7 CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING ORGANISMS

  1. Growth: All living organisms experience a permanent increase in size or dry mass, which occurs through the growth of their cells or the addition of new ones

  1. Movement: Every organism can move to some extent. Most animals are capable of moving their entire bodies from one place to another, whereas plants can only slowly move certain parts of themselves.

  2. Sensitivity: Organisms can gather information regarding changes in both their internal environment (like blood temperature) and external environment (like sunlight intensity) and react to those changes.

  3. Excretion: All living things produce unwanted or toxic waste products as a result of their metabolic reactions, which must be removed from the body.

  4. Reproduction: Organisms have the ability to create new individuals of the same species.

  5. Nutrition: Living things absorb substances from their environment and use them to provide energy or materials for building new cells.

  6. Respiration: Organisms break down glucose and other substances inside their cells to release energy that they can use. The combination of all chemical reactions occurring within the organism, including respiration, is referred to as metabolism.