Characteristics of Life

Megan StanleyBIO 122

3/29/2015

Objectives

• Distinguish between scientific terms.

• Understand the difference between a living and nonliving thing.

• Identify the seven characteristics of life.

Directions

• Play this PowerPoint.

• Try to answer the questions on your own before viewing the answer as it comes up.

Consider

• Your answers may often be “they are the same” or “there is no difference”, but each term has a different meaning. Try to figure out that meaning.

#1) What is the difference between biotic and abiotic?

Biotic= living, once lived, or came from a living thing

Examples: hair, skin,organism,dead organism

Abiotic= nonliving

Examples: sun, light, temperature

#2) What is the difference between biotic and living?

Living=Just one aspect of a biotic organism, the opposite of dead

Biotic= living, once lived, or came from a living thing

Examples: hair, skin,organism,dead organism

#3) What is the difference between abiotic and dead?

“Dead” is a biotic term because it means that the organism was once alive. Abiotic things were never alive, such as sunlight or water.

Bacteria Viruses

Cause disease Cause disease

Have DNA Have DNA

Replicate Replicate

Evolve Evolve

Living Nonliving

This chart represents how similar bacteria and viruses are.

How is it that one is living, and the other is considered nonliving?

Bacteria Viruses

Cause disease Cause disease

Have DNA Have DNA

Replicate Replicate

Evolve Evolve

Living Nonliving

Made up of a cell

Not made up of a cell

Viruses are not made up of cells.

Bacterial cells are made up of cells.

Bacterial Cell Virus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacterial_cell_structure http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/alllife/virus.html

Cell Theory

• All living things are made up of cells.• Cells are the basic unit of structure

and function.• All cells come from preexisting cells.

According to Cell Theory, anything that is not made up of a cell is considered “nonliving” despite its other characteristics of life.

What are the characteristics of life?

Think of things that all living things must do.

Characteristics of Life

• Made up of cells• Have different levels of organization• Obtain and use energy

(metabolism/homeostasis)• Respond to the environment (stimuli)• Grow and develop• Reproduce• Adapt to the environment (evolve)