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Nutrition :  Living things need food, air and water for their survival.

Plants make their own food in sunlight. This process takes place in the leaves of plants. This process of food production is called photosynthesis.

Animals, do not produce their own food. They search for food.

Animals such as goats, sheep, horses eat grass.

Wild animals such as tigers and lions meet their need for food by hunting other animals which live on plants.

Growth :  Living things can grow and get to their adult size. The intake of food and the resultant growth is an important characteristic of living things.

Though all living things grow, animals growonly for a certain period.

Plants grow as long as they live.

The growth of living things occurs from within the body,

Movement :  Living things can move by themselves.

Responsiveness to stimuli : Living things can respond to the changes around them. The ability of living things to respond to a stimulus is called their responsiveness to stimuli.

Respiration :  Living things need oxygen in order to live. Inhaling oxygen and exhaling the carbon dioxide formed in the body due to the use of oxygen is called respiration.

Living things can respire and release energy from food.

Animals such as fish, snake, mouse, etc. have specific organs for respiration. On the other hand, plants respire by means of microscopic pores on their stems and leaves.

Excretion : Living things can excrete and get rid of waste materials from their body.

The process of eliminating waste materials them from the body is called excretion.

Reproduction :  Living things can reproduce and give birth to their young ones.

The process by which a living thing generates a new living thing like itself is called reproduction or procreation.

Death :  Living things have a definite life span after which they die. The lifespans of different animals and plants are different. [/responsivevoice]

Differences between Living and Non-living Things :

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Useful Living Things :

Plants -Apple, Banana, Tomato Ladys finger- used as vegetables and fruits.

Animals -Dogs, Cats-used as pets, Goat, Hen – used as food source.

Harmful Living Things :

Plants -Dodder, Parthenium-destroy the plants as weeds, Uncontrolled growth of fungi pollutes the water.

Animals -Poisonous animals like snakes, insects and elephants destroying human settlement. [/responsivevoice]

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Cellular structure :

Some living things are made of a single cell. These are called unicellular organisms.

The amoeba and some other microorganisms are unicellular.

The living things that are made of many cells are called multicellular organisms.

Man, cow, mouse, cockroach, elephants, banyan tree, the onion plant, etc. are all multicellular organisms.

All the characteristics of living things are seen in every cell of a living thing, whether it is unicellular or multicellular. [/responsivevoice]