Living beings and inert beings

In this lesson, readers will learn the definitions, differences, and characteristics that distinguish living things from non-living things . Some possess that elusive thing called life, although they may not show the obvious signs of life as a human. A tree probably wouldn’t react in the same way as a human. Although the signs of life displayed by them are less observable, it does not render them inert.

Definition of living beings

Living beings exist and are alive, that is, they are masters of life . They have structures known as cells, they grow and exhibit movement or locomotion. They experience a metabolism that includes anabolic and catabolic reactions .

Living things are capable of producing a new life that is of their own species through the process of reproduction . Living beings have a finite life and are not immortal.

Cellular respiration allows living organisms to acquire energy that cells use to carry out their functions. They digest food for energy and also excrete waste from the body. Its life cycle can be summarized as follows: Birth, growth, reproduction and death.

Examples of living beings are: animals, birds, insects, human beings.

Characteristics of living beings

The following are the important characteristics of living things:

• Living beings exhibit locomotor movement, they move. Animals can move because they have specialized locomotor organs, for example: earthworms move through the surface of the soil thanks to their longitudinal and circular muscles. Plants respond to the movement of the sun.
• Living things breathe. Respiration is a chemical reaction that occurs within cells to release energy from food. Gas transport takes place. Food that is ingested through the digestion process is broken down to release energy that the body uses to produce water and carbon dioxide as by-products.
• Living things are sensitive to touch and have the ability to feel changes in their environment.
• They grow. Living things mature and grow through different stages of development.
• One of the most striking characteristics is that living beings are capable of producing offspring of their own species through the process of reproduction in which genetic information is transmitted from parents to offspring.
• They acquire and meet their nutritional requirements to survive through the process of nutrition and digestion, which involves swallowing and digesting food.
• Digested food is eliminated from the body through the process of excretion.

Definition of inert beings

Inert beings are not alive, that is, they do not have life . They do not have cells and do not grow or show locomotion / movement. They do not undergo metabolism with anabolic and catabolic reactions. They do not reproduce.

Inert beings do not have a finite lifespan. They do not breathe as they do not require food for energy and therefore do not excrete. They do not go into any cycle of being born, growing, reproducing, and dying . They are destroyed or decomposed by external force.

Examples of inert beings: stone, pen, book, bottle, etc.

Characteristics of inert beings

The important characteristics of inert beings are mentioned below:

• Non-living beings do not have life. They have no cells, there is no protoplasm that forms the basis for life.
• Lack of protoplasm leads to absolutely no metabolic activity
• They do not have a defined size. They take the form of the substance in which they are contained, for example, a liquid takes the form of its container. The change in the state of a non-living being is due to an external influence.
• Non-living things grow by accretion. It is produced by adding materials externally. For example, a snowball can grow in size due to the accumulation of smaller units of its own on its outer surface.
• Non-living things never die. They exist eternally Immortality is a distinguishing factor
• The absence of fundamental vital processes such as reproduction, nutrition, excretion, etc. they are the characteristics of non-living beings