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Life Processes
Humans and other
complex organisms require many different organ systems to
carry on the activities required for life. These
life activities or processes include digestion, respiration,
reproduction, circulation, excretion, movement, coordination,
and immunity.
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Life Processes |
| Digestion |
breakdown of food to simpler molecules
which can enter the cells |
| Circulation |
the movement of materials within an
organism or its cells |
| Movement (locomotion) |
change in position by a living thing |
| Excretion |
removal of waste products by an organism
(wastes may include carbon dioxide, water, and urea in
urine and sweat) |
| Respiration |
process which converts the energy in food
to ATP (the form of energy which can be used by the
cells) |
| Reproduction |
the making of more organisms of one's own
kind -- not needed by an individual living thing but is
needed by its species |
| Immunity |
the ability of an organism to resist
disease causing organisms and foreign invaders |
| Coordination |
the control of the various activities of an
organism (mostly involves the nervous system and endocrine
glands in complex animals) |
| Synthesis |
the production of more complex
substances by combining two or more simpler substances |
It is important to
realize that cell organelles are involved in many of these
life processes, as well as the organ systems of complex
organisms.
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