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The Earth, a planet full of life (What are living things? (Characteristics…
The Earth, a planet full of life
What are living things?
Characteristics of living things
Living things share the following characteristics:
Movement. Living things move.
Respiration. Living things take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide.
Sensitivity (interaction). Living things receive different types of information (stimuli) from their environment and respond to them.
Growth. Living things develop and increase in size.
Reproduction. Living things make copies of themselves.
Excretion. Living things eliminate substances that are harmful to them.
Nutrition. Living things need food to transform, grow and obtain energy.
To remember the seven characteristics of living things, write down the first letter of each characteristic in the order that they appear in the list:
Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Exrection, Nutrition.
This spells MRS GREN. Remembering this mnemonic can help you remember all the seven characteristics.
Characteristics of living things
Living things have the same chemical composition and they are made up of the same types of molecules.
Inorganic substances
Organic or carbon compounds
These are substances present in both living and non-living things (water and mineral salts).
These are substances present in living things and they are rich in carbon (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids).
Where are organic compounds found?
Carbohydrates are abundant in fruit, potatoes, cereals and pulses.
Lipids (fats and oils) are found in seeds (for example, almonds) and as a layer under the skin in animals.
Proteins are found in animal hair and feathers and muscles.
Nucleic acids, such as DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), are found in the cell nucleus.
Characteristics of living things
All living things are made up of the same basic units called cells.
All animal and plant cells and even microscopic bacteria have a cell membrane that separates the cell from the surrounding environment and encloses its content, the cytoplasm.
Living things use oxygen to obtain energy from carbon compounds through the process of respiration.
Water in a liquid state
Water makes up a large part of the body of a living thing.
Water is essential for living things to perform life processes, such as germination of plants or the elimination of waste products in animals.
Oxygen
The air is composed mainly of nitrogen and oxygen.
Living things use oxygen to obtain energy from carbon compounds through the process of respiration.
Light and carbon dioxide
Energy from sunlight and carbon dioxide are essential for plant nutrition.
Animals feed on plants or on animals that eat plants. Therefore, sunlight is also necessary for animals.
Mineral salts
Soil and water from rivers and seas contain the mineral salts that living things need.
Plants absorb mineral salts through their roots. Animals obtain mineral salts by eating plants and other animals, and by drinking water
A suitable climate
The average temperature on the Earth's surface is about 15 ºC. Most organisms live within the temperature range of –18 ºC to 50 ºC. Most living things cannot survive temperatures above 100 ºC or below –30 ºC.