Living ThingsThe meaning of living things are described as simply things that are alive, growing or moving. The whole world is made up of living and non living things. The differences between a living thing and a non living thing include:
-Living things eat while non living things do not -Living things breathe while non living thing don't -Non living things can not move -Non living things can not grow -Non living things do not respond due to them not having senses (eyes, ears) -Living things can reproduce |
Living things require different needs to those that aren't living. Birds require twigs to build a nest, fish require water to survive and plants need sunlight to grow. Living things are often used in the environment to satisfy other needs of living things such as a lion. A lion prays on smaller, weaker animals so it can eat and survive in the wild. But sometimes living things use non living things for protection and safety e.g. a rock or cave and also soil for plants to grow.
All living and things are classified into groups called 'Kingdoms'. Kingdoms represent a group of lifeforms that are all very similar in ways, but can be different in other ways. The five kingdoms that have been created are the Monera kingdom, the Protsit kingdom, the Fungi kingdom, the Plant kingdom and the Animal kingdom. Scientist have also gone even further and developed another classification called Phylum, where lifeforms are put in a group based on how they are similar and different. One way animals are different from each other is whether or not they have a backbone. Animals that have a backbone belong to the
Chordata Phylum.
In the Animal Kingdom, under the chordata phylum, there are five classes. These are mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Monkey's and lizards both belong to the Animal Kingdom and both also belong to the Chordata Phylum. But the difference is that the monkey belongs to the Mammal class while the lizard belongs to the Reptile Class. Scientists continue to classify each lifeforms into orders, families, genius, and species.
In the picture below it shows how the European tree frog starts in a very broad group and as it goes further into detail the more narrow the group becomes, until we reach the bottom which is the type of frog. Did you notice how the smaller the group got the more similarities are seen?
Chordata Phylum.
In the Animal Kingdom, under the chordata phylum, there are five classes. These are mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Monkey's and lizards both belong to the Animal Kingdom and both also belong to the Chordata Phylum. But the difference is that the monkey belongs to the Mammal class while the lizard belongs to the Reptile Class. Scientists continue to classify each lifeforms into orders, families, genius, and species.
In the picture below it shows how the European tree frog starts in a very broad group and as it goes further into detail the more narrow the group becomes, until we reach the bottom which is the type of frog. Did you notice how the smaller the group got the more similarities are seen?
Acids and Living Things
Nucleic Acids play a very important role in the life of living things. They are large molecules that hold all the genetic information, it is found in plants, animals, humans, bacteria, viruses, fungi, the list goes on!
This acid comes in two forms:
DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid; a self-replicating material which is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information.
RNA - Ribonucleic acid; present in all living cells. Its principal role is to act as a messenger carrying instructions from DNA for controlling the synthesis of proteins, although in some viruses RNA rather than DNA carries the genetic information.
This acid comes in two forms:
DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid; a self-replicating material which is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information.
RNA - Ribonucleic acid; present in all living cells. Its principal role is to act as a messenger carrying instructions from DNA for controlling the synthesis of proteins, although in some viruses RNA rather than DNA carries the genetic information.
The video below explains living and non living things:
To take a quiz and see how much you learnt click on the link below:
Page by Sarah W