Living systems can distinguish what matters without being consciously aware of doing so.
A bacterium moving toward nutrients, a plant responding to drought, or an immune system distinguishing threats from non-threats all exhibit biological evaluation. In each case, conditions are differentiated according to their significance for continued functioning and persistence.
These processes do not require conscious experience, self-awareness, or reflective thought. They require only that the organism distinguish conditions according to their consequences for viability and adaptive persistence.
Consciousness is therefore not the origin of significance. Rather, consciousness represents one possible elaboration of evaluative processes already present within living systems.
From an APS perspective, significance precedes consciousness. Living systems can distinguish what matters long before they become aware that it matters.