Are You Living?

What is the defining characteristic of a living organism?

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of living organisms?

What is an example of a living organism according to the text?

Which of the following is a characteristic of all living organisms?

What is the basic unit of organization in living organisms?

What is the basic unit of organization in living things?

Which type of cells have their organelles surrounded by a membrane?

What is the process that ensures the continuation of generations in living organisms?

Which organisms can make their own food?

What is the ability of living organisms to detect and respond to changes in their environment called?

Which type of reproduction involves male and female gametes?

What is the irreversible increase in size in living organisms called?

What is the basic unit of organization in living organisms that lacks membrane-bound organelles?

What is the process by which living organisms regulate their internal environment?

Which type of living organism is capable of making its own food?

Key Characteristics of Living Organisms

Living organisms are organized from atoms and molecules to organs and organ systems.
Cells are the basic unit of organization in living things.
Cells contain organelles such as the nucleus, mitochondria, ribosomes, and Golgi bodies.
Living organisms can be unicellular (e.g., bacteria) or multicellular (e.g., animals).
Cells are classified as eukaryotic (membrane-bound organelles) or prokaryotic (lacking membrane-bound organelles).
Reproduction in living organisms can be sexual (involving male and female gametes) or asexual (e.g., spore production, binary fission).
Growth is the irreversible increase in size, while development brings about complexity and differentiation.
Living organisms require energy, obtained from food, and can be autotrophic (able to make their own food) or heterotrophic (feeding on complex organic molecules).
Living organisms respond to changes in their internal or external environment, known as irritability, and can regulate their internal environment through homeostasis.
Living organisms evolve and adapt to environmental changes through characteristics known as adaptations.
Non-living things lack the characteristics of organization, reproduction, growth, energy utilization, response to the environment, regulation, and evolutionary adaptation.