What are life processes ?

The maintenance functions of living organisms mustgo on evenwhen they are not doing anything
particular .The processes which together perform this maintenance job are lifeprocesses

What processes will we study about ?

Life Processes

Nutrition Respiration Digestion Transportation Excretion

Nutrition

Nutrients : Group of food in which protein , fats , vitamins and minerals are involved is called
nutrients.

Nutrition : The process of intake of nutrients (like carbohydrates, fats, proteins , minerals , vitamin
and water) by an organism as well as the utilization of these nutrients by the organism.

Types of Nutrition
Autotrophic Nutrition
 Synthesis of food by photosynthesis, Photosynthesis equation
 Leaves are the sites for the synthesis of food.
 The green pigment called chlorophyll is present in leaves.
 Chlorophyll traps solar energy, which is used to prepare food from CO2 and water. Sun is the
ultimate source of energy.
 Green plants absorb CO2 from atmosphere through tiny pores called stomata.
 Stomata are present on the surface of leaves.
 Water and minerals are absorbed from soil and are transported to leaves via tiny vessel-like
structures present in roots.
 Chlorophyll, sunlight, CO2, and water are essential raw materials for photosynthesis.
 Carbohydrates such as starch and oxygen are the product of photosynthesis.
 All green plants including green algae show autotrophic nutrition.Since the autotrophs
manufacture their own food, they are called producers.
 They form the first link in the food chain and all organisms on the earth obtain the energy
directly or indirectly from them.
Heterotrophic Nutrition
 Generally derive energy from plants and animal sources.
 The heterotrophs that derive their energy directly from plants are called herbivores and those
who derive their energy indirectly i.e. by eating herbivores are called carnivores.
 Mainly of three types—holozoic, parasitic, and saprophytic.
a)Saprophytic : Obtaining food from dead and decaying matter. Ex : Fungi
b) Parasitic : Obtaining food from host organism without killing it . Ex : Roundworm
c) Holozoic : Having solid matter and then digesting it is holozoic mode of nutrition.
Ex : Animals

Photosynthesis
The process , by which green plants make their own food from carbon dioxide and water by using
sunlight energy in the presence of chlorophyll , is called photosynthesis.
Carbohydrates are utilised for providing energy to the plant.
6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2.
 Oxygen is released during photosynthesis.
 The process of photosynthesis takes place in the green leaves of a plant.
 The food is prepared by the green leaves of a plant in the form of a simple sugar called glucose.
 The extra glucose is changed into another food called starch.
 This Starch is stored in the leaves of the plant .
 The green plants convert sunlight energy into chemical energy by making carbohydrates
 The carbon dioxide gas enters the leaves of the plant through the stomata present on their
surface.
 The water required by the plants for photosynthesis is absorbed by the root of the plants from
the soil through the process of osmosis .
 The water absorbed by the roots of the plants is transported upward through the xylem vessels
to the leaves where it reaches the photosynthetic cells .
 Chlorophyll, sunlight, CO2 and water are essential raw materials for photosynthesis.
 Carbohydrates and oxygen are the end products of photosynthesis.
 Site of photosynthesis- The site of photosynthesis in a cell of the leaf are chloroplasts which
contain chlorophyll .Chloroplasts are present in the photosynthetic cells (mesophyll cells) of
green plants.These cells contain more chlorophyll than other plant cells.
 Stomata- They allow the exchange of gasses (CO2 and Oa) with the atmosphere . Evaporation of
water from the leaf surface occurs through the stomata .Thus , the stomata help in the process
of transpiration.Allows the intake of carbon dioxide and to give out oxygen during the process of
photosynthesis .

Nutrition in humans

Important Definitions

Ingestion: The process of intake of food by an organism is called Ingestion.

