Chapter 2 Living Things

What do you know about living things?

Design a spider diagram to show what you know about living things!

Chapter Objectives

• To define Biology

• To discuss what living things are made from

• To define the word organism and give examples

• To state the characteristics of living things

• To discuss each characteristic of living things in detail

• To investigate the variety of living things • To classify plants and animals and examine

some plants and animals.• To introduce the terms vertebrate and

invertebrate and look at examples• To discuss uses of plants and animals• To define the term Animal Key and Plant Key• To design and use a simple plant and animal

key• To carry out and write up an experiment to

investigate the variety of living things

• Biology is the study of living things e.g. plants, animals, fungi, bacteria

• An organism is another name for a living thing.

• Living things are made of cells

Chapter 2: Living Things

• Living things have the following seven characteristics:

– nutrition – movement

– respiration – response/sensitivity.

– excretion

– growth

– reproduction

MRS NERG

Classifying Living Things

Living things can be classified as either animals or plants

Animal Plant

Movement Can move from place to place Do not move from place to place but can move their parts very slowly.

Food Eat food made by other plants and animals

Plants make their own food using photosynthesis

Characteristics of Living Things1. Nutrition

Nutrition is the way in which living things get and use their food.

Plants make their own

food (photosynthesis)

Animals get their food from eating plants or other animals.

Characteristics of Living Things2. Respiration

Respiration is the way living things get energy.

Organisms need energy for growth, movement and activities.

Word Equation for Respiration

Food + oxygen -> energy + carbon dioxide + water

Characteristics of Living Things3. Excretion

Excretion is the getting rid of the wastes that are made in cells.

Animals excrete water, salts, carbon dioxide

4. Growth

All living things grow.

Living things grow because their cells are able to divide and make new copies of themselves.

5. Reproduction

Reproduction is being able to produce new individuals of the same kind.

6. Movement

All living things can move.

7. Response/sensitivity

All living things need to be aware of changes in their surroundings and react to these changes.

Response is the ability to react changes in the environment.

Classifying Animals and Plants

• There are two main groups of organisms

a)Plants

b)Animals

Uses of Plants

1.Food

2.Shelter

• Animals can be divided into two groups:• A) Vertebrates – animals with a back bone

e.g. humans, frogs, fish, lizards, birds

b) Invertebrates – animals that have no

backbone e.g. earthworm, insects, spiders,

snails, jellyfish, crabs.

• Uses of Animals

1.Food

2.Provide materials to

make things e.g. wool and leather

• Animals and plants are identified by using keys.

• Keys ask questions about the parts of plants and animals to allow us to identify them.

• The main differences between animals and plants are:– Animals move from place to place but plants

do not.– Animals take in food but plants make their

own food.– Animal cells do not have a cell wall but plant

cells do have a cell wall.

Simple Plant Key

Simple Animal Key

Summary of Chapter