HOW ARE LIVING ORGANISMS DISTINGUISHED FROM OUR ENVIRONMENT? - BIOLOGY - 2025

The living organisms are distinguished from the rest of our environment mainly because of its characteristics that identify them as beings alive. These, together with the non-living or inert elements, form the environment.

For a living being to be considered as such, it is necessary that it perform vital functions, such as breathing and nurturing, among others. These allow the biological cycle of life to take place.

Phototropism. Source: Tangopaso, from Wikimedia Commons

Thus, organisms can grow and reach a degree of development that allows them to reproduce, thus perpetuating their species. There is a great diversity of living beings, divided into 5 kingdoms: plantae, animal, monera (bacteria), protista and fungi (common fungi).

Each of these groups has its own characteristics; however, they all possess interrelated properties, such as movement and responses to stimuli.

Inert elements are lifeless; they do not have cells or organs, organic systems that allow them to carry out the vital functions of living beings.

The beings that lack life are classified into two groups: those made by man and natural ones, where those from nature are found, such as air and water, among others.

Differences between living organisms and the rest of our environment

Breathing

This function is typical of living beings. The inert object has no life, so it lacks organic structures related to the maintenance of life.

A living organism breathes so that the process of obtaining energy can be carried out. In this way, it guarantees optimal maintenance and performance of all your body systems. The respiratory process of living beings is classified into two large groups:

-Aerobics. It is a type of respiration where the body takes oxygen from outside to obtain energy, starting from the oxidation of energy-providing molecules, such as glucose.

-Anaerobic. This occurs in the absence of external oxygen, being used in some types of bacteria and fungi, such as beer yeast. The products of anaerobic respiration are carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol.

Organization levels

All living organisms are made up of cells, which constitute the functional anatomical unit of the systems that make up their organisms. It is at the cellular level where all vital functions are performed, such as respiration, excretion and reproduction.

In addition, they have a structure called DNA, where all the genetic information that identifies each species is stored.

Within the basic levels of organization, living beings formed by a single cell can be found, such as bacteria and fungi. There are also multicellular ones, which have a higher level of complexity. In these, cells are grouped into tissues and organs, forming organic systems that function in an articulated manner.

Inert beings are made up of atoms, which are grouped together giving rise to molecules. Lifeless matter can be found in a solid, liquid or gaseous state, a characteristic that differentiates it from living beings.

Movement

This is a characteristic aspect of living organisms, which use very particular methods to move. Plants can move their branches, leaves, and stems, in search of sunlight.

Some animals move using their legs, being able to be bipedal, when they walk on two legs, or quadruped, like the elephant.

Others, those that live in the water, use their fins to swim. Birds, in addition to having legs, have wings, which allow them to fly long distances, in the case of migratory birds.

Living beings remain immobile; only the action of external agents such as wind, water or animals can move them to another place.

Reproduction

This biological process is what allows new living beings to be created, starting from ancestor organisms. In this way, the characteristics of the species can be transmitted to the offspring.

The ability to reproduce is typical of all forms of life that inhabit the planet, being the way to ensure the perpetuation of life on the planet. Basically two types of reproduction are distinguished: sexual and asexual.

In sexual reproduction organs and gametes of each sex take part. In this, the information contained in the genome of the offspring is made up of the contribution of both parents, originating the genetic variability of the species.

The asexual type is related to mitotic division, where a single parent is partially or totally divided, originating individuals with the same genetic information.

Responses to stimuli

Living beings have the ability to respond, voluntarily or involuntarily, to stimuli. On the contrary, non-living beings lack the sensitivity to respond to a sudden change in temperature, for example.

This ability to react to stimuli allows living organisms to adapt to different environmental conditions, and in this way guarantee their subsistence.

To receive these external signals, organisms have specialized structures. In unicellular cells, the cytoplasmic membrane has receptor proteins. In multicellular cells, in addition to the receptors that exist at the cellular level, they have sensory organs.

The chameleon can change the color of its skin to adapt to the environment and go unnoticed. In this way it avoids being seen by predators. Plants can orient their stems and leaves in search of sunlight, which is known as positive phototropism.

Nutrition

Living organisms need this process, in which they obtain energy from food. In this way they will be able to develop fully and fulfill their functions efficiently.

Plants and some bacteria are the only autotrophic living beings that have the ability to synthesize the substances they need from inorganic elements. In plants this process of obtaining energy is called photosynthesis.

The rest of the living organisms need to consume and process, through the digestive system, the food they take from the environment.

Development and growth

Growth is one of the basic traits that living beings have. These are born, then a development process begins. In this stage, the organism reaches the state of maturity that allows it to reproduce. The cycle of life culminates in death.

Thanks to the multiplication of the species, the product of its cellular self-replication, the cycle begins again. In this way the existence of living beings has been maintained for part of the planet's history.

On the contrary, beings that do not have life do not develop. Although some of these have their own cycles, like that of water, they have completely different principles of action. In these there is no reproduction or diversity is generated, as occurs in living beings.

References

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