Living or Not

Currently the collards are continuing in their growth. A couple of them haven’t grown a lot, but the point is that they did grow. The collards have grown a foot since we first put them into the resealable plastic bag with a paper towel soaked in water. They really seem to be striving in their environment.  A couple days ago, in class, we were discussing the characteristic of living things. The characteristics of living things consist of being made up of cells, the ability to obtain and use energy, the ability to grow and develop, the ability to reproduce, to be able to respond to their environment, and to be able to adapt to their environment. The collards we grew in the garden are living things because it has the characteristics of a living thing. The collards obtain energy by getting nutrients in the soil and by undergoing photosynthesis to use the energy which helps them grow and develop. We know that the collards are composed of cells because collards are a part of the Brassica oleracea species (a species of plants) and plants contain cells. Collards produce seed pods in the spring when it flowers, therefore proving that collards can reproduce. Collards can respond to soil type by thriving in fertile soil or by failing in growth in infertile soil. It is also known that collards can adapt to their environment by weathering cold environments in the winter when it becomes dormant since it is a biennial plant (takes two years to complete it’s biological life cycle.) In conclusion. the collards are, in fact, living because they can obtain and utilize energy, grow and develop, are composed of cells, reproduce, are responsive to their environment, and can adapt to their environment.