Questions and Answers
What is a stimulus?
A change detectable by a living thing
Which of the following is not a characteristic of a living thing?
Inability to respond to stimuli
How do bacteria sense stimuli?
By means of receptors
What is an example of an internal stimulus?
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How might an organism respond to a beneficial stimulus?
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What is a typical response of an opossum when faced with a scary predator?
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How does a single-celled bacterium react to a dangerous chemical?
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What is an example of a human response to a bad stimulus?
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What behavior does a wolf exhibit in response to the positive stimulus of a deer's scent?
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What do yeast cells do when mixed with sugar?
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Study Notes
Characteristics of Living Things
- A living thing is composed of cells, grows, uses energy, regulates internal conditions, and responds to stimuli.
- Responding to stimuli is a key characteristic of living things.
Stimulus
- A stimulus is a change that can be detected by a living thing.
- Stimuli can be external (coming from the environment) or internal (happening within the organism).
- External stimuli can be detected through senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell).
- Internal stimuli include changes within the body, such as hunger and thirst.
Recognition and Response to Stimuli
- Living things can respond to stimuli by modifying their behavior.
- Stimuli can be good or bad, and the response will aim to increase or decrease the stimulus accordingly.
- Good stimuli are wanted, and the organism will behave in a way to increase it.
- Bad stimuli are unwanted, and the organism will behave in a way to decrease it.
Examples of Response to Stimuli
Bad Stimuli
- Opossums respond to scary stimuli by "playing dead" to avoid predators.
- Bacteria can respond to negative stimuli by changing direction to avoid danger.
- Humans respond to bad stimuli, such as sour taste, by changing their behavior to remove the stimulus.
Good Stimuli
- Wolves respond to positive stimuli, such as a deer's scent, by following it to find prey.
- Humans respond to positive stimuli, such as liking a pair of shoes, by increasing their interaction with it.
- Yeast cells respond to positive stimuli, such as sugar, by increasing their activity and performing fermentation.
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