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All organisms go through a life cycle. During a life cycle, an organism is born, grows, reproduces, and dies. Think about the life cycle of a flowering plant. It begins with a seed that starts to become a plant. The plant grows and gets bigger. It makes flowers. The flowers make seeds. New plants can grow from the seeds. At some point, the plant will die. The life cycle of the plant begins when the plant starts growing. Fish begin their life cycle when they hatch from eggs. Birds and reptiles hatch from different kinds of eggs. Many animals develop inside their mother's bodies before they are born. After organisms begin their life cycles, they grow. Growth means that an organism gets bigger in size. Plants grow taller and grow more leaves. Humans grow bigger into adults. Sometimes, growth can involve a change of appearance. For example, caterpillars undergo a change as they grow. They turn into butterflies. Many organisms reproduce once they grow to be adults. When organisms reproduce, they make more organisms of the same type. Fish lay eggs that hatch into new fish. Tomato plants produce seeds that grow into new tomato plants. Discovery Education Science © 2007 Discovery Communications, LLC Page 1 of 2 Life Cycles of Organisms At the end of an organism's life cycle, it dies. The length of a life cycle is different for different organisms. Some insects live only a few days. Other animals can live for many years. Some plants live for only one season. But trees can live to be hundreds of years old. After an organism dies, its body breaks down, or decomposes. Discovery Education Science © 2007 Discovery Communications, LLC Page 2 of 2