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Name: __________________________
Date:______________
Unit 1A- Characteristics of Living Things
NOTES
Biology: _______________________________________________________________
Another word for a living thing is an __________________________.
Although the many types of organisms may appear to be different from one another,
they all share common characteristics.
A. 8 Important Characteristics of Living Things:
1.___________________________________________________________________
2.___________________________________________________________________
3.___________________________________________________________________
4.___________________________________________________________________
5.___________________________________________________________________
6.___________________________________________________________________
7.___________________________________________________________________
8.___________________________________________________________________
Can you think of a characteristic that living things and non-living things have in
common?
______________________________________________________________________
LIVING THINGS:
are made up of cells
Cell: The basic unit of all forms of life
Depending on their general structure, cells are grouped into 2 separate categories:
(I) ___________________________________
(II)__________________________________________
Summary/Additional Notes
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Major Differences Between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic CELLS:
Prokaryotic
Eukaryotic
1
2
3
Organisms made of prokaryotic cells are called prokaryotic organisms while organisms
made of eukaryotic cells are called eukaryotic organisms.
Example of a prokaryotic organism: ___________________________________
Examples of eukaryotic organisms:
_________________________________ _________________________________
_________________________________ _________________________________
Organisms can be either:
1. Unicellular organisms:
Made up of only one cell that must accomplish all of its life processes.
Examples:
_______________________________________________________________
2. Multicellular organisms:
Made up of more than one cell.
The different cells must work together to accomplish the organism’s life processes
Examples:
_______________________________________________________________
Cellular Specialization takes place in multicellular
organisms. Different types of cells perform
_____________________________________ as parts
of different tissues and organs.
Summary/Additional Notes
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LIVING THINGS:
are based on a universal
genetic code
What is the genetic code of all organisms?
____________________________________________________________________
What does it do? Why is it an important and necessary part of every cell?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
What are some examples of traits?
Physical features: _______________________________________________________
Behavioral features: _____________________________________________________
Physiological processes: __________________________________________________
A section of the DNA that codes for a certain protein is called a ___________
The reason different cells in the same organism can have a different structure and
function even though they all have the same DNA (genes) is because different genes are
being used in these different cells. A specific cell will have certain genes
____________________ while other genes are ___________________________.
LIVING THINGS:
Reproduce
The process of reproduction ensures that DNA is passed from parent(s) to offspring.
Is reproduction necessary for the survival for the individual or the species?
______________________________________
2 types of Reproduction:
1. Asexual Reproduction
Summary/Additional Notes
2. Sexual Reproduction
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examples:
examples:
Both types of reproduction have the potential to be very successful. Which type of
reproduction is used depends on the species and its environment. Some species can
undergo BOTH sexual and asexual reproduction.
LIVING THINGS:
Grow and Develop
Both growth and development take place as an organism matures. How would you
differentiate between these 2 processes?
1. Growth -_____________________________________________________________
2. Development - ________________________________________________________
Summary/Additional Notes
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LIVING THINGS:
Respond to their environment
Stimulus - a ________________ to which an organism responds.
Response - a ______________ to a stimulus.
*Label each of these examples – Put an "S" by the stimulus and an
"R" by the response:
a) When you touch something hot ___ you pull your hand away ____
b) A blowfish becomes larger and extends is spikes _____ when it is
threatened by a predator _____
c) The carbon dioxide level in your blood becomes too high ____ so
your breathing rate increases ______
Stimulus
Response
1
2
3
LIVING THINGS:
Maintain a stable internal environment
When organisms maintain relatively constant or stable internal conditions we call this:
___________________________.
These conditions must be maintained within certain limits regardless of any internal or
external changes.
Examples:
• Regulation of body temperature:
When it's cold, humans _____________ and when it's hot we ______________
so that we can maintain our body temperature around 98.6°F.
Summary/Additional Notes
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• __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
LIVING THINGS:
Taken as a group, Evolve
EVOLUTION:
_____________________________________________________________________
Natural selection: the process by which organisms that have traits that make them better
able to _________________in their environment will be more successful at
______________________ and therefore pass these traits on to future generations.
Organisms cannot choose or change their characteristics because they want to or need
to. It is by natural selection that traits are “________________________” (remain in the
population) or eliminated.
The ______________________dictates which traits will be selected for and which ones
will be selected against.
 Successful traits that become established in a population of organisms are called
_________________________________.
As one adaptation follows another, eventually the species may undergo subtle or even
drastic changes. Over time, groups of organisms can become different enough from one
another that they are considered new species.
 What will happen to the population of these
beetles over time?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
How do the new traits (variations) that are “selected for” by natural selection arise in
organisms? (Where do these new traits or variations come from)?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Summary/Additional Notes
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LIVING THINGS:
Obtain and use materials and energy
Materials and energy move between the living (_____________) and nonliving
(_____________) parts of ecosystems.
Materials (atoms, molecules) must be recycled but energy is NOT - therefore a constant
supply of energy must enter every ecosystem (usually from the ____________).
Organisms must be able to:
a) produce or obtain nutrients
b) convert the nutrients into a usable form of chemical energy called ATP
c) use these forms of energy to power their life processes.
All living things fit into one of two categories, based on how they produce or obtain
nutrients:
1. Heterotroph or (_________________ ) -___________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Examples:
______________________________________________________________________
2. Autotroph or (_________________ ) - ___________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Examples:
______________________________________________________________________
Summary/Additional Notes
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There are 2 different types of autotrophs:
1. _________________________________ 2. _______________________________
_________________________________
_______________________________
_________________________________
_______________________________
_________________________________
_______________________________
We will mainly focus on Photoautotrophs so when the word autotroph is used, we are
referring to photoautotrophs.
