Exploring the Characteristics of Life

Life Functions

• The breakdown of complex foods into simpler foods by an organism is known as digestion.
• The removal of solid wastes or undigested materials from an organism is called excretion.
• Obtaining and processing materials by an organism for its use is referred to as nutrition.
• The process that releases energy from organic compounds for use by cells is called cellular respiration.
• Energy released during respiration is stored in the compound ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate).
• The process of combining simpler chemical compounds to form more complex compounds is called synthesis.
• The absorption of materials through the cell membrane and the circulation/distribution of materials to all cells of the organism is known as transportation.
• Maintaining a stable internal environment in spite of changes in the external environment is referred to as homeostasis.
• The process of obtaining and processing materials by an organism for its use, including food intake, digestion, and removal of solid wastes/undigested materials, is called nutrition.
• The process involving the absorption, circulation, and distribution of materials within an organism is called transportation.
• The term for combining simpler chemical compounds to form more complex compounds is synthesis.
• The main compound in which the energy released during respiration is stored is ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate).