This document summarizes the key characteristics of living things. It states that all living things share the characteristics of being made of cells, reproducing, acquiring and using energy, responding to their environments, and having genetic information. It also discusses the hierarchical levels of organization from molecules to organisms. The document outlines the cell theory that all living things are made of cells, cells come from pre-existing cells, and cells are the basic unit of life. It describes the two main types of cells and different modes of cellular reproduction, movement, acquiring and using energy. The document summarizes how living things grow and develop, adapt and evolve in response to environmental changes through natural selection.

2. CONCEPTS EXPLORED IN THIS LESSON
All Living things share these characteristics:
1) They are all made up of one or more cells.
2) They reproduce.
3) They move.
4) They acquire and use energy.
5) They grow and develop.
6) They have levels of organization.
7) They contain genetic information.
8) They respond to their environment.
9) They adapt and evolve.

3. All living things share the same characteristics of life
whether they are small and simple…..
….or large
and complex.

4. Whether they look familiar to us…..
….or not.

5. Whether they inhabit the land…
….or the water.

6. onion cellscheek cellscardiac cells leaf cells
paramecium
euglena
amoeba
bacterium

7. • CELL THEORY states that:
Living things are made up of ____ or _____ cells.
All cells come from __________ cells.
The cell is the basic
unit of ___ .
one more
pre-existing
life
unicellular multicellular
1)
2)
3)

8. are called __________.
and other
_______________ organelles are called _________.
• Cells can come in TWO CATEGORIES:
i) Cells that contain a ___________
membrane bound eukaryotic
ii) Cells that have DNA which is NOT
surrounded by a _________
and which have no
_______________ organelles
prokaryotic
membrane bound
membrane
true nucleus

10. • The main PURPOSE of reproduction is to produce
________ which ensures ______ continuity from
generation to generation.
• There are two MAIN TYPES of reproduction:
a) The type involving ______ and ____
offspring genetic
sexual
b) The type NOT involving sperm and
egg is called _______
reproduction.
asexual
eggsperm
gametes
(otherwise
known as
_______ ) is
called ______
reproduction.

12. a) ______ growth movements
are ______________
responses to stimuli.
b) ______ growth movements
are __________
responses to stimuli.
• Organisms that are free moving (can
move on their own) exhibit
movement called __________.
non-directional
Tropic
locomotion
• Organisms that are NOT free
moving exhibit movements called
________________growth movements
Nastic
directional
of which there are TWO TYPES:

14. They must ________
other organisms for
energy.
along with the energy found
in _______
• ACQUIRING energy can be done in two major ways:
a) Some organisms called
__________
b) Some organisms called
____________heterotrophs
photosynthesis
chlorophyll
autotrophs
sunlight
consume
can MAKE their
own glucose using a green
pigment called __________
in a process
called _____________.
CANNOT
make their own glucose.

15. which can be divided into
two branches:
• USING energy is done through ________________
within the cells of an organism.
• The sum of these chemical reactions is called an
organism’s __________metabolism
small and
simple
molecules
large and
complex
molecules
ii) _________ is
the BREAK
DOWN of large
and complex
molecules into
small and simple
ones.
Catabolismi) _________ is
the BUILDING
UP of large
and complex
molecules from
small and
simple ones.
Anabolism
chemical reactions

17. which involves
gaining more ______ (the liquid) and _________ (the
machinery of the cell).
• For a unicellular organism to grow and develop, it must
increase the volume of its _________,cytoplasm
cytosol organelles
• For a multicellular organism to grow and develop, it
must undergo cell _______ and ____________ .division specialization
Cells specialize into different types of tissues.

18. molecule
atom
macro-
molecule
organelle
cell
tissues
organ
organ system
organism

20. However, viruses do not
exhibit some of the other
characteristics of life, and
are therefore classified as
________ .
• This genetic information
comes in the form of a
molecule called ____
• Viruses also contain genetic
information in the form of
DNA or ____ (in retroviruses).
deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
RNA
non-living
DNA
which stands for
___________________.

21. wintersummer
water
goldenrod goldenrod gall
goldenrod
gall fly
goldenrod gall fly larvae

22. • These changes may be in their
_______ environment or their
_______ environment.
• All living things respond to _______ (stimuli) in their
environment.
changes
internal
external
Insulin
Response
• This response to change brings the organism back to
equilibrium or ___________homeostasis constantwhich is a ________
internal state.

24. that allow
them to SURVIVE and
REPRODUCE better than
others are said to
have more ______ .
which he called
______________.
came
up with a mechanism for ________
• The British naturalist named _____________
• Individuals with traits or
__________
• Due to random _________ in
DNA, individuals will differ in
genetically determined traits.
Charles Darwin
evolution
natural selection
mutations
fitness
adaptations

26. Created by Anh-Thi Tang – Tangstar Science
Copyright © August 2014 Anh-Thi Tang (a.k.a. Tangstar Science)
All rights reserved by author.
This document is for personal classroom use only.
This entire document, or any parts within, may not be electronically
distributed or posted to any website including teacher or classroom blogs or
websites.
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