Energy

10. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
The oxygen needed for aerobic respiration comes from the environment


Humans get oxygen by
breathing in air
Fish get oxygen
from water

Aerobic respiration produces carbon dioxide, which is removed when we breathe out.

This exchange of gases is called gaseous exchange

There are different organs for this:

E.g. lungs in mammals, gills in fish, leaves in plants.

11. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Growth

Non-living things become larger.
E.g. Balloon grows, salt crystals grow in salty water as it evaporates

Living organisms turn some of the food into living material (bones, teeth, wood, etc.).

Living
things
grow by
Becoming bigger:
e.g. chick  hen;
Child  Adult
Becoming more
complex:
e.g. Caterpillar 
Butterfly
Changing old parts:
e.g. grasshopper
sheds “skin” to
make new one.
Making new parts:
e.g. teeth in children.
Repairing body parts (healing
injuries, replacing worn parts):
E.g. Shrubs and trees cover injuries
with bark; Crabs grow new legs
when old ones are lost; Human
beings heal cut skin and broken
bones.

12. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Excretion

A lot of chemical reactions take place in the body.
Chemicals are broken down to produce energy (respiration).
Chemicals are built up to form new body structures (growth).
These reactions are called Metabolism.
Waste materials are produced
These would cause illness and death if not removed.

Excretion is the process of getting rid of these waste materials.
For e.g. in animals, ammonia, which is very poisonous, is removed by first turning it to
a less harmful substance and then passed out of the body as a liquid called urine.

Excretion is the removal (from the body) of waste products
resulting from metabolism.

13. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Two other processes also result in the removal of substances from the body


Can you think of other ways in which we get rid of waste materials?


Egestion  the removal of
undigested food from the body
Since this food has not taken part
in any chemical reaction,
it is not considered as part of
excretion.
Secretion  the release of useful
substances produced by cells or glands
into or out of the body.
E.g. tears are secreted under the eyelid.
Tears are not a harmful substance, and
not a waste product.
Sweating
(heat and urea)
Exhaling
(CO
2 and water)
Excess Water
(urine)

14. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Reproduction

All living organisms eventually die.
They avoid becoming extinct by producing copies of themselves.
Offspring have the same characteristics as parents.



Reproduction is the
production of new individuals
of the same species
(kind of organism)

15. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things


Can you mention what different forms these organisms have in their life-cycles?

Frogs have tadpoles
Dragonfly larvae spend about 3 years
in an aquatic environment
Butterflies have
caterpillars
Asexual reproduction
Simple microbes
(bacteria) reproduce by
dividing into two sections.
Each section becomes a
new living organism.
Some organisms (e.g.
insects) have more than
one form in their life-cycle
E.g larva and adult.
Sexual reproduction
Other organisms (most
animals) produce new
individuals by combining
characteristics of two
parents.

16. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Worksheet

Description of Process / Activity Vital Function
Escaping from danger
Making new leaves
Sweating
Having a snack
A plant makes and releases seeds
Oak trees develop from acorns
Laying eggs






MRS

NERG
Movement Sensitivity Reproduction Respiration Nutrition Growth Excretion

17. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Description of Process / Activity Vital Function
Hearing a whistle
Using up energy in a race
Changing position or posture
Releasing energy from food
Getting rid of excess water as urine
A lion tearing and biting the flesh of a zebra it has caught
The breakdown of food to release energy
The change of a larva (caterpillar) into a butterfly




MRS

NERG

Movement Sensitivity Reproduction Respiration Nutrition Growth Excretion

18. Biology Lesson Notes
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
Summary

All living things do the following things:


Respire: they break down food to obtain energy. Most organisms need oxygen for this.
Feed: food is needed for energy and for making new cells. Plants make their own food by
photosynthesis but animals, fungi and most bacteria must obtain it from other living organisms.
Excrete: respiration and other chemical processes in cells produce waste products which have
to be expelled.
Reproduce: all organisms eventually die. Species persist only as result of reproduction.
Reproduction may be sexual or asexual.
Grow: the cells of an organism increase in number and size. The cells also become specialized
and the organism increases in complexity.
Move: most organisms move, or make movements at some stage in their lives.
Respond to stimuli: living organisms are sensitive to their surroundings and respond to changes
in their external and internal environment.