TANILON, Pauline Joy B.
ACTIVITY 3: Basic Life Processes
Discuss the basic life processes and your own example for each.
1. Metabolism refers to the chemical reactions that take place within the body mainly to produce energy for other essential processes. It involves catabolism and anabolism. An example of catabolism is the process of glycolysis, which is the conversion of sugar into pyruvate. On the other hand, one example of anabolism is the synthesis of DNA strands from nucleic acid building blocks (nucleotides).
2. Responsiveness refers to sensing and responding to changes in the internal and external environments of the body. "Goosebumps," or the hair follicles rising, is one demonstration of responsiveness and can be brought on by cold or intense emotions like fear.
3. Movement includes not only the motion of the entire body but also that of the various organs, cells, and interior components of the cell. Walking is an example of a movement.
4. Growth is defined as an increase in body size brought on by either an increase in the number of cells, the size of the existing cells, or both. Humans grow taller as they age, especially during puberty, when both males and females gain height.
5. Differentiation is the process by which cells go from being unspecialized to becoming specialized to perform specific functions. Hematopoiesis, which entails the development of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells into blood and immune cells, is one instance of differentiation.
6. Reproduction can refer to the formation of new cells for tissue growth, repair, or replacement, or it can refer to the creation of a new organism. One simple illustration of the latter is the process of sperm and egg uniting to create a new human.