Relationship function: What is, phases and examples

The relationship function is one of the vital functions and, thanks to it, living beings have the ability to obtain information from the environment and react before the changes that occur in it or also, internally of the organisms themselves. In the following sections we will know which systems intervene to occur this vital function for plants and animals.

We recommend you read this other article about the vital functions of living beings to learn more on this topic and connect the relationship function with others. We also advise you to read the posts of each of the other vital functions separately: Relationship function: What is, phases and examples and reproduction function: what it consists of and why it is important.

The Phases of the relationship function They are: the stimulus or information phase, the processing phase of said information and, finally, the response phase. For these phases to occur, we have to know what elements are involved in the relationship function, and they are the following:

• Stimulus phase: They are perceived by living beings through receptors and is the information in physical, chemical or biotic form that can perceive living beings of the outside or interior environment.
• Stimulus processing phase: The second phase is the one in charge of analyzing the information received and, depending on whether it is cells, animals or plants, the systems involved are different.
• Answer phase: Once the analysis has occurred, the response is issued by the effector organs, and these can be mobile (if they cause the movement of the organism) or static or secretors (if they produce the release of substances).

The cell is capable of taking information from the environment and triggering a process waterfall thanks to which a Cell response. The types of stimuli that a cell is able to perceive are very varied: luminous, thermal, mechanical, chemical, magnetic, gravitational, electrical … and depending on the origin of the stimulus, the processing will be more or less complex.

On the other hand, there are also many ways in which the cell can emit answers and does so through: substance secretion, activation or deactivation of metabolism and cell division, protective wall formation (enquistamiento) or light emission (bioluminescence) among others.

As we know, they exist unicellular organisms And these also have the ability to relate to each other, capturing signals from other unicellular organisms. Therefore, when this happens we talk about Cellular communication And it is quite important in organisms such as bacteria that are grouped into colonies. On the other hand, in multicellular organismscellular communication is fundamental and is usually done chemically, transmitting signals through all body cells to emit a complex response for the benefit of the organism in question.

We encourage you to learn more about unicellular and multicellular organisms: examples and differences reading this other post.

Indeed, plants also relate and experience changes caused by stimuli. This occurs because they are equipped with cells responsible for capturing internal and external stimuli and emitting the corresponding response. The plants response to environmental stimuli It can be done through growth or orientation movements, and these reactions are known by the name of Tropisms. In turn, these tropisms may have different nature, since they can be due to light stimuli (phototropism), when organisms are oriented or grow towards or against light, geotropisms, which occur when the stem or root grows in favor of gravity, grows in favor or against it, hydrotropisms, produced by the presence of water, chemotropism, when the plant reacts to chemicals In favor if these are beneficial or against whether they are harmful, and, finally, tigmotropisms, when some vegetables grow around solid bodies when they come into contact with them (for example, what occurs in vines plants). You can learn more about what tropism is, its types and examples with this other post.

On the other hand, there are other types of plants called Nastiasalso produced in response to external factors and are characterized by being rapid responses. These responses may also be due to light stimuli (fotonastias), where organisms revolve or open flowers in response to light, tigmonastias, which occur when, for example, the plant reacts to the contact of an insect catching it, as occurs in carnivorous plants, or nictinasties, when vegetables change the position of the leaves according to day or night.

In animals, the relationship function involves the nervous system, perceptor of the stimuli and responsible for the emission of the responses. Sensory receptors are responsible for receiving this information from the external medium provided by stimuli. There are different types of Sensory Receptors since they can be, according to their location, external receptors, if they capture the information from the outside environment, or internal receptors if they do the internal environment. In addition, according to the nature of the stimulus to be perceived, these sensory receptors can be: photoreceptors, if they capture luminous type stimuli (either visible or ultraviolet light as in the case of insects), chemoreceptors, whose stimuli are chemical substances (for example smells or flavors), mechanoreceptors, if the stimuli are of mechanical type (such as touch, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain, pain Gravity …), Thermoreceptors, stimulated by cold or heat or, finally, electrolyceptors, which detect electricity.

If animals are invertebrate or vertebrate, sensory receptors can be located in isolated cells or highly developed organs on the surface of the animal’s body, as is the case of the former, or concentrate on the organs of the senses as occurs in the case of vertebrates.

After the reception of stimuli for these structures, it is important to know What systems are involved in the relationship function of animals. These process information and integrate it thanks to a complex coordination system that involves nervous systemwhich transmits the information through nerve impulses throughout the body, and to the Endocrine systemwhich manufactures chemical molecules that also travel through the body to the effector organs. The effector organs are the ones that, finally, will execute the answers prepared by the previous ones, being quick responses those issued by the nervous and slow and durable system that involve the endocrine. These responses have great importance in processes such as nutrition, locomotion, growth, reproduction, socialization and other multiple complex functions.

Exist multiple examples about How the relationship function is carried out in animals and plantsso, in this section, we will talk about two special cases where animals and plants integrate the relationship function in their vital functions, specifically for their food.

Example of the relationship function in animals

The first is the case of bats that use echolocationa system of perception of the environment through the echo of sound waves that bounce on objects and return information about the distance and size of these objects. It is common in night animals such as bats, but it is also present in many species with other types of habits, for example, whales or dolphins. In the case of bats, what happens is that the larynx muscles contract to emit imperceptible sounds to the human ear and these waves bounce in the insects of those who feed or against objects that must be located, returning the information in the form of signals to the ears of the bats about the location.

Example of the relationship function in animals

Another case that deserves special mention is that of Carnivorous plantslike venus caught (Dionaea Muscipula). Carnivorous plants usually feed on nutrients and minerals that extract from the ground, but when they are scarce, they are equipped with a system of perception of insects in their leaves. According to some studies, Venus catching has a series of hairs that act as sensors on the surfaces of their leaves and are capable of “counting” the times that these hairs have been rubbed by the potential prey, in order to know whether or not it is viable to invest the amount of energy that means feeding on this type of prey. When the hair contact frequency is high, the plant quickly closes its leaves and catches inside the insect, which will be broken by specific enzymes segregated by the plant to perform its digestion.

If you want to read more articles similar to Relationship function: What is, phases and exampleswe recommend that you enter our biology category.