ACTIVITY 3: BASIC LIFE PROCESSES
Discuss the basic life processes and your own example for each.
The basic life processes include metabolism, responsiveness, movement, differentiation, reproduction, and homeostasis. The first one is metabolism which is the sum of all the chemical processes that occur in the body. It is further divided into two and these are catabolism which is the breakdown of complex chemical substances into simpler components and anabolism which is the building up of complex chemical substances from smaller, simpler components. An example of a metabolic process is the respiration of plants and animals which is mostly used by plant and animal cells to gain energy. The next one is responsiveness which is the body’s ability to detect and respond to changes. An example of this is moving away from falling debris to prevent any injuries. The third one is movement which includes the motion of the whole body, individual organs, single cells, and even tiny structures inside cells. An example of this happens when we dance since all our body parts are moving, even our organs and cells, in order to give us enough oxygen throughout the activity. The fourth one is differentiation and this refers to the development of a cell from an unspecialized to a specialized state. An example of this is our lung and brain cells which have different functions in order to provide for the needs of our bodies. The fifth one is reproduction which refers either to the formation of new cells for tissue growth, repair, or replacement or the production of a new individual. An example of this happens whenever our wounds heal because we can see the formation of new skin, making it appear as if nothing happened in that area. The last one is homeostasis which is the condition of equilibrium in the body’s internal environment due to the constant interaction of the body’s many regulatory processes. An example of homeostasis is body temperature regulation. Whenever our body detects an increase in temperature, it will automatically perform some processes such as sweating in order to cool us down.
Reference:
Betts JG, Desaix Peter, Johnson E et al (2017). Chapter 1 An Introduction to the Human Body. Anatomy and Physiology. OpenStax Rice University. Pp 7-40.