Biology Lesson Notes

Characteristics of Living Things

By the end of this topic you should be able to:

identify the vital functions characteristic of all living things

recognize the cell as the basic unit of any living organism

comprehend the common features of all cells as well as the

basic differences between animal and plant cells

analyze the relation between the structure and function of

specialized cells

understand that cells, tissues, organs and systems represent

increasing degree of organization in living organisms

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The Seven Vital Functions

Living things include microbes, plants and animals.

They live on the land and in the lakes, rivers, and seas.
All very different but all are alive.
All can perform some common features
These are the Seven Vital Functions.
Only living things have all of these features
They are “tests” of being alive.

The Vital Functions are processes that all living organisms do.
They tell you whether something is alive or not.

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Movement
Living things move without outside help.
Non-living things move under external forces (e.g. machines, something falling).

Organisms like animals can

move their whole body
(E.g. walking, running, etc.)

Organisms like plants

can only move parts
of their body
(E.g. opening and closing
of flower petals)

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Can you match these types of movement to the pictures?

Flying Venus fly-trap Swimming

catching insects

Chasing for food Migration Turning flower

towards sun

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Sensitivity (Irritability)
Living things respond to conditions around them.
Organisms can identify stimuli in their surroundings and respond to them.

Stimulus Organism Response

Green plants growing Blinking when light shines Jumping up when stepping
toward sunshine into their eyes on a sharp pointed object
like a pin

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Can you match these responses to their stimuli?

Roots grow
Gravitational pull into soil Roots grow down

Insect touches The Venus fly-trap

Insect trapped
hairs on leaves catches insects

Flowers close during

Sun sets Flower closed
the night

A deer runs away

Smell of predator Fast running
from a lioness

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Nutrition (Feeding)
All living things try to get food, and they get it in different ways

Bite with teeth Suck up food with Absorb it (soak it up)

(e.g. Humans and other Animals) specialized suckers through membranes/skins
(e.g. flies and other insects) (e.g. Bacteria and Fungi)

Do you know of any

other ways of feeding?

Amoeba engulfing food Swallowing prey whole

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Some organisms can make their own food from water, CO2, nitrogen, and minerals.

Green plants

Photosynthesis is the build-up of food from Carbon dioxide and water

using the Sun’s light energy.

Chlorophyll
Carbon
Water Light Glucose Oxygen
Dioxide
Enzymes

6CO2 6H2O C6H12O6 6O2

The Equation for Photosynthesis

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Respiration (Energy)
All living organisms need energy.
They get this energy by burning food,
using a chemical process known as Respiration

Aerobic respiration uses oxygen to release energy from food.

Anaerobic respiration does not use oxygen to release energy from food.

Respiration is the burning of food (glucose) to produce energy.

Carbon Energy
Glucose Oxygen Enzymes Water
Dioxide

C6H12O6 6O2 6CO2 6H2O 2830kJ

The Equation for Aerobic Respiration

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The oxygen needed for aerobic respiration comes from the environment

Humans get oxygen by Fish get oxygen

breathing in air from water

Aerobic respiration produces carbon dioxide, which is removed when we breathe out.

This exchange of gases is called gaseous exchange

There are different organs for this:

E.g. lungs in mammals, gills in fish, leaves in plants.

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Growth
Non-living things become larger.
E.g. Balloon grows, salt crystals grow in salty water as it evaporates

Living organisms turn some of the food into living material (bones, teeth, wood, etc.).

Repairing body parts (healing Becoming bigger:

injuries, replacing worn parts): e.g. chick  hen;
Becoming more
E.g. Shrubs and trees cover injuries Child  Adult
complex:
with bark; Crabs grow new legs
when old ones are lost; Human e.g. Caterpillar 
Butterfly
beings heal cut skin and broken
bones.
Living
things
grow by
Changing old parts:
Making new parts: e.g. grasshopper
e.g. teeth in children. sheds “skin” to
make new one.

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Excretion
A lot of chemical reactions take place in the body.
Chemicals are broken down to produce energy (respiration).
Chemicals are built up to form new body structures (growth).
These reactions are called Metabolism.
Waste materials are produced
These would cause illness and death if not removed.

Excretion is the process of getting rid of these waste materials.

For e.g. in animals, ammonia, which is very poisonous, is removed by first turning it to
a less harmful substance and then passed out of the body as a liquid called urine.

Excretion is the removal (from the body) of waste products

resulting from metabolism.

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Two other processes also result in the removal of substances from the body

Egestion  the removal of

undigested food from the body
Since this food has not taken part
in any chemical reaction,
it is not considered as part of
excretion.
Secretion  the release of useful
substances produced by cells or glands
into or out of the body.
E.g. tears are secreted under the eyelid.
Tears are not a harmful substance, and
not a waste product.

Can you think of other ways in which we get rid of waste materials?

Sweating Exhaling Excess Water

(heat and urea) (CO2 and water) (urine)

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Reproduction
All living organisms eventually die.
They avoid becoming extinct by producing copies of themselves.
Offspring have the same characteristics as parents.

Reproduction is the
production of new individuals
of the same species
(kind of organism)

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Asexual reproduction Sexual reproduction

Simple microbes Other organisms (most
(bacteria) reproduce by animals) produce new
dividing into two sections. individuals by combining
Each section becomes a characteristics of two
new living organism. parents.
Some organisms (e.g.
insects) have more than
one form in their life-cycle
E.g larva and adult.

Can you mention what different forms these organisms have in their life-cycles?

Dragonfly larvae spend about 3 years Butterflies have

Frogs have tadpoles
in an aquatic environment caterpillars

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Worksheet
Description of Process / Activity Vital Function

Escaping from danger

Making new leaves

Sweating

Having a snack

A plant makes and releases seeds

Oak trees develop from acorns

Laying eggs

Movement Respiration Sensitivity Nutrition Excretion Reproduction Growth

MRS NERG
Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things
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Description of Process / Activity Vital Function

Hearing a whistle

Using up energy in a race

Changing position or posture

Releasing energy from food

Getting rid of excess water as urine

A lion tearing and biting the flesh of a zebra it has caught

The breakdown of food to release energy

The change of a larva (caterpillar) into a butterfly

Movement Respiration Sensitivity Nutrition Excretion Reproduction Growth

MRS NERG
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Summary
All living things do the following things:

Respire: they break down food to obtain energy. Most organisms need oxygen for this.

Feed: food is needed for energy and for making new cells. Plants make their own food by
photosynthesis but animals, fungi and most bacteria must obtain it from other living organisms.

Excrete: respiration and other chemical processes in cells produce waste products which have
to be expelled.

Reproduce: all organisms eventually die. Species persist only as result of reproduction.
Reproduction may be sexual or asexual.

Grow: the cells of an organism increase in number and size. The cells also become specialized
and the organism increases in complexity.

Move: most organisms move, or make movements at some stage in their lives.

Respond to stimuli: living organisms are sensitive to their surroundings and respond to changes
in their external and internal environment.

Form 3/SS+NS/ss/12-13 Characteristics of Living Things