What is Life?

Describe the most unusual living thing

you have seen
• What did it look like?
• Where did it live?
• What was so unusual
about it?

Most things in the Ocean seem

very unusual….Why do you think
that is?
 Is it Living or Nonliving?

Think about the toys you grew up with.

• What are characteristics of the toys that support that the toys
are alive?
• What are characteristics of the toys that support that the toys
are not alive?
 Characteristics of Living Things

Cellular Organization: All organisms are made of small building

blocks called cells. Organisms can be composed of a single
cell or many cells.
Unicellular, or single celled organisms include bacteria.
Multicellular organisms are composed of many cells.
 Characteristics of Living Things
The Chemicals of Life: The cells of all living things are
composed of chemicals. The most abundant chemical in cells
is water. Other chemicals include:
– Carbohydrates
– Proteins
– Lipids (fats)
– Nucleic Acids
 Characteristics of Living Things

Energy Use: The cells of organisms use energy to do

what living things must do, such as grow and develop.
What are some ways your body is using energy right now?
 Characteristics of Living Things
In what way does the
seedling resemble
the oak tree? In what
ways does it differ?

Both are made of cells which

contain complex chemicals, use
energy, grow and develop, etc. Both
have stems, roots and leaves.

Growth and Development:

Growth is the process of becoming larger. Development
is the process of change that occurs during an organisms
life to produce a more complex organism.
 Characteristics of Living Things
Response to Surroundings: All
organisms react to changes in their
environment. A change is an
organism’s surroundings that
causes the organism to react is
called a stimulus.
What are some stimuli and their
appropriate response in our
lives?
 Characteristics of Living Things
Reproduction: All
organisms have the
ability to reproduce
offspring that are
similar to their parents.
Characteristics of Living Things
• Made of Cells
• Contain Chemicals
• Use Energy
• Grow and Develop
• Respond to the Environment
• Reproduce
 The Needs of Living Things
Energy: Organisms differ in ways they obtain
energy.

Heterotrophs cannot make Autotrophs make their own

own food food
 The Needs of Living Things
Water: All living things need water to
survive.

One important thing about water is its

ability to dissolve more chemicals than
any other substance on Earth.
In your body water makes up 92 percent
of the liquid part of your blood. The
food that your cells need dissolves in
the blood and is transported throughout
the body.
 The Needs of Living Things
Living Space: All
organisms need a
place to live- a place
to get food and water
and find shelter.
 The Needs of Living Things
Stable Internal
Conditions: Organisms
must be able to keep the
conditions in their bodies
constant.

The maintenance of stable internal

conditions despite changes in the
surroundings is called homeostasis.