living and non-living

PowerPoint Presentations

  • The PowerPoint presentations will be set up in the following way:

    • The pencil icon will indicate key information on the slide that should be documented.

    • Key words will be highlighted in red and bolded for emphasis.

Cells and Microorganisms

  • SACE Stage 1

SACE Key Ideas

  • By the end of this chapter, you should know the following:

    • Living things are distinguishable from non-living things.

    • The cell theory unifies all living things.

    • Living things are made up of one or more cells.

    • Key attributes of cells:

    • Cells are the structural and functional units of life.

    • Cells arise from pre-existing cells.

    • Cells contain hereditary material.

    • The cell is regarded as the smallest independent unit of life.

Living and Non-Living Things Learning Targets

  • Classify an object as living or non-living using the 7 life processes.

  • Describe the features of the cell theory.

Difference Between Living and Non-Living Things

  • Class Brainstorm:

    • Post your thoughts to the following questions in the group chat:

    • What are the characteristics of living things?

    • What are the characteristics of non-living things?

    • Provide examples of living and non-living things.

Characteristics of Living Things (Organisms)

  • All living things are referred to as organisms.

  • All organisms consist of one or more cells:

    • Cell: The simplest living structure that has independent existence and can carry out life processes.

    • Unicellular organisms: Consist of one cell (e.g., bacteria).

    • Multicellular organisms: Consist of more than one cell (e.g., dogs).

7 Life Processes

  • All organisms consist of one or more cells working together to perform processes characteristic of life.

  • There are seven recognized life processes:

    • Movement: Living things are capable of internal and external movement.

    • Respiration: Living things require a constant supply of energy.

    • Sensitivity: Living things respond to stimuli in their environment (e.g., light, temperature).

    • Growth: Living things are capable of growth, which involves increases in both cell size and number (via cell division).

    • Reproduction: A process by which one or more parents produce offspring. Cells are capable of dividing.

    • Excretion: Removal of metabolic waste products from an organism.

    • Nutrition/Metabolism: Living things obtain nutrients from the environment for growth and maintenance.

Non-Living Things

  • Non-living thing: A material object or a deceased organism incapable of carrying out one or more life processes.

  • If something carries out some processes but not all, it cannot be classified as living.

Discussion on Viruses

  • Inquiry: Are viruses living or non-living?

    • Engage with the class by posting your views in the chat regarding the classification of viruses.

    • Conclusion on viruses:

    • Viruses are classified as non-living because they are not true cells.

    • Viruses can only reproduce when they invade and hijack a host cell.

    • They can be crystallized, a characteristic of non-living things (e.g., table salt).

Cells as the Fundamental Unit of Life

  • Cell: Recognized as the unit of structure and function in most organisms.

  • Cells carry out all normal processes of living things, operating as the functional unit of these organisms.

  • Key points:

    • Cells are the smallest independent unit of life.

    • They serve as the structural building blocks of living things.

The Cell Theory

  • Cell theory: A comprehensive framework that unifies all living things, depicting the properties of cells.

  • Three principles of the cell theory:

    • All organisms consist of one or more cells.

    • All cells arise from pre-existing cells via cell division.

    • The cell is the fundamental unit of structure and function in all living organisms.

  • The development of cell theory was significantly influenced by the advancement of microscopes in the 17th century.

Review of Life Processes

  • Match each process with its corresponding description:

    • Excretion: Removal of toxic wastes (e.g., urine, CO2).

    • Growth: The increase in size and number of cells in a living thing.

    • Metabolism: Life-sustaining chemical reactions occurring in the cells of living things, e.g., breakdown of nutrients for energy.

    • Responding to stimuli: The process in which living things react to their environment.

    • Movement: Change in physical position over time, such as to hunt, find shelter, or avoid predators.

    • Reproduction: Process when parents produce new individual organisms known as offspring (can be sexual or asexual).

    • Respiration: The process by which energy is extracted from nutrients, can be aerobic or anaerobic cellular respiration.