Life Processes and Characteristics

Life Processes

• Living things carry out activities daily to stay alive, known as life processes
• Energy is necessary for survival and growth, obtained from food or made by living things
• Nutrition is the process of obtaining food necessary for survival and growth

Growth and Development

• Living things grow and become taller, bigger, and heavier
• The mass of living things increases as they grow

Movement

• Movement is essential for living things
• All living things can move by themselves
• Animals move to find food, shelter, and escape danger
• Plants move by growing towards the sun and respond to environmental changes

Excretion

• Living things produce waste materials, which must be removed through excretion
• Waste materials include carbon dioxide, water, and other substances removed through breathing, urination, and sweating

Reproduction

• Reproduction is the process by which a parent produces young
• If a living thing does not reproduce, its kind will eventually become extinct
• Flowering plants reproduce through seeds, while ferns reproduce by spores
• A potato plant can reproduce using its stem

Non-Living Things

• Things that do not display life processes are not alive
• Materials like plastic, stones, and glass have never lived

Fossils

• When living things die, they leave behind remains that can be broken down or preserved in rocks
• Preserved remains are called body fossils, which can be bones, teeth, or other body parts
• Plant parts like leaves and stems can also become body fossils
• Trace fossils are preserved traces left behind by living things, such as footprints, eggs, and feces
• Paleontologists study fossils to learn about the history of life on Earth