(a) characteristics of living organisms

M

movement - ability to change location or position

R

respiration - the process that releases the energy locked within substances

S

sensitivity - ability to detect and respond to changes in their surrounding environment (stimuli)

H

homeostasis - maintenance of internal environment of an organism within the required limits

G

growing - the increase in mass or volume of an organism

R

reproduction - how offspring are made; the creation of new organisms

E

excretion - metabolic reactions inside the organism taking place to rid it of unwanted or unneeded substances

N

nutrition - means of obtaining food, which provides the energy that living organisms need for the processes they carry out