what does it takes to be a living organ What does it take to

What does it take to be a living organism? Living things share 8 characteristics that are listed in Chapter 1 of your textbook on page 19 Think of an organism or cell in which all 8 characteristics are not obvious for example, coral looks like it does not move, red blood cells do not reproduce and have no DNA. frogs freeze in the winter therefore it seems as if they do not maintain homeostasis, and so on Focus your discussion on the following Make comparisons between living things and nonliving things that have some of the characteristics that define life Compare the following pairs and explain what the differences are using the 8 criteria A rock to a snail A rock to a tree A dog to a TV Explain why electricity is sometimes called line, or discuss some of the characteristics fire shares with living things (it can grow, it metabolizes, and so on)

Solution

The 8 characteristics of living organisms are:

These 8 traits are generally used to classify organisms are either living or non-living. Things that do not exhibit all 8 traits are scientifically classified as non-living. However, there are many classified living things that do not visibly show all 8 characteristics. For example, trees are made of cells, grow, evolve, reproduce, etc, but they do not physically move. Bacteria and other single celled organisms do not show different levels of cellular organization. In ant colonies, only the queen reproduces, yet even the non-reproducing worker ants are considered living. Viruses are another hotly debated topic, as scientists continue to argue if they are living or non-living. While outside the host body they may seem dead, when they enter the host they stir to life, using the host\'s cellular machinery to reproduce, grow, assemble themselves before destroying the cell and continuing the infection.

Sometimes, even non-living things seem to share a few traits of living things. For example, icicles may be non-living, but in cold weather they can visibly \'grow\' as water freezes and the icicle expands in size.

Comparing the following pairs:

Electricity and fire are often termed \'alive\' due to their behaviour, however, they are forms of energy, not living organisms. Uncontrollable electricity is often termed \'live\', it travels through conductive materials, it can even reproduce by distributing energy along various paths as it travels. Similarly, fire, when provided with the right materials, can grow and spread. It metabolizes fuel to maintain itself, and its movement and growth can be altered in response to external stimuli. However, neither electricity nor fire consist of cells, nor do they evolve, and being forms of energy, they cannot maintain homeostasis. Thus, they are classified as non-living.