Of the five characteristics of living things, which one is required for the species to survive but does not have to apply to an individual?

The characteristic that is required for the species to survive but does not have to apply to an individual is the ability to reproduce.

Of the five characteristics of living things, which one is required for the species to survive but does not have to apply to an individual?(1 point)

Responses

response to the environment
response to the environment

reproduction
reproduction

growth and change over a life cycle
growth and change over a life cycle

use of energy to function

The characteristic of living things that is required for the species to survive but does not have to apply to an individual is the ability to reproduce.

The five characteristics of living things are: cellular organization, homeostasis, metabolism, growth and development, and the ability to reproduce. Among these characteristics, the one that is required for the survival of a species but does not have to apply to an individual is the ability to reproduce.

To understand this conceptually, let's break it down. Living things reproduce in order to pass down their genetic material to offspring. This ensures the continuation of the species over generations. While individual organisms within a species may die, as long as reproduction occurs and new individuals are produced, the species can still survive.

Now, to find the answer to your question, let's focus on the requirement for the survival of the species. One way to determine this is by considering the impact of the absence of each characteristic on the species as a whole. If any characteristic is absent from every individual within a species, it is likely to be detrimental to the survival of the species.

For example, if all individuals within a species lost the ability to reproduce, the species would eventually go extinct since there would be no new individuals to replace those that die. In contrast, the other four characteristics (cellular organization, homeostasis, metabolism, and growth and development) are necessary for an individual's survival, but they do not have the same direct impact on the survival of the species as a whole if absent from an individual.