Question

read the list of \characteristics of living things\ below. decide which organisms shown in the pictures have each characteristic. write the letter below each organism on the correct lines. there can be more than one answer for each characteristic. the first one is done for you. characteristics of living things a, b, c 1. it can grow. 2. it is made of specialized cells. 3. it does not have specialized cells. 4. it can reproduce. 5. it can move from place to place. 6. it cannot move from place to place. 7. it gets food from other organisms. 8. it can make its own food. 9. it can respond to the environment.

Explanation:

• Characteristic 2: All three (a - tree, b - fish, c - mushroom) are multicellular organisms with specialized cells. Trees have root cells, leaf cells etc.; fish have muscle cells, nerve cells etc.; mushrooms have cells for spore production, hyphal cells etc.
• Characteristic 3: None of the given organisms (tree, fish, mushroom) lack specialized cells as they are all multicellular and have cell - specialization for different functions.
• Characteristic 4: All living things can reproduce. Trees reproduce via seeds or vegetative propagation; fish reproduce sexually (lay eggs or give live birth in some cases); mushrooms reproduce via spores.
• Characteristic 5: Only the fish (b) can move from place to place as it has a streamlined body and fins for locomotion in water.
• Characteristic 6: The tree (a) is rooted in the ground and the mushroom (c) is attached to its substrate (like soil or decaying matter), so they cannot move from place to place.
• Characteristic 7: The fish (b) is a consumer (heterotroph) and gets food by eating other organisms (like smaller fish, plankton etc.). The mushroom (c) is a decomposer (heterotroph) and gets nutrients from decaying organic matter (which is derived from other organisms).
• Characteristic 8: Only the tree (a) can make its own food through photosynthesis (using sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to produce glucose and oxygen).
• Characteristic 9: All living things can respond to the environment. Trees respond to light (phototropism), water availability etc.; fish respond to changes in water temperature, presence of predators etc.; mushrooms respond to changes in humidity, presence of nutrients in the substrate etc.

Answer:

1. \(a, b, c\)
2. (None)
3. \(a, b, c\)
4. \(b\)
5. \(a, c\)
6. \(b, c\)
7. \(a\)
8. \(a, b, c\)