Table of contents |
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What is Living? |
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Characteristics of Living Organisms |
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1. Growth |
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2. Reproduction |
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3. Metabolism |
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4. Consciousness |
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Living is something that is alive, something that can grow, move, reproduce, respire, and carry out various cellular activities.
Living Organisms
The different characteristics that best describe what a living thing is, are mentioned below:
Charcaterstics of Living Organisms
Growth is the ability of an organism to increase in size through Cell Growth and Cell Division.
Living things grow
(i) Increase in mass
(ii) Differentiation
(iii) Increase in number of individuals
(iv) Response to stimuli
Reproduction is the process by which an organism produces an individual like its own.
Metabolism refers to a series of chemical reactions that occur in a living organism to sustain life.
Metabolism
(a) Anabolism includes all the "building up" reactions. It is also called constructive metabolism since it involves the synthesis of complex substances from Simpler ones,
E.g. synthesis of organic compounds from CO₂ and H₂O during photosynthesis, formation of starch from glucose, production of proteins from amino acids, formation of lipids from fatty acids and alcohols. Energy is stored (as potential energy) in the process.
Anabolic Reaction (Photosynthesis)
(b) Catabolism ( katabolism) constitutes "breakdown reactions". It is also known as destructive metabolism because it involves breaking complex substances into simpler ones. Potential energy present in the complex substances is converted into kinetic energy.
Respiration is an example of catabolism. It releases energy for performing different body activities.
It is a property by the virtue of which an organism responds to an external stimulus or change in environment.
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1. What are the main characteristics that define living organisms? | ![]() |
2. How does metabolism differ among various living organisms? | ![]() |
3. Why is reproduction considered a vital characteristic of living things? | ![]() |
4. Can non-living things exhibit characteristics similar to living organisms? | ![]() |
5. How does consciousness manifest in different living organisms? | ![]() |