Plants and animals closely resemble their parents. Many characteristics of an organism are inherited from the parents of the organism, but other characteristics result from, an individual's interactions with the environment. Inherited characteristic include the color of flowers and the number of limbs of an animal. Other features such as the ability to play a musical instrument, are learned through interactions with the environment. All animals depend on plants.
Some animals eat plants for food.
Other animals eat animals that eat the plants. The characteristics of organisms Plants require air, water and light. Each plant or animal has different structures which serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. For example, humans have distinct structures of the body for walking, holding, seeing, and talking. NSES Content Topic Life Cycles of organisms Plants and animals have life cycles that include being born, developing into adults, reproducing, and eventually dying.