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