Digestion : The process in which food containing large, insoluble molecules is broken down into small
water soluble molecules .
Absorption : The process in which the digested food passes through the intestinal wall into blood
stream is called Absorption.
Assimilation : The process in which the absorbed food is taken in by body cells and used for energy ,
growth and repair is called Assimilation.
Egestion (Excretion) : The process in which the undigested food is removed from the body is called
Egestion.
1) Mouth-
a. Mouth includes teeth, salivary glands, and tongue. Teeth break down the food. They are of four
types molars (6), premolars (4), canines (2), and incisors (4) in each jaw.
b. Saliva is secreted by salivary glands located under the tongue. It contains a digestive enzyme
salivary amylase, which breaks down starch into sugar.
c. Tongue helps in chewing and swallowing of food.

2) Oesophagus
a. No digestion of food takes place here.
b. Peristaltic movement helps to pass the food down .

3) Stomach
Stomach mixes the food received from oesophagus with digestive juices.
The muscular walls of the stomach help in mixing the food thoroughly with more digestive juices.
These digestion functions are taken care by the gastric glands present in the wall of the stomach.
Gastric Glands secretes gastric juice which consists of HCl , mucus and pepsinogen .
a) Function of HCl :
 Converts inactive pepsinogen into active pepsin .
 kills the germs .
b) Function of Mucus :
 Protects the inner lining of stomach from acid
c) Function of Pepsin :
 Breaks down proteins into peptides .
 Pepsin is a major enzyme of gastric juice which functions in acidic medium .
Note- -The exit of food from the stomach is regulated by a spindlier muscle which releases it in small
amounts into the small intestine .

4) Digestion in small intestine

 This is the longest part of the alimentary canal which is fitted into a compact space because of
extensive coiling.
 Site of the complete digestion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats .
 The food coming from the stomach is acidic and has to be made alkaline for the pancreatic
enzymes to act .
 All the digested food is absorbed by the walls of intestine. This process is known as absorption.
 Inner lining of small intestine has tiny finger-like projections called villi.Villi increase the surface
area for more efficient food absorption.
 The absorbed food is delivered to each and every cell of the body where they are used to
produce complex substances such as proteins, etc. This process is known as assimilation.
 It receives intestinal juice from two glands – liver and pancreas that help in further digestion of
food.
 Liver - It is the largest gland of the body and secretes bile juice. Bile juice is stored in gall bladder
and plays an important role in the digestion of fats or emulsification of fats.
 Pancreas - Pancreas contains enzymes that help in complete digestion of all food components.
I. Lipase : Breaks down emulsified fats .
II. Trypsin : Helps to digest protein.
 The walls of the small intestine contain glands which secrete intestinal juice .The enzymes
present in it finally convert the proteins to amino acids, complex carbohydrates into glucose and
fats into fatty acids and glycerol .
 Following conversions take place in short :
i. Carbohydrates - Glucose
ii. fats -fatty acids + glycerol
iii. Protein -Amino acids

5) Digestion in large intestine

The digested food from small intestine goes into blood stream and the undigested and unabsorbed
material and water enters the large intestine.
The function of large intestine is absorption of water and some salts from undigested food.
From large intestine, the waste material is stored in rectum in the form of semi-solid faeces.
The undigested, stored waste is excreted out from the body as faeces via anus. This process is known
as egestion.

Amoeba
 Amoeba is a single-celled organism which feeds on algae, rotifers, protozoans, and even other
small Amoeba.
 Amoeba can constantly change its shape with the help of pseudopodia. Pseudopodia (also called
false feet) are the finger-like projections that help Amoeba in moving and capturing food.
 When an Amoeba senses its prey, it pushes out its pseudopodia around it and engulfs it. The
food thus eaten gets trapped in the food vacuole.
 Digestive juices such as amylase and protease are secreted inside the food vacuole in an Amoeba.
These juices act on the food and break it down into smaller components.
 Amylase breaks down complex carbohydrates into simple sugars while protease breaks down
proteins into simpler substances.
 The digested food is later absorbed by Amoeba for growth, maintenance, and multiplication.
Undigested food is egested using pseudopodia.