Download Cells, Chemicals & Activities

Cells, Chemicals &
Activities
OCS Biology
Mrs. Bonifay
Chemicals
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Living things are alike because:
1. they are composed of cells.
2. they have similar chemicals.
These chemicals include:
1. water.
2. carbohydrates.
3. fats.
4. proteins.
5. minerals.
6. vitamins.
7. nutrients
WATER
Life cannot exist without water.
 Water makes up about 2/3’s of a cell’s
weight.
 Special properties of water allow it to
break down things into tiny particles.
 When water and these particles are evenly
mixed, it is called a solution.
 Your bodily fluids and liquids in your cells
are not pure water; they are a solution of
many salts, water, and other chemicals.
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CARBOHYDRATES
 Carbohydrates
are sugars and
starches.
 Living things use carbohydrates for
energy.
 Plants use the energy from sunlight
to make carbohydrates from carbon
dioxide and water.
 Animals get energy from the
carbohydrates made by plants.
FATS
 Fats
store large amounts of energy
that are released when they are
broken down.
 Of all the chemicals important for
life, fats contain the most energy.
PROTEINS
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Proteins also provide energy for living things.
Proteins have other important functions:
1. They help to repair damaged
cells and build new ones.
2. They help control body activities
such as heart rate and breaking
down food.
Proteins are made up of smaller molecules called
amino acids.
There are 20 different amino acids that can be
arranged in different ways to make different
proteins. Proteins with different shapes have
different functions.
MINERALS, VITAMINS, &
NUTRIENTS
 Minerals
and vitamins are needed by
living things in small amounts.
 Nutrients are any chemicals found in
foods that are needed by living
things.
 Nutrients include minerals and
vitamins.
ACTIVITIES
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Getting food:
1. Animals get food by eating plants or
other animals.
2. Plants make their own food.
Digestion breaks down food into
chemicals that cells can use.
During respiration, cells release the
energy that is stored in chemicals.
The removal of wastes from living things
is excretion.
MORE ACTIVITIES
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Movement in plants and animals is outside and
inside living things. Materials inside plants and
animals are in constant motion.
Animals and plants have tissues and organs that
sense signals from their surroundings. Example:
Many flowers open in the morning light and close
when darkness comes.
The ability of living things to keep their internal
conditions is called homeostasis. An example of
this is your body maintaining a “normal”
temperature range around 98.6 degrees.
Another activity that living things do is growing.
Development happens as living things grow.
Reproduction
Reproduction is the process by which
living things produce offspring.
 Different types of reproduction:
1. Bacteria reproduce by dividing in two.
2. In other living things (humans, for
example), reproduction needs two
parents.
 Offspring of living things resemble their
parent or parents.
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