Is it alive?!?
Characteristics of “Alive”
What are we studying in this class??
Earth is home to an astounding diversity of life, ranging from the
microscopic bacteria to the gigantic blue whale. The study of this
great diversity of life is known as BIOLOGY.
BIOLOGY is the science that seeks to understand the living
world. We, as BIOLOGISTS, use the scientific method to study
the vast array of living things around us.
Now, take a look at a flame. What characteristics may lead you to
believe that it is alive?
1. LIVING THINGS ARE
MADE UP OF ONE OR
MORE CELLS
All living things are made up
of small, self-contained units
called CELLS.
A CELL is a collection of
living matter, which is
enclosed by amembrane,
which separates it from its
surroundings.
Many organisms on earth are composed
of just a single cell. These organisms are
referred to as UNICELLULAR.
Animals and plants however, are
composed of thousands, millions, to
trillions of cells combined. These
organisms are considered to be
MULTICELLULAR.
- Usually, in these types of organisms,
cells become specialized, doing
different jobs within the organism.
DNA: LIVING THINGS ARE
BASED ON A GENETIC CODE
● All genetic information that is
passed down from parent to
offspring is carried on a molecule
called DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC
ACID, or DNA.
● DNA determines every feature that
makes up a living organism.
LIVING THINGS REPRODUCE
● All living things produce new organisms
through a process known as
REPRODUCTION.
● 2 Types of reproduction
● SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
● Separate cells of different
parents combine to form the first
new cells of the new offspring.
● ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
● The new organism has only a
single parent.
● That parent divides in half to
form a new organism.
LIVING THINGS
GROW AND DEVELOP
● Each type of organism has a
distinct life cycle.
● In each life cycle, organisms
change, either in size or physical
change, such as metamorphosis.
● Cells grow in numbers and
develop different functions in the
organism.
LIVING THINGS RESPOND TO THEIR
ENVIRONMENT
● Organisms live in a constantly changing
environment.
● Therefore, for an organism to survive, they have
to be able to respond to what is happening
around them.
● Plants will move towards sunlight.
● Animals will respond to changes in weather.
LIVING THINGS Adapt &
EVOLVE
● A trait that makes a living
thing better suited to live
and survive in their
environment is called an
ADAPTATION.
● Organisms over time may
adapt to their environment
so well, that they may begin
to create new and useful
features.
● We call this slow change
over time EVOLUTION.
● Evolution takes place over
hundreds to thousands of
years…not just overnight.
LIVING THINGS NEED MATERIALS AND
ENERGY
● All organisms need energy to remain alive. Every
cell in an organism is constantly demanding fuel to
keep it running.
● The combination of chemical reactions
that take place within the organism that
converts food and materials into energy
is called METABOLISM.
○ Plants and some single-celled organisms such
as algae and bacteria produce their energy
directly from sunlight and nutrients from the
soil: PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
○ Many animals go on to consume these plants
and other photosynthesizing organisms.
■ These animals then get energy from a
process known as RESPIRATION.
LIVING THINGS MAINTAIN
AN INTERNAL BALANCE
All organisms have some sort of
internal control, which looks over
the entire organism and keeps it
stable.
● The process by which
organisms keep their internal
conditions stable is called
HOMEOSTASIS.
● Homeostasis helps the
body adjust to their
environment.
The many branches of Biology!
Life is not simple. Life is a complex idea, which
encompasses many different parts of our planet.
Therefore, biologists need to specialize themselves.
Zoologists, Botanists, Ichthiologists, Ethologists,
Palentologists, Herpetologists…
Biology also has many different levels that can be