Name _______________________ structures and functions of an organism

come together to form an orderly living

Date ________ Period _____ Score_____ system.
Functional cells are not found in
nonliving matter. Structures that contain
Characteristics of Life dead cells or pieces of cells are considered
dead. For example, wood or cork cut from
READ AND HILITE THE MAIN IDEAS a tree is made up largely of cell walls. The
IN EACH PASSAGE THEN ANSWER cells are no longer functional.
THE QUESTIONS.
2. All living things are
Most people feel confident that they
___________________.
could identify a living thing from a
nonliving thing, but sometimes it’s not so 3. What is the simplest level at which
easy. Scientists have argued for centuries
life may exist?
over the basic characteristics that
separate life from non-life. Some of these
arguments are still unresolved. Despite
4. Are all cells alike?
these arguments, there do seem to be
some generally accepted characteristics 5. All cells perform various jobs or
common to all living things. Anything that
________________.
possesses all these characteristics of life is
known as an organism. 6. What surrounds a cell and
separates it from its environment?
1. The scientific term for a living thing
is a(n) _____________________. 7. What is the difference between
unicellular and multicellular
1. CONTAIN ONE OR MORE CELLS
organisms?
Scientists know that all living things
are organized. The smallest unit of
organization of a living thing is the cell. A
cell is a collection of living matter
8. Give an example of a multicellular
enclosed by a barrier known as the plasma
organism and an example of a
membrane that separates it from its
unicellular organism.
surroundings. Cells can perform all the
functions we associate with life.
9. Multicellular organisms can be
Cells are organized and contain
specialized parts that perform particular organized into what other levels?
functions. Cells are very different from
each other. A single cell by itself can form
an entire living organism. Organisms 10.Circle which of the following would
consisting of only a single cell are called be made of cells. Place a box
unicellular. A bacterium or a protist like around the ones which only show
amoebas and paramecia are unicellular. cell walls.
However, most of the organisms you are
familiar with, such as dogs and trees, are
Cork Sponge Wood
multicellular. Multicellular organisms
contain hundreds, thousands, even Plastic Tree
trillions of cells or more. Multicellular
11.Examine these 2 organisms. Which
organisms may have their cells organized
one is unicellular and which is
into tissues, organs, and systems.
multicellular (label each)?
Whether it is unicellular or multicellular, all
1
 Adults don’t always look like the
babies of a species. All organisms begin
their lives as single cells. Over time, these
organisms grow and take on the
characteristics of their species. Growth
POND ORGANISM CRAB results in an increase in the amount of
living material and the formation of new
structures.
All organisms grow, and different
2. REPRODUCTION parts of organisms may grow at different
rates. Organisms made up of only one cell
Perhaps the most obvious of all the may change little during their lives, but
characteristics of life is reproduction, the they do grow. On the other hand,
production of offspring. Organisms don’t organisms made up of numerous cells go
live forever. For life to continue, through many changes during their
organisms must replace themselves. lifetimes. Think about some of the
Reproduction is not essential for the structural changes your body has already
survival of an individual organism. undergone in your short life. All of the
However, it is essential for the changes that take place during the life of
continuation of an organism’s species. A an organism are known as its
species is a group of similar-looking development.
organisms that can interbreed and
produce fertile offspring. If individuals in a
17.How do all organisms begin life?
species never reproduced, it would mean
an end to that species’ existence on Earth.
18.What is the difference between
growth and development?
12.Define reproduction.

19.Do unicellular organisms GROW?

13.Must EVERY member of a particular
Do unicellular organisms DEVELOP?
species (one kind of organism) be
able to reproduce in order for the
species to survive? Explain why or
20.Do multicellular organisms GROW?
why not.
Do multicellular organisms
14.What would happen if all individuals
DEVELOP?
in a species were sterile (not able to
have babies)?
21. Label which graphic BEST shows
growth and which BEST shows
development.
15.Reproduction is NOT essential for
the survival of an individual
______________ but is essential for
the survival of the _____________.
16.What is meant by extinction?

3. GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

A snowball grows when you roll it
over fresh snow! Why isn’t it a living
2
thing? The growth of the snowball is not
internal. It does not grow by producing
more cells like organisms. It just adds on
more material to the outside. Someone 26. What is the name of the process
has to roll the snowball. It won’t grow that plants use to make their own
bigger by just sitting there and it certainly food using energy from the sun?
cannot change liquid water or solid ice
into new snow from which it can grow
larger. This is one of the differences 5. RESPOND TO THE ENVIRONMENT /
between growth of a living thing and MAINTAIN HOMEOSTASIS
growth of a nonliving thing.
Living things live in a constant
22.How is the growth of a living thing connection with the environment, which
different from the growth of a includes the air, water, weather,
nonliving thing? temperature, any organisms in the area,
and many other factors. These external
environmental factors act as stimuli and
can cause a response from living things.
4. OBTAIN AND USE ENERGY Organisms need to respond to the
changes in order to stay alive and healthy.
Energy is the ability to make things For example, if you go outside on a bright
change. Energy is important because it summer day, the sun may cause you to
powers life processes. It provides squint. Perhaps the bark of an
organisms with the ability to maintain approaching dog causes you to turn your
balance, grow, reproduce, and carry out head quickly. Just as you are constantly
other life functions. Some organisms sensing and responding to changes in
obtain energy from the foods they eat or, your environment, so are all other
in the case of plants and several other organisms. For example, a specialized
types of organisms, the foods that they leaf of the Venus’ flytrap senses the light
produce. Organisms that get energy from footsteps of a soon-to-be-digested green
the food they eat are called heterotrophs. bottle fly. The plant responded to this
Organisms that use energy from the sun environmental stimulus by rapidly folding
to make their own food (which they then the leaf together.
use for energy) are called autotrophs. The
process is called photosynthesis. An organism must respond to
As you’ll learn, energy doesn’t just changes in the internal environment as
flow through individual organisms; it also well. Internal conditions include the level
flows through communities of organisms, of water, nutrients, and minerals inside
or ecosystems, and determines how the body. It also refers to body
organisms interact with each other and temperature and hormone levels.
the environment. Adjustments to internal changes help
organisms maintain a stable internal
23.Define energy. environment. The regulation of an
organism’s internal environment to
maintain conditions suitable for life is
24.Why is energy important to a living called homeostasis. Or you can just think
of it as keeping everything in BALANCE!
organism? For example, you have a “thermostat” in
your brain that reacts whenever your body
temperature varies slightly from 37°C
(about 98.6°F). If this internal thermostat
25.What is the difference between an detects a slight rise in your body
temperature on a hot day, your brain
autotroph and a heterotroph?
3
signals your skin to produce sweat. Identify the feature of life that is
Sweating helps cool your body. The ability illustrated by each of the following
of mammals and birds to regulate body statements. NOTE: You may use
temperature is just one example of terms other than the
homeostasis. Mechanisms of homeostasis
characteristics of life!
enable organisms to regulate their internal
environment, despite changes in their
1. _______________________ “That boy shot
external environment.
up five inches in only one year.”
27. What are some environmental
2. _______________________ “Our cat had a
factors (stimuli) that organisms
respond to? litter of kittens yesterday.”
3. _______________________ “My dog has
28.Organisms must also respond to
________________ factors in order to become much less clumsy now that he
stay healthy & survive.
is a year old.”
29.What are two internal factors that
organisms respond to? 4. _______________________ “Eat a good
breakfast and you will be able to run
30.Give two examples from the longer.”
reading of how living things respond
5. _______________________ “When that car
to changes in their environment.
pulled in the driveway, my cat ran to
hide under the porch.”
6. _______________________ “Single-celled
23. If light is applied to a human eye, organisms live in the pond behind
how does it respond? school.

7. Which of the following is a stimulus, which is a response?

a) the recess bell ringing in an elementary school
b) your mouth watering at the sight of food on a plate
c) a sudden drop in air temperature
d) a flu virus entering your body
e) getting “butterflies” in your stomach before giving a speech.
Modern science has changed the way people understand their world.
In the past, the people of many societies thought that mountains, rivers,
and forests were “alive.’ In much the same way that animals and plants
are alive. Today, most people recognize a difference between living and
non-living things.

Fill out the table below. Explain HOW each shows the feature of life IF it does.

Feature of Life Dog Fast-moving stream

made of cells?

4
 uses energy?

responds and adjusts

to changes?

reproduces?

grows and develops?