Notes
Characteristics of Life
1. Movement
a) The ability to move
2. Ingestion
a) To take in food
3. Digestion
a) To break down food into energy
i) physical
-chewing (Mastication)
ii) chemical
-stomach acids
4. Excretion
a) The removal of waste
5. Sensitivity
a) The response to changes in the environment
6. Reproduction
a) To create offspring
i) asexual: only 1 parent; organism
can reproduce by itself
ii) sexual: 2 parents required to
create offspring
7. Respiration
a) The breakdown of food (using oxygen)
to produce energy
8. Growth
a) To get bigger
9. Transport
a) To be able to move material into and out
of cells
10. Synthesis
a) To be able to make new substances
(ex: photosynthesis)
11. Homeostasis
a) To maintain a stable internal
environment
a)Ability of an organism to move
a)To take in food
a)To break down food
1.Physical breakdown:
 chewing
2.Chemical breakdown:
 stomach acids
a)The removal of waste from an organism
a)The response to changes in the
environment
a)The creation of offspring of the same
type
1. Asexual: only 1 parent; organism can
reproduce on its own
2. Sexual: 2 parents required to reproduce
a)The breakdown of food (using oxygen)
to release energy
a)To get bigger
a)Able to move substances to and from
cells
a)The ability to make new substances
 Ex: photosynthesis
a) Maintaining a stable internal
environment


ALL living things are CELLULAR (made of
cells)
ALL living things need ENERGY

Only living things-or once living thingscontain carbon
Carbon Atom

Of life; living; comes from life; contains
carbon
◦ EX:, plants, wood, cotton, people and animals (both
are meat)

Non-living, never was life, does not have
carbon
◦ EX: metal, rock