Chapter – 5

NOTES
Life Process
• Life process:
The processes which together perform the maintenance job for the survival of life
are known as life processes.
Ex: nutrition, Respiration, Transportation, Excretion

Nutrition- The process by which an organism obtains nutrients for their body is
called nutrition.
Q. Define diffusion and osmosis.

1. Simple diffusion will not meet the requirements of all the cells in multicellular
organisms while it is enough for unicellular organisms. Why?
Ans: In the case of a single-celled organism, no specific organs for taking in food,
exchange of gasses or removal of wastes may be needed because the entire surface
of the organism is in contact with the environment. In multicellular organisms, all
the cells may not be in direct contact with the surrounding environment. Thus,
simple diffusion will not meet the requirements of all the cells.

Nutrition in Plants

Autotrophic Nutrition- The type of nutrition in which an organism makes their own food to get the
nutrients is known as Autotrophic nutrition.
It occurs in plants, fungi and some bacteria.
In autotrophic nutrition plants use the photosynthesis process.

Photosynthesis: The process by which a plant makes its food with the help of chlorophyll, carbon
dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight is known as photosynthesis.

Q. Write the chemical reaction involved in the photosynthesis.

• Raw materials used during photosynthesis:
water, sunlight, chlorophyll, carbon dioxide
Activity 6.1: To show Chlorophyll is necessary for photosynthesis.

Q. Write an activity to show that chlorophyll is needed for plants.

Ans:
 Procedure:
1. Take a potted plant with variegated leaves – for example, money plant or crotons.
2. Keep the plant in a dark room for three days so that all the starch gets used up.
3. Now keep the plant in sunlight for about six hours.
4. Pluck a leaf from the plant. Mark the green areas in it and trace them on a sheet of
paper.
5. Dip the leaf in boiling water for a few minutes.
6. After this, immerse it in a beaker containing alcohol.
7. Carefully place the above beaker in a water-bath and heat till the alcohol begins to boil.
8. Now dip the leaf in a dilute solution of iodine for a few minutes.
9. Take out the leaf and rinse off the iodine solution.
10. Observe the colour of the leaf

Observation:
The green part of the leaf becomes transparent and the colour of solution turns green when the
leaf is boiled in the alcohol.
On putting iodine solution on the boiled leaf, the green part turns blue/black.

Conclusion:
Blue/black colour shows the presence of starch in that part.
Chlorophyll is required for photosynthesis.

Activity 6.2: Activity to show carbon dioxide is needed for photosynthesis.

Q. Write an activity to show that carbon dioxide is needed for plants.

Ans:
Process:
1. Take two healthy potted plants A and B which are nearly the same size.
2. Keep them in a dark room for three days.
3. Now place each plant on separate glass plates. Place a watch-glass containing
potassium hydroxide by the side of the plant A. Potassium hydroxide is used to absorb
carbon dioxide.
4. Cover both plants with separate bell-jars as shown in Fig.
5. Use vaseline to seal the bottom of the jars to the glass plates so that the set-up is
air-tight.
6. Keep the plants in sunlight for about two hours.
7. Pluck a leaf from each plant and check for the presence of starch as in the above
activity

Observation:
with plant A , the colour of leaf will not turn blue black but with plant B , leaf will show
blue/black colour.

Conclusion:
Plant A has not performed photosynthesis while plant B has performed photosynthesis.
Carbon dioxide is necessary for photosynthesis.

Q. Name the macro and micro nutrients required for plants.

(i) Macronutrients: N, K, Ca, Mg, P, and S
(ii) Micronutrients: Cl, Fe, B, Mn, Zn , Cu, Mo, and Ni

Q. Draw the a diagram to show the cross section of a leaf.

Q. Write the three events that occur during photosynthesis:
(i) Absorption of light energy by chlorophyll.
(ii) Conversion of light energy to chemical energy and splitting of water molecules
into hydrogen and oxygen.
(iii) Reduction of carbon dioxide to carbohydrates.

Q. How do desert plants make their food or perform photosynthesis?

Desert plants take up carbon dioxide at night and prepare an intermediate which is
acted upon by the energy absorbed by the chlorophyll during the day.

Note: The desert plants which grow in semi-arid conditions fix

atmospheric CO2 to form malic acid in the dark. These plants
accumulate organic acid intermediate during the night to be used during
the daytime.

