Characteristics of Life

CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING THINGS

Living organisms carry out some of the processes that are vital for life. There are seven, and are as follows:

Movement: protoplasm in all living cells moves, in more complex organisms , however, in more complex organisms the whole structure may move. Plants move in response to external stimuli such as light, while animals can move their entire bodies.

Respiration: this is the process in which living organisms use chemical reactions to transfer energy; cells releases energy for their own use trough chemical reaction

Sensitivity: this is sometimes refer to as irritability. This is a process whereby living organisms recognise and respond to changes in their environment, both internal and external.

Nutrition: the intake and breakdown of materials necessary for energy release, for growth and also for the manufacture of secretory substances.

Growth: when the amount of protoplasm in a cell increases, or when the number of cell in a multicellular organism increases.

Reproduction: the process whereby living organism produce new individuals referred to as offspring. This process enables organisms live from generation to generation.

Excretion: due to the metabolic process in living organisms waste product are generated, this process eliminates waste products from the body of living organisms.

An easy way to remember these processes is to make words or sentences with the first letter of each process. An example is My Revision System Now Gets Really Entertaining.