Metabolism is all the chemical reactions involved in maintaining the living state of the cells in an organism. In other terms, it is sum of all the chemical processes that occur in the body. An example of this process is the breakdown of fatty acids to produce energy – mainly in the form of adenosine triphosphate (catabolic) and creating fatty acids for storage use (anabolic). Responsiveness is concerned with detecting changes in the external and internal environment and responding to that change. An example is the increase of body temperature which causes the dilation of blood vessels and sweating to decrease body temperature. Movement is any type of motion that occurs in the body – this includes the movements of cells and organs. The pumping of your heart to distribute blood all over the body is an example of movement. Growth is the increase in body size due to the increase in the size of existing cells, increase in cells or both. Muscle hyper trophy is the increase in muscle mass which is common in weightlifters and body builders. This happens because of the increase and growth of muscle cells. Differentiation is the process wherein unspecialized cells (stem cells) become specialized in structure and function. Neurons, osteocytes, and cardiomyocytes are specialized stem cells. The last basic life process is reproduction. This not only refers to the formation of a new individual, but also includes formation of new cells for repair. An example is the birth of a new organism.
REFERENCES
- Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. (2014). Principles of anatomy and physiology. Wiley.
- Betts, J. G., et. al (2017). Anatomy & Physiology. OpenStax College, Rice University.