Q. Write the function of stomata.

1. It helps in massive exchange of gasses.
2. It helps in transpiration
3. It helps to regulate the temperature of plants.
Q. Explain the function of the guard cell. Draw the diagram.
The opening and closing of the pore is a function of the guard cells.

when water guard cells swell stomatal pore getsopen

flows into guard cell
when water guard cells shrink stomatal pore getsclose
flows out of guard cell
 Nutrition in Animals
* Heterotrophic Nutrition:
The mode of nutrition in which organisms depends directly or indirectly on
autotrophs for their food is known as Heterotrophic Nutrition.
(i) Saprophytic Nutrition:
The mode of nutrition in which organisms break-down the food material outside the
body and then absorb it.
Example: fungi like bread molds, yeast and mushrooms.
• (ii) Parasitic nutrition:
The mode of nutrition in which the body gets nutrients directly from another body.
They make another body as host. This type of nutrition is known as Parasitic
Nutrition.
Example: cuscuta (amar-bel), orchids, ticks, lice, leeches and tape-worms.

(iii) Holozoic Nutrition:

In this type of nutrition body intake food inside the body, digest , absorb the nutrient
, assimilate and then finally remove the undigested material from the body.
Example: Nutrition in amoeba, human etc.
 Q. Explain the process of nutrition in amoeba:
Ingestion: Amoeba takes in food using temporary finger-like extensions of the cell
surface which fuse over the food particle forming a food-vacuole.
Digestion and absorption: Inside the food vacuole, complex substances are broken
down into simpler ones which then diffuse into the cytoplasm.
Egestion: The remaining undigested material is moved to the surface of the cell and
thrown out.
• Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XlzCe5gDu0

Q. How does Paramoecium get their food?

Ans: In Paramoecium, the cell has a definite shape and food is taken in at a specific
spot. Food is moved to this spot by the movement of cilia which cover the entire
surface of the cell.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn3MTYNe8mM
 * Nutrition in Human
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr4onA2k_LY
How your digestive system works - Emma Bryce
(a) Buccal Cavity
A. Teeth
It Cuts and crushes the food.

B. Tongue
It mixes the food with saliva.

C. Salivary Gland
Function:
It secretes saliva which contains an enzyme called salivary amylase that breaks

down starch into sugar.

Activity: 6.3
Action of saliva on starch:
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KJXYYN5Z20

(b) Oesophagus
With the help of peristaltic movement it passes the food from mouth to stomach.
(c) Stomach
Function:
Stomach contains gastric glands. It secretes gastric juice which contains hydrochloric
acid, pepsin and mucus.
(i) Hydrochloric acid:
The hydrochloric acid creates an acidic medium so that pepsin would act.
It kills the bacteria coming along with food.
(ii) Pepsin:
Pepsin helps in digestion of protein.
(iii) Mucus:
The mucus protects the inner lining of the stomach from the action of the acid
under normal conditions.

(d) Liver
Function:
(i) It secretes Bile juice which is initially stored in gallbladder. The food coming from
the stomach is acidic so it converts acidic food into alkaline so that pancreatic
enzymes could act.
(ii) Bile salts break down the larger globules of fat into smaller globules to increase
the efficiency of enzyme action.

(e) Pancreas
Function:
The pancreas secretes pancreatic juice which contains enzymes like trypsin and
lipase
(i)Trypsin – It Helps in digesting proteins
(ii)Lipase – It helps in breaking down the emulsified fats.
(f) Small Intestine
Function:
(i) The walls of the small intestine contain glands which secrete intestinal juice. The
enzymes present in it finally convert the
Proteins - amino acids,
Complex carbohydrates - glucose
Fats - fatty acids and glycerol.
(ii) The inner lining of the small intestine has numerous finger-like projections known
as villi which increase the surface area for absorption of digested nutrients.

(g) large intestine

Function:
It absorbs water and some salt from undigested food.
(h) Anus: With the help of Anal Sphincture , it regulates the passage of undigested
food or stool.

Worksheet 1
1. Write the three events that occur during photosynthesis.
2. How does photosynthesis occur in cactus?
3. Name the cell that regulates the closing and opening of stomata.
4. How does the guard cell regulate the closing and opening of stomata?
5. Name the form in which plants store glucose.
6. Herbivores need a longer small intestine. Why?
7. How is protein digested in our body?
8. How is fat digested in our body?
9. Name three glands present in the human digestive system and also write their
functions.
10. How is the small intestine designed to absorb food?
11. Define the following.
(a) Sphincter movement
(b) Peristaltic movement
12. Identify a , b , c and d.

