Properties of Life

7th Grade Life Science Unit 2 Study Guide

6 Characteristics of Living ThingsLiving things have all of these:• Have Cells• Sense and respond to change• Reproduce (an ant can not make an

elephant)• Have DNA• Use Energy (make food/break down food)• Grow and Develop

Use a mnemonic to help you remember this

“Can Shane Really Drink Elmer’s Glue?”

The 4 Necessities of LifeWe need these 4 basic things to live: Food Water Air A place to live (shelter)

The 5 Building BlocksThese compounds are found in all living things: Proteins Lipids ATP Nucleic Acids Carbohydrates

PLANC-A planc is a board (walk the plank), you use boards

to build houses, so PLANC are the BUILDING BLOCKS.

Chapter 2 DefinitionsUsed in a Sentence A cell is part of all living organisms Humans are made of many cells The Venus Flytrap reacts to the

stimulus of the fly, by closing its trap.

A person reacts to the stimulus of cold by shivering and/or putting on a sweater

A stimulus can be in the form of a sound (door bell, dog bark) or light

Staying Alive HandoutNeeds of Living Things-Chemicals for Life

About 2/3 of your body is water Humans can survive several weeks without

food, but only a few days without water” Water is a useful chemical. Water dissolves other chemicals by breaking

them down into tiny particles small enough to go in and out of cells

Example: Put sugar into a glass of tea and stir the liquid until the sugar dissolves. As it dissolves breaks into particles you can’t see

What does DNA stand for?

Deoxyribonucleic AcidPresent in all living cells and contains information that determines the traits that a living thing inherits and needs to live

Living Things Have Cells Some living things are made of multiple

cells

Living Things Have Cells (C) Some living things are made of a single

cell

Paramecium Amoeba

Living Things Have Cells (C)

Muscle Cells Skin Cells

Blood Cells

Example Cell Types

Living Things Have Cells (C) Prokaryotes = single celled, does not

have a nucleus (p 64, 65) Bacteria and Archaea are Prokaryotes PRO = “NO” (nucleus)

Living Things Have Cells (C) Eukaryotes = Made of cells that have a

nucleus enclosed by a membrane. Animals, Plants, and Fungi have Eukaryotic

Cells

An insect landing on the Venus Fly Trap will trigger it to close (The fly is the Stimulus)

Sense and Respond to Change (S)

Sense and Respond to Change (S) When touched (the stimulus), the pill bug

rolls into a ball.

Sense and Respond to Change (S) Eyes Dilate when exposed to light (the light is the stimulus)

Sense and Respond to Change (S)

The presence of its big ears helps an Elephant maintains homeostasis.

Sweating/Shivering helps a human maintain homeostasis.

Caption: Our bodies maintain a stable internal temperature like a home does with a/c and heat

Budding (p 40)

All Living Things Reproduce (R) Asexual Reproduction

Binary Fission (p 248)

Regeneration (p 684)

1 parent produces offspring that is genetically IDENTICAL

Living Things ReproduceSexual Reproduction

Mom + Dad =Baby Baby has some characteristics of Mom and

some characteristics of Dad

Chapter 2 DefinitionsUsed in a Sentence

Heredity is the reason you have brown eyes (or are short, tall, have red hair, etc.)

A hummingbird has a very high metabolism and feeds constantly to supply energy to racing wings and hearts.

A skinny person has a high metabolism burning off his/her calories.

Living Things Have DNA (D)DNA is the “blueprint” for all living things (NUCLEIC ACIDS)

Holds info for a cell to make proteins

-Proteins make up part of the structure of our bodies

-Proteins help speed up chemical reactions in our bodies

Living Things Use Energy (E)

To….

Make Food

Break Down Food

Move Materials in and Out of Cells

Build New Cells

Plants produce their own food (producers)

Humans are consumers because we eat other organisms/animals

decomposers eat dead things.

Living Things Use Energy (E)

Living Things Use Energy (E)

CARBOHYDRATES: People “carb up” (eat potatoes, pasta, rice and other starches) to get energy for exercise

Living Things Grow and Develop (G)

Living Things Grow and Develop (G)

Cell Membrane

The Cell Membrane is made mostly of phospholipids The “round parts” are the heads of the phospholipid molecule The “water hating” tails point inward The “water loving” heads of the phospholipids point out, so the fluid must

be water. This design helps keep internal conditions of the cell stable (homeostasis)

WATER

WATER

Good Luck on the Test!!