1. Discuss the basic life processes and your own example for each.
- The basic life processes consist of the following: (1) Metabolism, (2) Responsiveness, (3) Movement, (4) Growth, (4) Differentiation, (5) Reproduction, and (6) Homeostasis. First, the metabolism involves all the chemical processes occurring in the body and is divided into two parts: Catabolism and Anabolism. Catabolism is from complex to simple, while Anabolism is from simple to complex. A common example of this is the digestion of foods, which turns into energy later on. The second is Responsiveness which refers to the ability of the body to sense or respond to change or stimulus. An example of external responsiveness is when we sense dangers or when we feel thirsty. Growth is simply the increase in body size, causing an increase in the existing cell size and/or the number of cells. An example of this is when an individual grows taller. Next is differentiation which is the development of cells from unspecialized to specialized cells. For example, the differentiation of stem cells to other cell types. The fifth is reproduction. Reproduction is the production of a new individual and the formation of new cells for tissue growth, repair, or replacement. A typical example is the fertilization of an egg which leads to a new individual. And lastly, homeostasis is the maintenance of volume and composition of the body fluids, as well as the conditions of equilibrium. A simple example of homeostasis is the control of the human body temperature.