Question

List the common characteristics of living things.

Answer 1

Common characteristics of living things are as follows:

1. Respiration: It is a process by which living organisms intake oxygen from the air and expel carbon dioxide out. The process causes the breakdown of glucose into energy molecules.
2. Catabolism: The process by which storage molecules like fats, carbohydrates, and proteins are broken down into simpler molecules like fatty acids, glucose, and amino acids to release energy respectively is called catabolism.
3. Anabolism: The process by which simple molecules are assimilated into bigger molecules to store energy is called anabolism. It is the reverse of catabolism.
4. Locomotion: It is the movement of organisms from one place to another with the help of locomotive parts like legs or feet or wings.
5. Reproduction: It is the process of the generation of offspring with similar qualities of phenotypic and genotypic traits.
6. Digestion: It is the process of breaking down the ingested food material into simpler molecules to release energy for routine activities or to store them in the form of excess energy.
7. Excretion: It is the process of elimination of unwanted matter from the body in the form of fecal matter and urine.
8. Response to stimuli: There are five types of external stimuli according to our senses: touch (pressure/movement), vision (light), hearing (sound), smell (chemical), and taste (chemical). This ability to react to an external factor is called response to stimuli. Eg Mimosa plant.
9. Adaptation: According to Darwin's theory, it's always the survival of the fittest. An organism can change to adjust to its immediate habitat.
10. Growth: The development of an organism starts from the zygote, blastocyte, embryo, or fetus to a fully developed organism. The cells divide and grow structurally and functionally called the process of growth.
11. Homeostasis: The body maintains a balance of fluids or equilibrium to function properly, and this is called homeostasis. For example thermoregulation, blood glucose regulation, and bar reflex in blood pressure.
12. Regulation
13. Circulation: It is the process of flow of oxygenated blood from the lungs to different parts of the body and deoxygenated blood from tissues to the lungs.