TWO TYPES OF CHARACTERISTICS
 Some characteristics that organisms have are ________________________.

Inherited – comes from their ________________________.
 Some characteristics can be ________________________over the lifetime of that organism.

Acquired - ________________________
 There are two ways to explain how animals look and behave.

_____________________________ Characteristics

_____________________________ Characteristics
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
 Some physical characteristics of organisms are passed from ________________________ to their offspring
(inherited).
ANIMAL EXAMPLES
PLANT EXAMPLES

Type and color of body coloring

Type of leaf

Type and shape of sensory organ

Color of flowers

Body structure

Type of fruit
 Some physical characteristics of organisms ________________________ over the life of the organism.
ANIMAL EXAMPLES
PLANT EXAMPLES

Weight

Number of leaves

Hair Length

Length of roots

Changes due to injury

Amount of branching
BEHAVIOR CHARACTERISTICS
 A behavior is a response to a change in the environment.
 Both _____________________ and animals respond to their environment.
PLANTS
 Plants respond to light, _______________________, gravity, and touch.

Some examples in which plants respond to their environment may be:
 Their roots grow down, while stems grow up.
 Vines grow up a support; or some leaves close up when touched.
 Leaves grow toward the light.
ANIMALS
 Animals are __________________________ with certain behaviors that allow them to survive.
 In animals, these behaviors are called ________________________________.

Some examples of animal instincts may be:
 A duck knowing how to __________________ across the lake without being taught.
 Different __________________ build different types of nests without being taught how.
 Migration and hibernation are also instincts.
 Animals can also acquire behavioral characteristics as they grow and develop.
 These characteristics are usually in response to environmental conditions and are a result of
__________________________.
 Learning is a ______________________________ of behavior resulting from specific experiences.
 Unlike instinctive behaviors, ____________________________ behaviors are shaped by experience.

Examples of learned behaviors may be:
 A ________________ can learn to roll over on command.
 A baby bird is taught to _______________ by its parent.
 A bear learns to ______________________ for food.