WHAT ARE THE VITAL FUNCTIONS OF LIVING THINGS? - BIOLOGY - 2024

The vital functions of living beings or vital processes are all those processes that organisms have to perform periodically to stay alive. They are common to all types of living organisms (with the exception of viruses), in addition to being some of the characteristics that most differentiate them from inert beings.

Despite the fact that different types of living beings fulfill them in different ways, the vital functions are always the same. Basically, there are three types of life processes: nutrition, relationship, and reproduction.

Each type of living organism has developed different strategies to satisfy the three vital functions, through the process of the evolution of the species. Therefore, every living being is adapted to carry out these vital processes in the most efficient way in the environment in which it developed.

Vital functions / processes of living beings

- Nutrition

Nutrition includes the functions of respiration, circulation, and excretion.

Understood in the most basic way, nutrition is the process by which a living being is able to absorb or create nutrients to use them later as fuel.

However, despite the fact that nutrition may seem relatively simple, there are actually a lot of processes that go into it. Mainly, we can talk about the type of diet (if it is autotrophic / heterotrophic, herbivorous / carnivorous…), respiration, circulation and excretion.

These four threads are carried out in very different ways in different species. For example, some bacteria are able to create their own food from gases such as methane, while animals have to consume nutrients created by other living things.

Feeding types

The first classification that can be made based on the type of feeding of a species is whether its nutrition is autotrophic or heterotrophic.

• Autotrophic nutrition: the species that carry out this type of feeding are capable of creating their own nutrients from inorganic elements. For example, plants and certain types of bacteria have this type of nutrition.
• Heterotrophic nutrition: living beings that use this type of diet need to absorb nutrients from their environment, for example from other living beings. Animals and various types of bacteria use this type of nutrition.

Within the heterotrophic nutrition of animals, species can be classified based on whether they are herbivorous, carnivorous or omnivorous.

• Herbivores: these species of animals feed exclusively on plants.
• Carnivores: individuals belonging to these species feed on other animals, generally herbivores.
• Omnivorous: these animals can feed on both plants and other species. Humans have omnivorous nutrition.

- Breathing function

Fish breathe through gills

Respiration is a fundamental vital process that consists of the absorption of oxygen from the environment to carry out the combustion of nutrients inside the cells. In this way, energy is obtained from these nutrients.

Despite the fact that all living things breathe, they do so in very different ways. The more complex the species, the more sophisticated the mechanisms it uses to breathe.

For example, insects breathe through small openings that are scattered throughout the body, while mammals use our lungs, which are specialized organs for this task.

- Circulation function

Circulation is the process by which nutrients, once absorbed by the individual, are transported throughout the body so that all the cells that compose it can receive energy.

In more complex animals, circulation occurs through the action of the heart, which carries blood through veins and arteries. In plants, the substance that carries nutrients is sap.

- Excretion function

In the process of absorbing nutrients, living beings produce certain residues that must be eliminated from the body. For this there is the excretory system: it is responsible for eliminating different toxins and impurities from the body.

In animals, this excretion is carried out mainly through sweating, urine, and feces.

- Relationship function

Pack of wolves.

The relationship function is what allows living beings to interact with their environment effectively, in such a way that they are able to find food, avoid dangers and (in the case of sexual creatures), find a partner with whom to reproduce..

In general, all living things have some way of recognizing the environment in which they are. In this way, they influence it, creating what is known as ecosystems. In an ecosystem, all the beings that inhabit it fulfill a function that contributes to maintaining the balance between species.

The more complex an organism is, the more varied it can relate to its environment. For example, bacteria can only absorb nutrients or inorganic materials from the environment. However, animals can perceive where they are through their senses, and affect the environment using their motor skills.

Animals, being the ones that have a more complex system to satisfy the relationship function, are also the most studied living beings.

Basically, animals use two distinct systems to relate to the environment: the nervous system, and the endocrine system.

• The nervous system allows animals to detect changes in their environment through their senses. These changes are later registered by the brain, which carries the appropriate response to the muscles through the nerves.
• The endocrine system is made up of hormones and the glands that produce them. These glands, in response to certain stimuli, release their hormones into the bloodstream, causing certain involuntary responses in animals.

- Playback function

The reproductive function is essential for living beings to be able to transmit their genetic information to the next generation.

Through this process, a living being can create an exact duplicate of itself (asexual reproduction), or combine its genes with those of another individual of the same species to create a descendant better adapted to the environment (sexual reproduction).

Although this function is not fundamental for the life of each one of the individuals, it is fundamental for the survival of the species; therefore, it is classified within the vital functions.

Fundamental characteristics of living beings

All living beings have common characteristics that define them as living beings. The characteristics of living beings develop in their life cycle and are closely related to the vital functions described. These characteristics are:

Be born

All living beings come from another organism from which they copy their cellular composition. It is the moment of the beginning of the life of the living being. In the case of viviparous beings, such as humans and mammals, they are born the moment they leave the mother's womb.

In the case of oviparous beings, such as birds and reptiles, these hatch from an egg. Plants, for example, are considered to be born the moment they emerge from their seed.

Feeding

Living beings need to feed on food in order to get energy and develop. The chemical reactions that take place at the time of food intake provide the necessary nutrients for the development of the activities of living organisms.

Grow up

All living things have to develop throughout their lives. When they are born they are small organisms. In the case of humans, for example, individuals need to grow and develop before they can perform the basic functions of living things on their own and without help from their environment.

Be related

Living beings develop with their environment, capture what is happening around them and interact with it.

Reproduction

Living beings can in turn form other new living beings with the same characteristics, through reproduction.

Grow old and die

The characteristic of aging is distinguished from that of growth because the latter is produced to reach the maturity of the living being. Once maturity arrives, the cells begin to deteriorate until the living being reaches the end of its life with death.

Classification of living things

The forms of life that we can find in our environment are divided into kingdoms. Living things are normally grouped into five groups.

animal Kingdom

This kingdom is made up of animals. They have a nervous system and senses, and can react to stimuli they encounter. Biologically, these living beings have eukaryotic cells, this means that their cells form tissues and have a differentiated nucleus. They are heterotrophic beings, which means that they feed on other living beings.

They can also be divided into vertebrates and invertebrates. Vertebrates are those that have a backbone and have a locomotor system that allows them to move. This group includes mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians.

Invertebrates do not have bones, although they can have some hard parts, such as shells or exoskeletons. The invertebrate group is made up of arthropods, echinoderms, worms, mollusks, coelenterates, and porifers.

vegetal kingdom

The plant kingdom is made up of plants. These are the only autotrophic beings, that is, the only ones that can produce their own food. They cannot move nor do they have organs.

Fungi kingdom

The fungi kingdom is made up of multicellular eukaryotic beings, which were believed to belong to the plant kingdom. Like plants, they cannot move or have organs, and like animals, they feed on other living things. Basically their diet consists of food in poor condition, decomposing animals, etc.

Protist kingdom

The protist kingdom is made up of eukaryotic single-celled organisms that cannot be included in the other three eukaryotic kingdoms.

Monera kingdom

The monera kingdom is the one formed by the bacteria that populate the planet.

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