Question

1. which characteristics of living things does soil have?
2. is soil alive (living)? why or why not?
3. use the following word bank to complete the descriptions of the characteristics of life:

homeostasis adaptation reproduce cells growth
stimuli development energy dna response
a. __________ results in an increase in height (ex: you get taller). __________ results in a change (ex: a caterpillar becomes a butterfly)
b. all organisms keep stable internal conditions by a process called ____________ (ex: your body temperature stays at 98.6. if your body temperature goes up, you start to sweat to get your temperature back down to 98.6.)
c. all living things have ____________ inside their cells to give them their traits, such as hair color and eye color.
d. ____________ are changes that occur over time that help a species survive. (ex: over many generations, polar bears changed to having white fur to survive in the arctic)
e. all organisms are made of one or more ____________. (ex: this is the most basic unit of life)
f. organisms ____________ to pass along their genes from one generation to the next. if they don’t do this, then the species will eventually become extinct
g. all organisms need ____________ to survive. (ex: we get it from food, plants get it from the sun)
h. organisms respond to their environment. for example, a plant called the mimosa closes its leaves when something touches them. the touch is an example of a __________, and the plant’s reaction of closing its leaves is called a __________

Explanation:

1. Soil contains living organisms like bacteria, fungi, and insects. It also has organic matter and can support life processes. But it itself does not have all the characteristics of a living thing like growth, reproduction in the same sense as living organisms. However, it has some aspects related to life - it can be a habitat for living things and has some dynamic processes due to the presence of living organisms within it.
2. Soil is not a single living organism in the traditional sense. While it contains a vast number of living organisms (microbes, worms, insects etc.), the soil matrix itself does not have the ability to grow, reproduce, maintain homeostasis as an individual entity. But it is a complex ecosystem that supports life.

5A. Growth results in an increase in height. Development results in a change like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.
5B. Homeostasis is the process by which all organisms keep stable internal conditions.
5C. All living things have DNA inside their cells to give them their traits.
5D. Adaptations are changes that occur over time that help a species survive.
5E. All organisms are made of one or more cells.
5F. Organisms reproduce to pass along their genes from one generation to the next.
5G. All organisms need energy to survive.
5H. Organisms respond to stimuli in their environment. The touch is an example of a stimulus, and the plant’s reaction of closing its leaves is called a response.

Answer:

1. Soil has some aspects related to life due to presence of living organisms within it and dynamic processes, but not all characteristics of a living thing.
2. Soil is not a living organism in the traditional sense as it lacks individual growth, reproduction and homeostasis, but is an ecosystem supporting life.

5A. Growth; Development
5B. Homeostasis
5C. DNA
5D. Adaptations
5E. Cells
5F. Reproduce
5G. Energy
5H. Stimulus; Response