Final answer:
Oxygen is the vital element present in every breath we take. It is essential for cellular respiration, making it critical for life, along with nitrogen, carbon, and hydrogen, which are also fundamental elements in living organisms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The vital element present in every breath we take is oxygen. Along with oxygen, our atmosphere is composed of several other elements, including nitrogen, carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide), and hydrogen (as part of water vapor). These four elements are common to all living organisms and are crucial for life. Oxygen is essential for the process of cellular respiration which occurs in the cells of all living organisms, where it is used to produce energy. Nitrogen is a major component of proteins and nucleic acids, carbon is the backbone of all organic molecules, and hydrogen is a part of water and many other organic compounds. These elements are typically obtained in different ways; oxygen and hydrogen are commonly inhaled or ingested with water, while carbon and nitrogen are usually assimilated through the consumption of food.