Major Understandings - MST4.I.LE.5.1a:
Animals and plants have a great variety of body plans and internal structures that contribute to their ability to maintain a balanced condition.

Major Understandings - MST4.I.LE.5.1b:
An organism's overall body plan and its environment determine the way that the organism carries out the life processes.

Major Understandings - MST4.I.LE.5.1c:
All organisms require energy to survive. The amount of energy needed and the method for obtaining this energy vary among cells. Some cells use oxygen to release the energy stored in food.

Major Understandings - MST4.I.LE.5.1d:
The methods for obtaining nutrients vary among organisms. Producers, such as green plants, use light energy to make their food. Consumers, such as animals, take in energy-rich foods.

Major Understandings - MST4.I.LE.5.1e:
Herbivores obtain energy from plants. Carnivores obtain energy from animals. Omnivores obtain energy from both plants and animals. Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, obtain energy by consuming wastes and/or dead organisms.

Major Understandings - MST4.I.LE.5.1f:
Regulation of an organism's internal environment involves sensing the internal environment and changing physiological activities to keep conditions within the range required for survival. Regulation includes a variety of nervous and hormonal feedback systems.

Major Understandings - MST4.I.LE.5.1g:
The survival of an organism depends on its ability to sense and respond to its external environment.