13. Write the function a,b,c and d.

 • Respiration
• Respiration
The process of breaking down of glucose in to simpler substances to get energy is
known as respiration.
1. Types of respiration

• Difference between aerobic and anaerobic respiration

Aerobic respiration Anaerobic respiration
1. It occurs in the presence of 1. It occurs in the absence or lack of
oxygen. oxygen.
2. In it more energy is produced. 2. In it less amount of energy is
produced.
3. Final product formed: 3. Final product formed:
 In Mitochondria- carbon dioxide, In Yeast – Ethanol, carbon dioxide and
water and energy energy
In Muscle cells- Lactic acid and energy

ATP
ATP is the energy currency for most cellular processes. The energy released during
the process of respiration is used to make an ATP molecule from ADP and inorganic
phosphate.
ADP + P → ATP
Full form: Adenosin triphosphate
• Function of ATP: when ATP breaks down, It gives rise to a fixed amount of energy which
helps to perform endothermic reactions taking place in the cell.

• 2. Process of breathing
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlNEabFZ5Qk
Breathing:
The process of inhalation of more oxygen and exhalation of more carbon dioxide is
known as breathing.
Flow chart for breathing process:

3. Parts of Lungs and their Function:

• Nostrils: air is taken into the body through the nostrils.
• Fine hair and mucus: The air passing through the nostrils is filtered by fine hairs. The
passage is also lined with mucus which helps in this process.
• Throat: It passes the air from the nostril to the bronchi. Rings of cartilage are present
in the throat. These ensure that the air-passage does not collapse.
• Bronchi: From here air divides to pass in both lungs.
• Bronchioles: Within the lungs, the passage divides into smaller and smaller tubes
known as bronchioles which finally terminate in balloon-like structures which are
called alveoli.
• Alveoli: The alveoli provide a surface where the exchange of gasses can take place.
The walls of the alveoli contain an extensive network of blood-vessels. From where
air goes to different parts of the body.
The blood brings carbon dioxide from the rest of the body for release into the
alveoli, and the oxygen in the alveolar air is taken up by blood in the alveolar blood
vessels to be transported to all the cells in the body.

4. Breathing in fish:
Fishes take in water through their mouths and force it past the gills where the
dissolved oxygen is taken up by blood.
• Activity 6.6:
Observe fish in an aquarium. They open and close their mouths and the gill-slits
(or the operculum which covers the gill-slits) behind their eyes also open and
close.
Count the number of times the fish opens and closes its mouth in a minute.
Observation:
The average respiration rate for all six control goldfish ranged from 120 to 99 breaths
per minute
on decreasing temperature rate of breathing decrease. They need less energy to
maintain their body.
Conclusion:
The rate of breathing in aquatic organisms is much faster than that seen in terrestrial
organisms because the amount of dissolved oxygen is low as compared to the
amount of oxygen in the air.
•
5. Transportation of oxygen and carbon dioxide in our body:
For Oxygen: The respiratory pigment haemoglobin which has a very high affinity for
oxygen and is present in the red blood corpuscles. take up oxygen from the air in the
lungs and carry it to tissues which are deficient in oxygen before releasing it.
For Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is more soluble in water than oxygen. Hence It is
mostly transported in the dissolved form in our blood.
 6. Respiration In plants:
Plant does aerobic respiration with the help of mitochondria but the rate of
respiration is very slow as compared to animals.
Process of exchange of gasses: Diffusion through Stomata

At night, when there is no photosynthesis occurring, CO2 elimination is the major

exchange activity going on.
During the day, CO2 generated during respiration is used up for photosynthesis,
hence there is no CO2 release. Instead, oxygen release is the major event at this
time.

• Transportation in Animals
1. Blood :
It is a connective tissue. It transports food, oxygen and waste materials in our bodies.
Many other substances like salts, are also transported by the blood.
• Microscopic view of blood cells
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zHIWaRBqNQ
• Components of Blood and their function
(i) Plasma: Blood consists of a fluid medium called plasma in which the cells are
suspended. Plasma transports food, carbon dioxide and nitrogenous wastes in
dissolved form.
(ii) RBC or Erythrocytes: Oxygen is carried by the red blood cells.
(iii) WBC or Leukocytes: It is part of our immune system. It protects our body from
bacteria and viruses. They are known as soldiers of the body.
• (iv) Platelets: They circulate around the body and plug the leaks developed in the
blood vessels by helping to clot the blood at these points of injury.
 For practical knowledge: you can see the CBC test report of a patient
2. Blood vessels: A pipe-like structure which helps in transportation of blood from
one place to another.
Types of blood vessels:
(i)Artery:
• Arteries are the vessels which carry blood away from the heart to various organs of
 the body.
• It carries oxygenated blood.

