7th Grade Living Things PDF

Living Things Lesson 1 Page 4 Characteristics of Living Things Organism: any living thing All organisms are made up of cells All organisms contain similar chemicals and use energy All organisms respond to their surroundings All organisms grow, develop, and reproduce What characte...

Living Things Lesson 1 Page 4 Characteristics of Living Things Organism: any living thing All organisms are made up of cells All organisms contain similar chemicals and use energy All organisms respond to their surroundings All organisms grow, develop, and reproduce What characteristics make plants living things? 1. Cellular organization Cells: all living things are made up of smaller living units Basic unit of structure and function in living things Unicellular organisms: single celled, one cell carries out the functions necessary to stay alive Multicellular: organisms consisting of many cells You are a multicellular organism with trillions of cells specialized to do certain tasks All cells work together to keep the organism alive 2. The chemicals of Life Chemicals: the common is water Carbohydrates provide the cell with energy. Proteins and lipids are chemicals used in building cells (woods and bricks are used to build schools). Nucleic acids provide chemical instructions that tell cells how to carry out the functions of life The nucleic acid DNA: directs the actions of every cell in your body 3. Growth and Development Growth means _____________. Development is change that leads to maturity. All multicellular organisms ○ Make new cells ○ Replace cells that have died 4. Response to surroundings Stimulus: any change or signal in the environment that can make an organism react in some way ○ Includes changes in light, sound, flavors, and odors Response: an organism reacts to a stimulus ○ An action or a change in behavior 5. Reproduction Organisms reproduce to create offspring that are similar to the parents. Some organisms reproduce asexually (creating an identical offspring with only one parent) In sexual reproduction, two parents combine their DNA to create an offspring with a mix of both parents’ characteristics. 6. Energy Use Producers: can get energy from sunlight in a process known as photosynthesis ○ Some producers use different chemicals in their environment to make energy Consumers: get energy by eating other living things Needs of Living Things Water All living things depend on water for their survival Some organisms can live only for a few days without water Once food or other chemicals are dissolved, they are easily transported around the body of an organism Food All living things consume food for energy Some organisms, such as plants, capture the sun’s energy and use it to make food through photosynthesis. Producers: organisms that make their own food, also called autographs ○ Autotrophs use the sun’s energy to convert water and a gas into food Consumers: organisms that cannot make their own food ○ Also called heterotrophs (one that feeds on others) May eat autotrophs and other heterotrophs, or break down dead organisms to get energy Needs of Living Things continued Space All organisms need a place to live, a place to get food and water and find shelter. Some organisms compete for space because there is limited space on Earth. Homeostasis Homeostasis ○ Maintenance of stable internal conditions ○ All organisms maintain homeostasis ○ Organisms have many different methods to maintain homeostasis