biological function
Organism's vital activity
A biological function is the role or purpose a structure, process, or behavior serves in maintaining life.
The heart's function is to pump blood; the function of sleep is restoration.
In biology, function connects form to survival: What is the biological function of yawning?
The term often appears in debates about whether traits evolved for specific purposes or arose incidentally.
- cell divisionParent splitting into offspring
- pollinationFlower reproductive transfer
- apoptosisProgrammed cell death
- digestionBodily food breakdown
- waste removalEliminating unwanted materials
adaptation · protein folding · stem cell · circulation · blood clotting · heartbeat rhythm · exocytosis · cellular respiration · meiosis · immune response · muscle contraction · nerve impulse · osmoregulation · DNA replication · thermoregulation · body heat · symbiosis · sensory perception
- biophilosophybioethics, vitalism, teleology, natural selection, evolution theory
biological functionmalfunction
Failure to operate properly
organ failure · functional disorder · system failure · necrosis · atrophy
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