Relation Functions in Living Beings

Relation Functions in Organisms

Relation functions are those that allow a living being to receive information from the outside or inside, and respond to it in the most appropriate way for their survival.

Components of Relation Functions

Organisms must have the means to receive the stimuli (receptors), systems for processing data (coordination systems), and mechanisms to implement the response (effectors).

Stimuli

Stimuli are changes that occur in the external environment, but also those taking place within their own organism.

External Stimuli

These are changes occurring in the environment that receptors detect. Examples: wind, rain, etc.

Internal Stimuli

These are variations that occur within the body. Examples: temperature self-regulation, urination, pain response.

Receptors

These are resources available to living things to capture stimuli. They include:

• Photoreceptors: Capture light stimuli.
• Chemoreceptors: Detect chemical stimuli. Examples: taste, smell, etc.
• Mechanoreceptors: Respond to various mechanical stimuli such as sound, balance, and pressure.
• Thermoreceptors: Detect cold and heat.

Effectors

Effectors are the mechanisms to implement the response. The most widespread in animals is movement in the environment for:

• Finding food
• Escaping predators
• Finding a partner to reproduce

Coordination Systems

Nervous Coordination

Stimuli are taken up by living organisms through specialized cells, the receptors (e.g., sense organs).

The information captured is sent to the nervous system, which processes it and produces the appropriate response, sending a command to the effector organs (muscles and glands), which are responsible for carrying out the response. The response caused by the stimulus can be:

• Movement, in which the effector organs are the muscles and bones of the locomotor system.
• Secretion, where the effector organs are certain glands.

Hormonal Coordination

The endocrine system is a coordinator and effector system, comprising a set of glands that, in response to certain stimuli, produce and release into the blood substances called hormones. These hormones reach target cells in different organs and regulate and coordinate their functions.