• There is no valve present in the artery so blood flow in it is bidirectional.

• The blood emerges from the heart under high pressure so the arteries have thick,
elastic walls.
(ii) Veins:
• Veins collect the blood from different organs and bring it back to the heart.
• It carries deoxygenated blood.

• They do not need thick walls because the blood is no longer under pressure.

• They have valves that ensure that the blood flow is unidirectional.
(iii) Capillaries: On reaching an organ or tissue, the artery divides into smaller and
smaller vessels to bring the blood in contact with all the individual cells. These
smaller vessels are known as capillaries. The capillaries then join together to form
veins that convey the blood away from the organ or tissue.
The smallest vessels have walls which are one-cell thick.
• Function: Exchange of material between the blood and surrounding cells takes place
across this thin wall.

• 3. Human Heart
 Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMTDmP81mG4
Video 2 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWFyxn0qDEU
• Human Heart: The heart is a muscular organ which pumps our blood and helps in
transportation.
• Human heart is connected with vena cava to receive the deoxygenated blood.

• It is connected with the aorta to pass oxygenated blood to the body.

• It is divided into two parts by septum so that oxygenated and deoxygenated blood
could not mix with each other. Human body needs a high amount of energy to run
this body mechanism so it can not tolerate the intermixing of blood.
• It is also connected with lungs to pass deoxygenated blood to lungs and bring back
oxygenated blood and pass it to the whole body.

• Working of heart:
The deoxygenated blood enters at right atrium in heart through vena cava. As the
right atrium contracts, the corresponding lower chamber, the right ventricle, dilates
then blood goes to right ventricle.
When right ventricle contracts then blood goes to lungs through pulmonary arteries
for oxidation.
After gaining oxygen the oxygenated blood enters at left atrium in heart through
pulmonary veins. The left atrium relaxes when it is collecting this blood. It then
contracts while the left ventricle expands and the blood is transferred to it. Now left
ventricle contracts and blood passes to whole body through aorta.
• Flow chart of transportation of blood through heart:
2. Double circulation:
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwHjwO7BnsI
Blood enters in hearts two times
(i) The deoxygenated blood enters in heart through vena cava and goes to lungs
through pulmonary arteries for oxidation.
(ii) After gaining oxygen the oxygenated blood enters in heart through pulmonary
veins and passes to whole body through aorta.
 3. Difference among heart of human , amphibians and fish:
Human Heart Amphibian’s Heart(frog) Fish’s heart

Four chambered heart Three Chambered heart Two chambered heart

Intermixing of blood can’t Some amount of Some amount of
be tolerated Intermixing of blood can be Intermixing of blood can be
tolerated tolerated
It performs double It performs double It performs single
circulation. circulation. circulation.

5. Blood Pressure
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab9OZsDECZw

The force that blood exerts against the wall of a vessel is called blood pressure.
Blood pressure is much greater in arteries than in veins.
Sphygmomanometer: It is an instrument which measures the Blood pressure.

• Types of Blood Pressure:

Systolic pressure : The pressure of blood inside the artery during ventricular systole
(contraction) is called systolic pressure.
Diastolic pressure: Pressure in artery during ventricular diastole (relaxation) is called
diastolic pressure.
• The normal systolic pressure is about 120 mm of Hg and diastolic pressure is 80 mm
of Hg.
• Hypotension: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp0c1rYfiMU
Hypertension: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdu5QaRINIY
Hypertension: High blood pressure is also called hypertension and is caused by the
constriction of arterioles, which results in increased resistance to blood flow.
It can lead to the rupture of an artery and internal bleeding.
• Lymph: Through the pores present in the walls of capillaries some amount of
plasma, proteins and blood cells escape into intercellular spaces in the tissues. This is
called lymph or tissue fluid.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBIoK3cgrBA

• Properties:
• It is similar to the plasma of blood but colourless and contains less protein.

• How does it flow?

• Lymph drains into lymphatic capillaries from the intercellular spaces, which join to
form large lymph vessels that finally open into larger veins.
• Function:

• (i) Lymphs carry digested and absorbed fat from the intestine.

• (ii) It drains excess fluid from extracellular space back into the blood.

