 Visible movement is not enough to tell if a body is living or not.

For example, viruses do not

show any molecular movement in them until they infect some cell, and which is partly why
there is a controversy whether it is alive or not.
 Why is there a need of processes in our body? Because of the environment, the structure of a
lving body is likely to keep breaking down over time. To help the living being keep repairing and
maintaining their structures, certain processes are conducted inside the body. Since these
structures are made of molecules, these molecules move around to do so.
 All the processes that are essential for a living organism to maintain its life is known as life
processes.
 Life on earth depends on carbon based molecules, so most of the food sources are also carbon
based.
 Outside sources of energy vary, and the environment is not under the control of an individual
organism. Therefore, there is a need for these sources of energy to be broken down r built up in
the body.
 For this, series of chemical reactions occur in the body. Common chemical means of break-down
of molecules-> oxidizing-reducing reactions
 In this, organisms use oxygen from outside the body.
 Process of break-down of food sources for cellular needs is called respiration
 In multicellular organisms, all the cells may not be in direct contact with the surrounding
environment. Due to this, simple diffusion does not meet the requirement of all the cells
 Since food and oxygen are taken up in one place in the body, but all parts of the body need it,
creates a need for a transportation system in the body to carry food and oxygen from one place
to another.
 Movement of materials such as water, oxygen, etc. from one part of the body to another is
called respiration.
