1.1
**Characteristics of Organisms:**
1. **Biology and Kingdoms:**
- Biology studies living organisms.
- Organisms are classified into five kingdoms: animals, plants, fungi, protoctists, and prokaryotes (bacteria).
2. **Seven Characteristics of Living Organisms (Life Processes):**
- Nutrition: Obtaining food for energy and growth.
- Respiration: Releasing energy from nutrients.
- Movement: Changing position or place.
- Growth: Permanent increase in size and complexity.
- Excretion: Removing metabolic waste.
- Sensitivity: Detecting and responding to stimuli.
- Reproduction: Creating new individuals.
3. **Nutrition:**
- Green plants use photosynthesis to convert sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water into sugars.
- Animals obtain energy and nutrients by ingesting food.
4. **Respiration:**
- Chemical reactions break down nutrients like glucose to release energy.
- Requires oxygen for most organisms.
5. **Movement:**
- Organisms or their parts change position.
- Plants grow towards light (phototropism) and gravity (geotropism).
6. **Growth:**
- Involves an increase in cell number, size, and complexity.
- Plants continue to grow throughout their lives; animals stop growing after a certain size.
7. **Excretion:**
- Removal of metabolic waste.
- Plants shed waste when leaves fall; animals excrete waste like carbon dioxide and urine.
8. **Sensitivity:**
- Detecting and responding to internal and external stimuli.
- Plants adjust leaves towards light; animals have sensory organs.
9. **Reproduction:**
- Asexual reproduction: One parent, identical offspring.
- Sexual reproduction: Two parents, variation in offspring.
**Summary Questions:**
1. a) Reasons the visitor might think the car is alive: Movement, Sound (engine).
b) Reasons why the visitor is wrong: Lack of biological characteristics, no metabolism.
2. Differences between plants and animals:
a) Feeding: Plants use photosynthesis; animals ingest food.
b) Movement: Plants grow slowly and adjust to light; animals can move their entire bodies.
c) Growth: Plants continue growing; animals stop growing.
d) Senses: Plants respond to light and environmental cues; animals have sensory organs.
**Key Points:**
- "Mrs. Gren" helps remember the seven characteristics of living organisms.
- Phototropism: Plant growth towards light.
- Geotropism: Plant growth towards the earth (gravity).
- Sedentary: Organism shows little or no movement.