• Transportation in Plants
1. Diffusion or Suction pull
Short Plant: Diffusion
If the distances between soil-contacting organs and chlorophyll containing organs
are small, energy and raw materials can easily diffuse to all parts of the plant body.
Long Plant: Suction pull
If the distances between soil-contacting organs and chlorophyll containing organs
are large, energy and raw materials can not easily diffuse to all parts of the plant
body so they use suction pull.
Note: Plants do not move, and plant bodies have a large proportion of dead cells in
many tissues. As a result, plants have low energy needs, and can use relatively slow
transport systems.
2. Function of Xylem
Xylem moves water and minerals obtained from the soil.
 transpiration of water molecules from the cells of a leaf creates a suction which pulls
water from the xylem cells of roots.
• In xylem tissue, vessels and tracheids of the roots, stems and leaves are
interconnected to form a continuous system of water-conducting channels reaching
all parts of the plant.
• Transportation of water and minerals:
• At night: The effect of root pressure in transport of water is more important at night.
• At day time: During the day when the stomata are open, the transpiration pull
becomes the major driving force in the movement of water in the xylem
3. Function of Phloem: Translocation
Phloem transports products of photosynthesis from the leaves where they are
synthesised to other parts of the plant.
• It also helps in transportation of amino acid.
• Translocation: The transport of soluble products of photosynthesis from leaves to
different parts of plant is called translocation and it occurs in the part of the vascular
tissue known as phloem.
• The translocation of food and other substances takes place in the sieve tubes with
the help of adjacent companion cells both in upward and downward directions.

4. Process of Translocation
Material like sucrose is transferred into phloem tissue using energy from ATP. This
increases the osmotic pressure of the tissue causing water to move into it. This
pressure moves the material in the phloem to tissues which have less pressure. This
allows the phloem to move material according to the plant’s needs.
• Example: In the spring, sugar stored in root or stem tissue would be transported to
the buds which need energy to grow.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OEd8WDxg1U
• Excretion
The biological process involved in the removal of the harmful metabolic nitrogenous
waste like uric acid from the body is called excretion.

1. Excretion in Animal:

(a) Human Excretory system , parts and their function

 The excretory system of hu man beings
includes a pair of kidneys, a pair of ureters, a urinary bladder and a urethra.
Kidney: It helps in filtration of waste from blood and in formation of urine.
Ureters: It passes the urine from kidney to urinary bladder.
• Urinary bladder: Urine is stored in the urinary bladder until the pressure of the
expanded bladder leads to the urge to pass it out through the urethra. The bladder is
muscular, so it is under nervous control. we can usually control the urge to urinate.
• Urethra: Urine is passed out of body through urethra.

(b) Nephron and its function

Nephron: The functional unit of kidney is known as nephron. It is a cluster of very
thin-walled blood capillaries associated with bowman capsule, tubular part and
collecting duct.
Structure of nephron and its function:
(i) Glomerulus: It helps in filtration of blood. It filters the nitrogenous waste like uric
acid or urea from blood along with water , some salts, amino acid etc.
(ii) Bowman Capsule: Each capillary cluster in the kidney is associated with the
cup-shaped end of a tube known as bowman capsule. It collects the filtered urine
(iii) Tubular part of nephron: Initial filtrate, such as glucose, amino acids, salts and a
major amount of water, are selectively re-absorbed in tubular part of nephron.
(iv) Collecting Duct: Finally the waste along with water and some amount of salts are
collected in collecting duct and passes further.
• Factors on which amount of water reabsorbed during urine formation depends:
The amount of water reabsorbed depends on
(i)Amount of excess water present in the body,
(ii) Amount of dissolved waste that has to be excreted.
(c) Process of Urine formation
Urine is formed in kidney.
• Process;
(i) Filtration: blood is filtered in glomerulus. It filter out nitrogenous waste such as
urea or uric acid from the blood. Then water , glucose, amino acids and other salts
are collected in bowman capsule and passes to tubular part of nephron.
(ii) Reabsorption: Some substances in the initial filtrate, such as glucose, amino
acids, salts and a major amount of water, are selectively re-absorbed, when it is
passed through tubular part of nephron.
Then remaining water , nitrogenous waste and some salts finally forms urine that
has to be excreted.
Artificial Kidney: An artificial kidney is a device to remove nitrogenous waste
products from the blood through dialysis.
2. Excretion in Plants
• (a) Excretory products
(i) Oxygen -A waste product generated during photosynthesis.
(ii) Excess water - by transpiration.
 (iii) Tissues consist of dead cells
, (iv) leaves contains waste or dead cell.
• (b) Storage location of Excretory products
(i) In cellular vacuoles.
(ii) in leaves that fall off.
(iii) in old xylem- resins and gums
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