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 does not have most characteristics of living things. It does not have cells, cannot reproduce, grow, develop in the biological sense. However, it contains living organisms and can support life. It can also undergo chemical and physical changes in response to environmental factors like water - content changes similar to a'stimuli - response' in a very broad sense.
2. Soil itself is not alive in the biological sense as it is not made of cells, cannot reproduce, grow, or maintain homeostasis on its own. But it is a habitat for countless living organisms.

5.
A. Growth results in an increase in height and Development results in a change like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.
B. Homeostasis is the process by which all organisms keep stable internal conditions.
C. DNA inside their cells gives living things their traits.
D. Adaptations are changes over time that help a species survive.
E. All organisms are made of one or more Cells.
F. Organisms Reproduce to pass along their genes.
G. All organisms need Energy to survive.
H. The touch is an example of a Stimuli and the plant's reaction of closing its leaves is called a Response.

Answer:

1. Soil has some aspects like responding to environmental changes (in a broad non - biological sense), but lacks most key characteristics of living things such as cells, reproduction, etc.
2. Soil is not alive as it does not have cells, cannot reproduce or maintain homeostasis on its own, though it supports life.

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