Characteristics of Living ThingsWhat do all living things have in common?

Living Things

In science we tend to use specific language We call all living things organisms Organisms are divided into five kingdoms:

• Animals • Plants • Fungi• Protista• Prokaryotes

Cells

A cell is the smallest unit of an organism that can be considered alive.

They are the building blocks of life

Characteristics of Life

Movement Excretion Reproduction Respiration

Nutrition Sensitivity or Response Growth

Characteristics are features or things we can use to identify an object

For something to be considered alive it must display 7 characteristics

MRS GREN

Movement

Living things must move around their environment to find Food To escape predators Shelter Other members of their species

Nutrition

All organisms must take in nutrients (food) to grow, develop, and reproduce.

Plants are the only group of organisms that can produce their own nutrients Photosynthesis

Excretion

All living things create waste products that they must remove from their system

There are several ways Urination Defecation Sweating Exhalation (Animals release CO2, Plants release O2)

Sensitivity

• Organisms detect and respond to stimuli from their environment.• Predators• The weather• Light

• Try this, face a partner have them close and cover their eyes with their hands for 30 seconds.

• After thirty seconds have them remove their hands quickly and observe their eyes immediately.

• What did you notice? What was the stimulus? What was the response?

Reproduction

The ability to create more of the same species (offspring) , to prevent extinction. Sexual Reproduction

Two organisms needed

Asexual Reproduction Only one organism needed A form of cloning

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Most plants and animals reproduce sexually. This means cells from two different parents fuse to form the first cell of the new organism.

This creates genetic diversity

Reproduction

Other organisms reproduce asexually in which a single parent produces offspring that are identical to themselves.

Offspring are genetic clones of the parent and this leads to poor genetic diversity.

Reproduction

Growth

Growth results from cells dividing. This happens continuously through an organisms life.

As the amount of cells increases the organism gets bigger.

Respiration

Aerobic respiration Anaerobic Respiration

Respiration is a chemical reaction that happens in all living cells. It is the way that energy is released from glucose (food), for our cells to use to keep us functioning.

Remember that respiration is not the same as breathing.

Organisms

Animals

Plants

Prokaryotes

Protists

Fungi

Jellyfish, worms, arthropods, molluscs, echinoderms, amphibians, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Seed bearing plants and non-seed bearing plants

Bacteria and primitive algae

Single-celled organisms

Moulds, mushrooms and toadstools

Animals

Vertebrates Invertebrates

Vertebrates

Animals that have a backbone and an internal skeleton Mammals Fish Reptiles Amphibians Birds

Animals

Vertebrates Invertebrates

Invertebrates

• Animals that do not have a backbone or an internal skeleton

• They may have an exoskeleton, that acts like armour. • Crustaceans• Insects• Arachnids• Molluscs• Echinoderms• Cnidaria

Classification Keys

Despite the fact that 99.9% of all living organisms, that ever existed, are now extinct there is still a large variety on Earth today.Hence it is important to be able to classify organisms in order to be able to find out their names. Also classification helps scientists to be able to understand the relationships between organisms and to investigate the theory of evolution.Now we will try a simple sorting activity to organize some dogs into groups according to their similarities...

Classification Keys

Divide the dogs into two groups

Group A Group B

We divide the dogs into groups by asking a question to which there is a yes or no answer...

Is the dog large (above 65cm)?

Large Dogs Small Dogs

We can now divide each group down into further sub divisions...

white and grey coats brown and black coats

What question could be used to divide the large dogs down into further groups?

Does the dog have a brown and black coat?

No Yes

Finally the groups can be divided down into individual dogs to which we can then give the names.

What question has been used to separate these two dogs?

Does the dog have curly hair?

Airedale Terrier Rotweiller

yes no

1. Is the dog over 65cm tall?If yes go to question 2

If no go to question 52. Does the dog have a brown and black coat?

If yes go to question 3

If no go to question 4

3. Does the dog have a wooly coat?Yes… Airedale TerrierNo…Rotweiller

Create The List of Questions

1. Is the dog over 65cm tall?If yes go to question 2

If no go to question 5

2. Does the dog have a

brown and black coat?If yes go to question 3

If no go to question 4

3. Does the dog have a wooly coat?Yes… Airedale TerrierNo…Rotweiller

Copy down the key and then complete it to classify the rest of the large dogs.

Hint: you will write question 4

Question: What will question 5 be about?

Answer> The small dogs.

Activity

Example Answer

Does the tail curl upwards?

Question 4

Yes No

Akita Old English sheepdog

Activity

Now complete the key, starting with question 5, for the small dogs. You can make your own questions up.

Does the dog have a snub nose?

Yes No

Question 5

Go to question 6 Go to question 7

Example Answer

Does the dog have long hair?Question 6

Yes No

Pekinese Bulldog

Question 7

Does the dog have very long ears?

Yes No

Basset hound Dachsund

Scientific Names

Equs AsinusCamelus CamelidaeFelis catusPan troglodytesCrocodilia niloticusHippopotamus amphibiousPanthera leoMacrpus macropodidaeRodentia muridaeCannis familiaris

DonkeyCamelCatChimpanzeeCrocodileHippopotamusLion

MouseDog

Kangaroo