Characteristics of Life Flashcards
What are the 6 characteristics of life?
- Made of cells, 2. Growth and development, 3. Reproduction, 4. Metabolism, 5. Adapt and respond to environment, 6. Homeostasis.
Cells
All living things are made of cells. They can either be unicellular or multicellular.
Unicellular
Consisting of only one cell.
Multicellular
Made of more than one cell.
Growth and development
Growth is the increase of the size or number of cells in an organism. Development is when new structures or new cells are being produced.
An example of the difference between growth and development?
Development=caterpillar to a butterfly. Growth=brain getting bigger.
Reproduction
An organism can either produce new members of its species (reproduction) asexually or sexually.
Asexual reproduction
The new organisms are clones/exact copies. Example: Except for a few mutants, most of our cells are exact copies of each other.
Sexual reproduction
DNA is exchanged between the parents; new organism has a different structure and looks different than its parents.
Metabolism
The ability to take in energy and use it.
Adaptation vs. responding to environment
Adaptation is a change that takes several generations to appear. It is the result of genetic changes between generations. Responding is how your body naturally reacts to the environment and stimuli.
An example of responding?
An example of responding is your pupils shrinking in a bright light or plants growing toward the sun.
Homeostasis
Maintaining the average balance for survival. Example: Sweating or shivering to maintain average body heat (98.6 F). Usually maintained through negative feedback, but positive feedback occurs too.
Negative feedback
A change or difference in a system can cause a response/reaction that usually returns that system to its average.
Positive feedback
A process that can continue to amplify your body’s response to a stimulus (until a negative feedback response takes over.)
