Living and Non living Things: Characteristics And Examples

When you look around yourself, you see many things: the air around you, your classmates, birds sitting on a tree. Each of those things is either living or non-living. Understanding this is a fundamental necessity if you want to pursue biology or environmental studies later on in life. 

A common simplified idea is that living things breathe and grow, but scientists identify life using several characteristics such as growth, metabolism, reproduction, and response to stimuli. 

However, in this article, we intend to go much deeper into it, because mastering this concept helps students in exams, Olympiads, and real-world observation skills.

Classification of things

As seen earlier, there are two different things in this world. They are:

• Living things

These are the things that can breathe, sleep, eat, play, walk, talk, etc. They have a soul, brain, and all the other body parts. They do all kinds of activities that non-living things cannot.

• Non-living things

These things do not breathe or do any of the activities mentioned above. They do not have a soul or a heart. They exist.

In the following passages, let us see more about them.

What Are Living Things?

Living things are organisms that carry out basic life processes. They are made of one or more cells and perform functions needed for survival. Examples include bacteria, plants, animals, fungi, and humans.

We often associate life with movement or breathing. But not all living things move visibly. Plants, for example, are alive even though they stay rooted in one place. Scientists identify living things by looking at certain characteristics of life such as growth, respiration, reproduction, and response to stimuli.

Birds, insects, animals, trees, and humans are all living things because they perform these life processes.

Characteristics of Living Organisms

Living organisms share several key characteristics.

Movement

Many living things can move on their own. Animals move from place to place. Plants usually remain fixed but can show movement in response to stimuli, such as sunlight or touch.

Sensitivity to Stimuli

Living organisms respond to changes in their surroundings. For example, the touch-me-not plant (Mimosa pudica) closes its leaves when touched. Animals and humans also respond to touch, light, and sound.

Respiration

All living things respire to release energy from food. Animals respire using lungs, gills, or skin. Plants also respire through tiny pores called stomata.

Growth

Living things grow and develop over time. Animals increase in size as they age, while plants grow taller and may produce flowers and fruits.

Nutrition and Digestion

Living organisms require nutrients for energy and growth. Animals obtain food by eating other organisms. Plants absorb water and minerals from the soil and produce their own food through photosynthesis. Some plants, such as the Venus flytrap, can also trap and digest insects.

Reproduction

Most living creatures tend to reproduce. Animals give birth or lay eggs; plants grow from seeds.

Examples of Living Things

• Humans
• Animals (dog, elephant, bird)
• Plants (tree, grass, flower)
• Microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, etc

Non-Living Things

Now, let’s dive deeper into what non-living things are.

What Are Non-Living Things?

Non-living things are objects that do not have life. They do not have cells and do not carry out life processes.

They do not grow, reproduce, or perform metabolism. They also do not respond to stimuli or move on their own. Non-living things do not go through a biological cycle of birth, growth, and death. Instead, they are formed or changed by external forces such as weather, pressure, or human activity.

Examples of non-living things include rocks, water, air, soil, and man-made objects like tables or vehicles.

Types of Non-Living Things

There are two types of non-living things:

1. Natural things

Natural non-living things have been existing by themselves since the start of the universe. They can be anything from stars and planets to mountains, rivers and other natural resources. Living things consume natural resources daily, such as water, fire, coal, and fuel. Most of these resources are infinite. Therefore, these resources play a vital part in everyone’s life. 

Given below are a few examples of natural things:

• Mountains and hills
• Rivers
• Seas and oceans
• Stones and rocks
• Coal
• Fuels such as petrol, diesel
• Planets and stars

2. Artificial (or manmade) things

Humans or other creatures create these types of non-living things. The objectives of such kinds of things are to serve mankind. For instance, we can use smartphones to do various tasks such as calling, texting, surfing the internet, etc. These things have a limited lifespan but vary from one thing to another. Although short-lived, they are very helpful in serving our daily needs.

Let us have a look at some of the artificial non-living things:

• Smartphones, laptops, televisions, AC, and other electronic gadgets
• Cars, bikes and other automobiles
• Blender, refrigerator, oven, and other domestic appliances
• Chairs, benches, doors, sofa, table, cot and other furniture
• Clothes, dresses, blankets, towels and other similar items
• Bags, purses and wallets
• Toys, dolls
• Books, pencils, pens, papers and other stationery items
• Sunglasses, watches, shoes and other accessories
• Preserved food items

Characteristics of Non-Living Things

Non-living things have certain features that distinguish them from living organisms.

• No cellular structure: Non-living things do not have cells or protoplasm, which are necessary for life.
• No metabolism: They do not carry out metabolic activities such as respiration or energy production.
• No independent movement: Non-living things cannot move on their own. They move only when acted upon by external forces like wind, water, or human action.
• No biological growth: They do not grow through cell division. Any increase in size happens due to the addition of external material, such as a snowball becoming larger as more snow sticks to it.
• No reproduction: Non-living things cannot reproduce or create new individuals of their kind.
• No life processes: They do not perform functions like feeding, excretion, or respiration.

Examples include rocks, water, air, soil, and man-made objects like vehicles or furniture.

Differentiation Table – Living things and Non-living things

Now that we have understood every concept related to both of them, let us have a look at the tabulation which distinguishes them:

Living things	Non-living things
Living things possess life.	Non-living things do not possess life.
To survive, they need food and water.	No such requirements.
They can reproduce and keep the community growing.	They do not reproduce.
They respond to stimuli and are sensitive.	They do not respond to stimuli and are not sensitive.
They can move from one position to another independently.	They require external help to move from one place to another.
They are not immortal and have a lifespan.	They are immortal.
Most of them have feelings.	They do not have feelings.
Examples: plants, humans, animals, etc.	Examples: water, gadgets, paper, etc.

Interaction Between Living and Non-Living Things in an Ecosystem

Living things in an ecosystem depend on each other. This indicates that living things need to interact with each other and with things that aren’t alive to stay alive. A tree needs sunshine to create its own food, and a snail needs the tree for nourishment.

Special Cases in Classification

There are also some special cases when it comes to classification, and this comes up more often than you think it does.

Is a Virus a Living Thing?

Yes, virus is a living thing. But viruses show characteristics of both living and non-living things. They can only reproduce when they’re inside a host, unlike bacteria which are alive even outside hosts.

Non-Living Things

Things like fire, clouds, and robots may show some life-like features such as movement or energy use. However, they are still considered non-living because they do not have cells and cannot carry out life processes such as growth, metabolism, or reproduction.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both play a special part in each other’s life. Therefore, they coexist without any trouble. It is a beautiful part of nature that brings all such things together. 

In this article, we have provided a comprehensive idea of both living & non-living things, which can help the readers obtain knowledge. In addition, we have also seen what their differences are.

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