MRS GREN, which explains the seven key processes of all living things:
M – Movement
All living things can move in some way, even if it’s slow. Animals move their bodies to find food and shelter. Plants grow toward light or water.
R – Respiration
Living things use food and oxygen to make energy. This process, called respiration, is essential for survival and helps with growth, repair, and movement.
S – Sensitivity
Living things react to their surroundings. Animals sense and respond to things like danger or food. Plants can also respond to their environment, like bending toward light.
G – Growth
All living things grow and change over time. This could mean growing larger, developing new parts, or maturing into adults.
R – Reproduction
To keep their species going, living things create offspring. Reproduction is the process of making new individuals, whether through seeds, eggs, or other means.
E – Excretion
All living things need to get rid of waste. Excretion removes harmful by-products from the body. For example, animals breathe out carbon dioxide, and plants release oxygen as waste.
N – Nutrition
Living things take in nutrients or food to get energy, grow, and repair their bodies. Animals eat food, while plants absorb sunlight, water, and minerals.
These seven processes define life and are essential for survival and growth.
1. Explain how the movement process differs between animals and plants, providing specific examples of each.
2. Describe how a lack of oxygen would impact the respiration process in an animal, and explain the potential consequences for its survival.
3. Give an example of how sensitivity helps an organism survive in a particular environment. How does this ability to respond improve its chances of survival?
4. In what ways does nutrition impact the growth and health of both animals and plants? Provide examples showing the relationship between nutrition and growth.
5. Discuss how plants and animals carry out excretion differently. Why is this process essential for the health of an organism?
6. Describe how environmental changes might affect the reproduction process in both plants and animals. How does reproduction help sustain their species?
7. Explain the role of sensitivity in an animal’s response to danger. What body systems might be involved, and how do they contribute to the reaction?