Living souls can refer to humans, animals or any living being. Synonyms for this term can include living creatures, living organisms, living beings or living entities. In religious contexts, the phrase living souls is often used to describe the spiritual nature of humans and is sometimes replaced by the term sentient beings. In scientific terminology, living souls can refer to any organism capable of growth, reproduction, and responding to environmental stimuli, and such organisms can be termed as biotic components of an ecosystem. In essence, the phrase "living souls" is an all-encompassing term that denotes any and all living things found in our world.