LIVING AND
NONLIVING THINGS
Living & Nonliving Things
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The difference between living and nonliving
things are found by observing their
properties.
Properties can describe how an object
1. looks
2. feels
3. behaves
All things have properties.
Properties of Nonliving Things
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Both living and nonliving things have
properties.
Nonliving things have properties that you can
see and feel.
Unlike living things, nonliving things do not
carry out life activities. They do not move,
develop, or reproduce.
Nonliving things are NOT made of cells.
Properties of Living Things
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Living things carry out life activities.
They move, grow, and reproduce.
They sense and react to their environment
(surroundings)
Another word for a living thing is an organism.
Both large living things, like a human or tree, and
small living things, like bacteria, are organisms.
Bacteria are the simplest organisms that carry out life
activities.
Organisms & Organs
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An organism is a complete, individual living
thing.
The organ in organism comes from the Latin
word that means “tool.”
Just like a tool, an organ performs a certain job
in living things.
Simple organisms, like bacteria, do not have
organs.
How Organisms Are Classified
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Living things can be very different from one another.
Scientists divide living things into five groups or kingdoms.
The five kingdoms are:
1. plant
2. animal
3. protist
4. fungi
5. monera
Most living things that we know are in the plant or animal
kingdoms.
Taxonomy is when organisms are classified.
The Plant Kingdom
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Plants don’t move from place to place like
animals.
Plants make their own food, using sunlight and
other substances around them.
All plants have many cells.
Many plants also have organs.
The Animal Kingdom
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Animal cannot make their own food.
They get food from other living things.
Most animals move around to capture or
gather their food.
Moving also helps animals find shelter, escape
danger, and find mates.
All animals have many cells. In all animals
except the sponge, these cells form tissues. In
most animals, these tissues form organs.
The Protist Kingdom
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After the microscope was invented, biologists
began to discover microorganisms.
These microorganisms did not fit into either
the plant or animal kingdoms.
Biologists put them in a separate kingdom
called protists.
Most protists have only one cell. A few have
many cells.
More Protists
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Some protists make their own food. Others
absorb food from other sources.
All protists carry out basic life activities.
Algae is an example of plant-like protists.
Algae can make its own food and is food for
other organisms.
Protozoans are animal-like protists. They
behave like animals by getting food and
moving.
Protozoans
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Protozoans can use flagella, cilia, or
pseudopods to move.
Flagella are whip-like tails that help one-celled
organisms move. Euglena is an organism that
has a flagellum.
Protozoans
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Amoebas push out part of their cell which
pulls the amoeba along. This is called a
pseudopod.
Protozoans
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Paramecium use cilia to move. Cilia are tiny
hair-like structures that move like boat
paddles.
The Fungi Kingdom
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Fungi are organisms that have many cells and
decompose material for food.
Examples of fungi are mushrooms and mold.
At one time, fungi were classified as plants
because they do not move around by
themselves. However, unlike plants, fungi do
not make their food.
More Fungi
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Fungi are important because of the way they get food.
Fungi release special chemicals on dead plants and animal
matter.
These chemicals break down the matter. This is called
decomposition.
This decomposed material is either:
a. absorbed by the fungi OR
b. gets into the soil for plants and other organisms to
use.
More Fungi
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Some fungi are parasites.
Parasites absorb food from living organisms.
Examples of parasites are:
a. Dutch Elm disease killing trees.
b. ringworm, which is a human skin disease.
The Monera Kingdom
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Monera means alone.
The monera kingdom has only one kind of
organism.
Monerans are usually one-celled organisms
that do not have organelles.
Bacteria are in the monera kingdom. Bacteria
do not have organelles.
Bacteria
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Some bacteria cause disease, like strep throat.
Most bacteria are harmless. Many are even
helpful.
Bacteria also help to decompose the remains of
plants and animals.
People also use bacteria to make cheese and
yogurt.