Explanation:
Certainly! Here are seven characteristics of life and their descriptions:
1. **Cellular Organization**: Living organisms are composed of one or more cells, which are the basic structural and functional units of life. Cells carry out various metabolic activities necessary for life.
2. **Homeostasis**: Living organisms maintain internal stability or balance in response to external changes. This involves regulating internal conditions such as temperature, pH, and nutrient levels within a narrow range to support life processes.
3. **Metabolism**: Living organisms engage in metabolic processes to obtain and utilize energy for growth, repair, and reproduction. Metabolism includes catabolic processes (breaking down molecules to release energy) and anabolic processes (building complex molecules from simpler ones).
4. **Response to Stimuli**: Living organisms respond to external stimuli from their environment. These responses can be behavioral, such as movement, or physiological, such as changes in heart rate or hormone release.
5. **Reproduction**: Living organisms have the ability to produce offspring either sexually or asexually, passing on their genetic material to the next generation. Reproduction ensures the continuity of life and allows for genetic variation within populations.
6. **Adaptation**: Living organisms evolve over time through the process of natural selection, acquiring traits that increase their survival and reproductive success in specific environments. Adaptation allows organisms to better suit their habitat and lifestyle.
7. **Growth and Development**: Living organisms undergo growth, increasing in size or complexity, and development, progressing through life stages with distinct morphological and physiological changes. Growth involves an increase in cell number or size, while development involves the differentiation and specialization of cells into specific tissues and organs.
These characteristics collectively define life and distinguish living organisms from non-living entities.
