Using the characteristics that define life, compare and contrast a plant, a bacterium, and a salt crystal. What will be an ideal response?
Cellular in structure: A plant (eukaryote) and a bacterium (prokaryote) are cellular, but a
salt crystal is not.
Grow and develop: A plant grows by increasing the size and number of cells in its
multicellular body; a bacterium grows by increasing in size and then dividing to produce
additional bacteria. Both plants and bacteria develop as they age. A salt crystal can increase
in size only by adding additional crystals and does not “develop” in the biological sense of
the word.
Regulate their metabolic processes: Plants and bacteria can regulate their metabolism; a
salt crystal lacks metabolic processes.
Respond to stimuli: In bacteria (unicellular) the whole organism responds; in plants
(multicellular) various parts can usually respond in different ways. A salt crystal cannot
respond.
Reproduce: Plants and bacteria usually can reproduce both sexually and asexually. A salt
crystal cannot reproduce unless one accepts the breaking apart of a crystal as a type of
reproduction.
Evolve and adapt: Plants and bacteria can do both; salt crystals cannot.
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Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).