Photosynthesis: can be summarized by the following chemical equation:
______________________________________________________________________
What is the purpose of photosynthesis?
______________________________________________________________________
 The food is then used to make cellular energy (ATP- energy that cells can use to
power their processes).
Cellular Respiration- Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other
food molecules in the presence of oxygen.
Cellular Respiration: can be summarized by the following chemical equation:
______________________________________________________________________
What is the purpose of Cellular Respiration?
______________________________________________________________________
NOTE: ALL ORGANISMS MUST UNDERGO CELLULAR RESPIRATION!!!!!!
Summary/Additional Notes
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Put the words “photosynthesis” and “cellular Respiration” in the correct blank on the
diagram. Then explain how photosynthesis and cellular respiration are dependent on
each other.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Chemical _____________________such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration are
an essential part of life. In addition to those 2, there are many other chemical reactions
that take place in every living thing. You will learn about some of these later in the year.
The combination of all of your chemical reactions is called your:
____________________________________________
Everything that happens in your cells to support life is based on chemical reactions.
Therefore, having a metabolism is in and of itself a characteristic of living things. What
would happen if your metabolism were to stop?
______________________________________________________________________
Summary/Additional Notes
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B. Classification of Organisms
There are millions of different kinds of organisms that exist on the Earth. Scientists have
devised systems to classify and organize these organisms.
____________________________ is the science of naming and classifying organisms.
In the 1700s, a Swedish scientist named Linnaeus devised a classification system called
__________________________________, where every different of organism is given a
two–word Latin name.
The first word is called the _____________________.
The second word is called the ____________________. (often a descriptive word, such
as a color or physical patterning).
The Species Concept: What is a species?
___________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Although scientists use scientific names when discussing organisms, most people use
common names, such as “shark”, “green pepper”, or “bullfrog”. These common names
are not used by scientists because they differ among different languages, or even from
place to place within a country.
Common Name
Daffodil
Human
Bullfrog
Green frog
Leopard frog
Scientific Name
Narcissus pseudonarcissus
Homo sapiens
Rana catesbiana
Rana clamitans
Rana pipiens
Some species have characteristics in common with other species, allowing these species
to be included in a common, larger group, the genus. For example, a particular genus
may contain a great number of different species (see the frog example above).
Linnaeus took organisms from different species and grouped them into larger and more
general categories based on similarities; similar organisms are placed in the same group.
Linnaeus used the technique of starting with the general and moving to the more
specific until he “zeroed in” on a particular species. Linnaeus’ groupings are still in use
today.
Summary/Additional Notes
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Linnaean Taxonomic Categories
The 7 major categories in classifying organisms, from most general to least general
(most specific) are:
1.
Kingdom
is divided into
2.
Phylum
is divided into
3.
Class
is divided into
4.
Order
is divided into
5.
Family
is divided into
6.
Genus
is divided into
7.
Species
Most
General
Most
Specific
KPCOFGS: ____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Classification of Several Organisms within the Animal Kingdom
Human
kingdom Animal
phylum Chordata
Mammalia
class
Primates
order
family Hominidae
Homo
genus
species sapiens
Wolf
Animal
Chordata
Mammalia
Carnivora
Canidae
Canis
lupus
Turtle
Animal
Chordata
Reptilia
Chelonia
Emydidae
Terrapene
carolina
Mosquito
Animal
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Culicidae
Theobaldia
anulata
1. Of the following, the broadest (most general) classification category is
A. class
B. phylum
C. genus
D. order
Summary/Additional Notes
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2. Two organisms classified in the same class must be in the same
A. phylum
B. family
C. order
D. genus
3. Two organisms classified in the same class could be in the same
A. genus
B. order
C. family
D. all of these
4. Of the following, Rana catesbiana is most closely related to
A. Rana pipiens
B.Homo sapiens
C.Xenopus laevis
D. Felis domesticus
5. Of the following, the correct order from largest, most general group, to smallest, most
specific group, is
A. species, genus, family, class, order
C. class, order, family, genus, species
B. species, family, genus, class, order
D. class, genus, order, family, species
Recently, the science of classification has been undergoing a great deal of change. The
original scheme proposed back in the 1800s by Carolus Linnaeus included only 7
classification levels shown above (KPCOFGS).
Currently an additional grouping, called a ________________, is more widely accepted
as a level above (more general than) “kingdom”. Biochemical evidence (e.g. DNA) has
helped to continue to revise and/or reinforce the classification groupings being used
today.
Three Domain System of Classification
Domain
1. ____________ 2. ______________ 3.___________________________
Kingdom
Phylum
Summary/Additional Notes
Etc.
Etc.
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One more feature that all living things have in common ... all living things must ______.
Life Span: how ______________ an organism lives.
Why can’t organisms just live forever?
1. Over time there is ________________ to the DNA and cells – things “wear out”
despite constant maintenance and repair throughout the organism’s lifetime.
2. Organisms cannot always maintain _____________________ in all environmental
conditions. If an organism cannot continue its metabolism and maintain homeostasis, its
life will cease.
3. Earth has a limited supply of resources. When organisms die, the materials in their
cells are ________________ back into the environment for use by new generations of
living things.
 ________________________ are essential to the recycling of materials between
the living and nonliving portions of every ecosystem.
Summary/Additional Notes
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Viruses - Are they living or not living?
There is some debate over whether viruses are living or nonliving. Most agree that they
are nonliving because they are unable to _________________________ carry out all
life processes – they are particles made of DNA and proteins that cannot replicate on
their own. They can only replicate once they are inside a living cell.
Explain why someone would think that viruses are considered living things based on the
8 characteristics of life.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Summary/Additional Notes