The Most important characteristics of living things Include: movement, feeding, development, breathing, reproduction, sensitivity and excretion. In addition, all living beings must be born and die.
All living things share life processes like growth and reproduction. Most scientists use these seven processes or life characteristics to determine whether an organism is living or non-living.
Most experts classify living things into one of the following six kingdoms:
-Bacteria, single-cell microorganisms that do not have a nuclear membrane.
-Protozoans, single-cell autotrophs or heterotrophs that are larger than bacteria.
-Cromistas, a diverse group of plants found in almost all environments.
-Mushrooms, multicellular organisms that break down organic matter to feed.
-Plants, multicellular organisms and autotrophs that use photosynthesis to create food.
-Animals, heterotrophic multicellular beings that depend on other organisms for food.
List of elements that characterize living things
1- They are formed by cells
The first characteristic of a living being is that it is composed of cells. A cell Is the basic block of all organisms; Is the smallest organizational unit that can be found in a living being.
Cells contain hereditary information from an organism, called DNA, and can make copies of themselves in a process called mitosis.
The cells are made up of a nucleus and cytoplasm , Covered with a thin wall called a membrane, which acts as a barrier to the surrounding environment. Plant cells also have a nucleus, cytoplasm, and a cell membrane.
The main difference between an animal cell and a plant cell is that plant cells have a Vacuole , Chloroplast , And a cell wall.
Some microorganisms are composed of a single cell, while larger organisms are composed of millions of distinct cells.
Organisms that are composed of a single cell are called unicellular organisms. They include bacteria, yeast, and amoebae.
For their part, multicellular organisms are composed of more than one cell; Each type of cell performs a different and specialized function.
2- Grow and develop
Every living organism begins life as a single cell. Single-celled organisms can remain as a single cell but also grow.
Multicellular organisms add more and more cells to form tissues and organs as they grow.
Growth refers to an increase in size and mass of that organism. On the other hand, development involves the transformation of the organism as it goes through the process of growth.
In some organisms, growing involves a drastic transformation. For example, a butterfly begins as a single cell (egg), then becomes a caterpillar and then a chrysalis, to then become a butterfly.
3- They reproduce
Reproduction is the process in which new organisms or offspring are generated. A living being does not need reproduction to survive, but as a species it needs to do so for continuity and ensure that it does not die out.
There are two types of reproduction: Sexual reproduction , Which involves two individuals of the same species to fertilize a cell; and the asexual reproduction , Common in unicellular organisms since it does not need another individual to perform.
4- Obtain and use energy
Cells can not survive on their own, they need power to stay alive. They need energy to perform functions such as growing, maintaining balance, repairing, reproducing, moving, and defending themselves.
Energy is the power to do things. This power can come in many forms and forms, but all can be related to the sun. This is the source of all energy.
5- Respond to your environment
The response to a stimulus is an important feature of life. Anything that causes a living to react is called a stimulus. A stimulus can be external or internal.
An internal stimulus may be the need to go to the bathroom; The outgoing sun that causes a snake to come out and explore is an external stimulus.
Stimuli helps an organism stay in balance. The senses help detect and respond to these changes.
6- They adapt to their environment
This means that they can adapt to the way they behave, how they are built, or their way of life. This is necessary so that they can survive and reproduce in their habitats.
For example, giraffes have long necks to be able to eat tall vegetation that other animals can not reach. Behavior is also an important form of adaptation; Animals inherit many types of behavior.
Natural selection and evolution are common ways that living things have to adapt to their environment and survive.
7- They have a metabolism
Metabolism is a set of transformations of chemicals that occur inside the cells of living beings.
These reactions allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments.
The main characteristics of the metabolism are the conversion of food / fuel into energy, the conversion of food / fuel to create proteins, lipids and carbohydrates, and the elimination of nitrogenous waste.
Metabolism can be divided into catabolism, referring to the decomposition of organic matter, and in anabolism, referring to the construction of nucleic acid cells and proteins.
8- They have different levels of organization
Living beings have molecular and cellular organization. Organize your cells at the following levels:
- Tissue, a group of cells that perform a common function.
- Organs, group of tissues that perform a common function.
- System of organs, group of organs that perform a common function.
- Organism, a complete living organism.
9- Expel waste
Living organisms get rid of waste. Excretion is the process in which metabolic wastes and other non-useful materials are removed from an organism.
In vertebrates this process is carried out mainly by the lungs, kidneys and skin. Excretion is an essential process in all life forms.
In mammals, urine is expelled through the urethra, which is part of the urinary system. In unicellular organisms, the waste products are expelled directly through the surface of the cell.
10- They are nourished
Nutrition is the process of taking food and using it to make energy. This vital process helps living beings get energy from various sources.
Nutrients are the substances that provide nutrition; All living organisms need nutrients to function properly.
There are two modes of nutrition: the autotrophic mode, in which organisms use simple inorganic matter to synthesize their own food; And the heterotrophic mode, in which organisms depend on other organisms to obtain their nutrition.
Plants, algae, and some bacteria are autotrophs. Fungi and all animals, including humans, are heterotrophs.
11- They can move
All living things move in some way. This may be something obvious or less obvious.
For example, it is possible to observe how some animals are able to walk, swim or fly. However, it is less possible to observe the plants moving since these organisms have certain components not seen with the naked eye that move to follow the movement of the sun.
12- Perform homeostasis
Homeostasis refers to an organism's ability to maintain stability regardless of changes in the environment.
Living cells can only function within a narrow range of temperature conditions, pH, iron concentrations, and nutrient availability.
However, living things must survive in an environment where these conditions can vary from hour to hour, or from season to season.
For this reason agencies require mechanisms that can maintain their internal stability despite changes in the environment.
For example, the internal temperature of the human body can be controlled when making or getting rid of heat. Most body functions are aimed at maintaining homeostasis.
13- Contain genetic information
Genetic information can be found in all living things. It is passed down from generation to generation through units inherited from chemical information, in most cases called genes.
14- Breathe
In this process oxygen is inhaled into a living organism and carbon dioxide is exhaled.
There are two types of breathing: aerobic, which uses oxygen; And anaerobic that does not need oxygen.
15- Die
It is the cessation of all biological functions that keep an organism alive. Common phenomena that cause death include biological aging, malnutrition, disease, dehydration, accidents, and predation.
The bodies of all living beings begin to decompose very soon after his death.
References
- Characteristics of living things. Retrieved from sciencelearn.org.nz
- Living organisms are made up of cells in Characteristics of living things. Recovered from eschooltoday.com
- Living things grow and develop in Characteristics of living things. Recovered from eschooltoday.com
- Living things reproduce in Characteristics of living things. Recovered from eschooltoday.com
- Living things obtain and use energy in Characteristics of living things. Recovered from eschooltoday.com
- Living things respond to their environment in Characteristics of living things. Recovered from eschooltoday.com
- How are living things adapted to their enviroments? Retrieved from americangeosciences.org
- Metabolism. Retrieved from wikipedia.org
- The 7 characteristics of life. Retrieved from infohost.nmt.edu
- Excretion. Retrieved from wikipedia.org
- Nutrition in living organisms & modes of nutrition in Biology article (2016). Recovered from byjus.com
- Homeostasis. Retrieved from biologyreference.com
- Genetic information is found in all living things. Retrieved from education.vic.gov.au
- Respiration in living organism in Diagram & Formulas (2016). Recovered from byjus.com
- Death. Retrieved from wikipedia.org.