There are six primary fundamental biological processes. These life processes differentiate living organisms such as ourselves from nonliving ones. These six processes consist of:
1. Metabolism: refers to the sum of all chemical processes that take place within the body. It has two phase which are the Catabolism and Anabolism. Catabolism is the process of breaking down complex chemical substances into simpler ones. On the other hand, anabolism is the construction of complex chemical compounds from simpler constituents.
- Example of metabolism: When an individual consumes sugar, the sugar molecules are broken down into simpler molecules, releasing energy that is used to construct molecules in the body.
- Example of catabolism: When glucose is broken down in the cell, it results in the production of energy, in the form of ATP, as well as water and carbon dioxide.
- Example of anabolism: When two amino acids are combined and energy is employed, a molecule of protein is created.
2. Responsiveness: refers to the body's capacity to detect and react to stimuli or changes. The stimulus may be external, originating from the environment outside the body, or internal, originating from within the body.
- Example of internal stimuli: When a sick person's body begins to react positively to treatment with drugs and medications.
- Example of external stimuli: The human response to a cold environment consists of shivering, limiting blood flow to the fingers and toes, putting on additional layers of clothes, and consuming something warm. In contrast, human response to a hot environment consists of sweating, removing layers of clothing, sitting in the shade, entering cool water, and drinking water.
3. Movement: refers to the movement of the entire body, individual organs, single cells, and even the smallest structures within cells.
- Example:
- Each breath causes movement in the diaphragm.
- The capacity of muscle fibers to contract, leading to the generation of movement, is referred to as contractility.
4. Growth: refers to an increase in bodily size that can occur as a consequence of either an increase in the size of existing cells or an increase in the number of cells, or both.
- Example:
- Mineral deposits accumulate between bone cells in a growing bone, which causes the bone to grow in both length and width as it develops.
- The development from being a newborn to becoming an adult.
- An increase in the height of the body.
5. Differentiation: refers to the process by which a cell progresses from an unspecialized to a specialized state over time.
- Example:
- Red blood cells and multiple types of white blood cells originate from the same unspecialized progenitor cells in the red bone marrow.
- After being fertilized, an egg will first transform into an embryo, followed by a fetus, then a baby, then a child, and eventually an adult.
6. Reproduction: The generation of new cells for tissue growth, repair, or replacement, or the creation of a new person. Cell division is necessary for development and growth. There are two types of cellular division: (1) mitosis, which refers to the division of somatic cells (all body cells except sex cells), and (2) meiosis, which refers to the division of sex cells.
- Example: The production of a new individual by the union of an egg cell and a sperm cell during the process of fertilization.