Lesson 2 The Functions of Living Things

Warm-up

Let’s all stand up. One student says the name of Vocabulary
an animal. The next student has to say the name Look at the pictures. Fill in
of an animal that begins with the last letter of the the missing vowels.
previous word. For instance:

Octopus Snake Elephant gr wth

Keep going until someone cannot think of a word or growth

repeats a word. That student has to sit down. The
last student standing is the winner. Ask your teacher n tr nts
to write the words on the board to keep track.
nutrients

Learning h rb v r

Characteristics of Living Things herbivore

For something to be a living thing it must have

the following functions:

• Growth • Nutrition

• Respiration • Reproduction
Babies grow into adults
• Movement • Excretion

These functions allow living things to survive. In the following

sections you'll learn more about each function.

Growth: Allows animals and plants to get taller, stronger, or

even mend broken parts.

Nutrition: This is the intake and transformation of energy or

nutrients. The Sun's energy is transferred to plants. Through
photosynthesis, water, minerals, and carbon dioxide are
converted into sugars. Some animals eat plants (herbivores),
and some animals eat other animals (carnivores) to get energy.

Seedlings grow into plants by transforming sunlight, water, and

minerals into energy.
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 Application

• Look at the picture. Put the sentences in order to explain the

process of how energy is transferred between living things.

The grass is eaten by the zebra.

The grass gets energy from the Sun

through photosynthesis.

The Sun gives energy.

Lions eat the zebra, and the original

energy from the Sun, is transferred.

Learning

Ecological Relationships Commensalism

Commensalism: One organism benefits, and the

other is not helped or harmed. The remora fish
clings to the shark and feeds off the food scraps it
discards.
Parasitism: One organism benefits (parasite) and
Parasitism
the other one is harmed (host). Fleas harm dogs by
biting their skin and sucking their blood to get food
and protection.
Mutualism: Both organisms benefit. For example, Mutualism
some insects feed on nectar. In return, plants can
reproduce because these insects transport pollen
from one plant to another.

Predation: One organism (the predator) eats Predation

another organism (the prey). The lion is a carnivore
that feeds on other animals, such as the zebra.

Competition: Two or more organisms rely on the

Competition
same environmental elements. Woodpeckers and
squirrels feed from the same tree.

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 Application
Think about it...
Gut bacteria are microorganisms
• Match the picture to the correct that live in the human digestive tract
and help digest foods. What type
corresponding ecological relationship. of ecological relationship do gut
bacteria and humans have?
Malaria is a disease
in humans caused
by a mosquito bite. Predation

One species of a tree Competition

can grow taller than
the others around it Commensalism
because it absorbs
more sunlight than Parasitism
the shorter ones.

Learning

Reproduction

It is the process by which living things create new organisms. There

are different forms by which animals and plants reproduce.

Animals have babies that are born or hatched from eggs.

Plants grow from seeds, cuttings, spores, or shoots.

Animals
Oviparous: Born from eggs like birds,
fish, amphibians, and insects.
Viviparous: Born from a mother’s
body. Most mammals are viviparous,
such as jaguars, deer, dolphins, and
humans.
Ovoviviparous: These are born from
eggs kept inside a mother’s body.
When offspring are formed in the
body, they hatch and are then born
live, like seahorses, snakes, sharks,
and salamanders.
Plants
Sexual: Flowering plants grow fruit
which contain seeds. The seeds fall
to the ground and germinate, such as,
beans and corn.
Asexual: Plants multiply in different
ways. Some plants divide by different
parts and a new identical part will come
out, like roses, strawberries, and onions.
Spores: Some plants reproduce
through spores. Spores are like little
bags at the back of leaves. Ferns are
an example.

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 Learning
Think about it...
How is excess
Respiration water excreted
in humans?
Living things take in gasses from the air around them.

• Animals have a respiratory system, like lungs or gills.

They breathe oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide.

• Plants don't have a respiratory system. They absorb

carbon dioxide through leaves, and produce oxygen.

Excretion
This is the elimination of waste. In animals, special organs
like lungs, kidneys, and skin help to excrete waste. For
example, kidneys take waste out of your blood and produce
urine. Sweating is another way animals get rid of waste.

Plants remove excess water in the form of steam through

transpiration.

Application

• Draw a circle around the pictures that have a respiratory system.

• Answer the following question.

How can you take care of your excretory system?

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