Characteristics

of

Living Things

Junior Science

Living Things An organism is a name given

to living things. Plants and Animals are called Living Organisms.

All living things are made of tiny units called Cells

Organisms can be Unicellular (made up of only one cell)

Organisms can also be Multicellular (made up of many specialised that carry out different functions)

Grows and Develops

What does it mean to be alive?

Although all living things look different from each other, they all have several things in common.

Alive

Made of Cells

Requires Energy

Reproduces

Responds to the Environment

Has levels of organisation

Contains DNA

Made of Cells

Reproduces

Has levels of organisation

Contains DNA

Living things and Life Processes

Life Processes are things which we assign to living things.

There are seven Life processes

Living things will display most if not all of these seven processes.

Movement

ReproductionSensitivity (Response)NutritionExcreteRespirationGrowth

Animals move their whole bodies to get from one place to another.

Plants turn towards the light and their roots grow down into the soil.

All living thingsmove

Animals have babies.

New plants grow from seeds.

All living thingsreproduce

All living things respond to changes.

Living things notice changes in their surroundings and react to them.

- Plants grow towards the light

- small animals run from predators

All living things are sensitive

All living things need nutrition

o Food is used to provide energy.

o Green plants make their own food using sunlight (Autotrophs)

o Animals eat plants or other animals (Herbivores and Carnivores0

Waste substances must be removed from the body.

Plants and animals both need to get rid of waste gas and water.

Our waste products include – carbon dioxide, water and Urea

All living things

excrete

Plants and animal release energy from food through the process of respiration,

Plants and animals use the oxygen in the air to turn food into energy.

All living things

respire

Baby animals grow into adults.

Seedlings grow into plants.

All living things grow

The Seven Processes of living things

MovementReproductionSensitivity (Response)NutritionExcreteRespirationGrowth

MRS NERG