Final answer:
Organisms need energy, must be made of cells, respond to their environment, grow, reproduce, and maintain a stable internal environment. They also need to exchange matter with the environment for growth, reproduction, and to maintain organization.
Step-by-step explanation:
Organisms need to maintain a stable internal environment, also known as homeostasis, in order to stay alive. This involves a variety of life processes that require energy, which they can obtain from food or, in the case of plants, through photosynthesis. All living organisms must satisfy a few fundamental needs:
- Energy is necessary for carrying out life processes such as movement, growth, and reproduction.
- They must be composed of one or more cells, which are the basic units of life.
- The ability to respond to their environment to survive changes and threats.
- Growth and reproduction are essential for the continuation of species.
- They have to exchange matter with the environment for essential nutrients and to expel waste, which is critical to grow, reproduce, and maintain structural organization.