Characteristics of Living Organisms and Energy:
- A living thing is defined in the dictionary as “An individual form of life, such as a bacterium, protist, fungus, plant or animal consisting of a singular cell or a complex of cells in which cell organelles or organs work together to carry out the various processes of life.”
- Life is associated with movements like breathing, chest moving up and down.
- Similarly, a green leaf is considered to be alive.
- However, there are some plants that are not green.
- So, living things may be considered as organisms that are capable of procreating or reproducing.
- Few examples of living things are birds, insects, animals, trees, human beings that are characterized by eating, breathing, reproduction, growth, and development, etc.
- Living organisms are well-organized structures.
- They may have tissues, in tissues they have cells and further cells have smaller components in them.
- Due to the effect of the environment over time, there is continuous breakdown in this organisation.
- So, living organisms keep repairing and maintaining their structures.
- Because all these structures are made up of molecules they are required to move molecules around all the time.
- Energy is needed for the Life Processes.
- Food is a kind of fuel which provides energy to all the living organisms.
The following are the characteristics of living things:
- Cell or cells are the building blocks of living things.
- Living things obtain and use energy to survive.
- Living things are characterized by the unique ability to reproduce, grow, metabolize, respond to stimuli, adapt to the environment, move and respire.
