LIFE PROCESS

Life Process

 The maintenance of living organisms is essential even if they are moving, resting or even
sleeping.

 The processes which together perform the function of maintenance of ‘life’ are called as life
processes.

 Nutrition, respiration, circulation, and excretion are examples of essential life processes.

 In unicellular organisms, all these processes are carried out by a single cell.

 In multicellular organisms, well-developed systems are present to carry out the processes

 Nutrition: The process by which an organism takes food and utilizes it, is called nutrition.

 Need for Nutrition: Organisms need the energy to perform various activities. The energy is
supplied by the nutrients. Organisms need various raw materials for growth and repair.
These raw materials are provided by nutrients.

 Nutrients: Materials which provide nutrition to organisms are called nutrients.

Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the main nutrients and are called macronutrients.
Minerals and vitamins are required in small amounts and hence are called micronutrients.

 Modes of Nutrition
1. Autotrophic Nutrition.
2. Heterotrophic Nutrition.

Autotrophic Nutrition

The mode of nutrition in which an organism prepares its own food is called autotrophic nutrition.
Green plants and blue-green algae follow the autotrophic mode of nutrition.

The organisms which carry out autotrophic nutrition are called autotrophs (green plants).

Autotrophic nutrition is fulfilled by the process, by which autotrophs intake CO2 and H2O, and
convert these into carbohydrates in the presence of chlorophyll, sunlight is called photosynthesis.

Nutrition in Plants: Green plants prepare their own food. They make food in the presence of
sunlight. Sunlight provides energy’, carbon dioxide and water are the raw materials and chloroplast is
the site where food is made.

What is photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis: The process by which green plants prepare food is called

photosynthesis.
  During this process, the solar energy is converted into chemical
energy and carbohydrates are formed.
 Green leaves are the main site of photosynthesis.
 The green portion of the plant contains a pigment chloroplast,
chlorophyll (green pigment).
 The whole process of photosynthesis can be shown by the following
equation:

Raw Materials for Photosynthesis:

 Sunlight

 Chlorophyll: Sunlight absorbed by chloroplast

 CO2: Enters through stomata, and oxygen (O2) is released as a byproduct through stomata on
the leaf.

 Water: Water + dissolved minerals like nitrogen, phosphorous etc., are taken up by the roots
from the soil.

How do raw materials for photosynthesis become available to the plant?

 Water comes from the soil, through the xylem tissue in roots and stems.

 Carbon dioxide comes in the leaves through stomata.

Site of Photosynthesis: Chloroplast in the leaf. Chloroplast contains chlorophyll (green

pigment)

Main Events of Photosynthesis:

 Absorption of light energy by chlorophyll.

 Conversion of light energy into chemical energy + splitting (breaking) of water into hydrogen
and oxygen.

 Reduction of CO2 to carbohydrates.

 Sunlight activates chlorophyll, which leads to splitting of the water molecule.

 The hydrogen, released by the splitting of a water molecule is utilized for the reduction of
carbon dioxide to produce carbohydrates.

 Oxygen is the by-product of photosynthesis.

 Carbohydrate is subsequently converted into starch and is stored in leaves and other storage
parts.

 The splitting of water molecules is a part of the light reaction.

Stomata

 Stomata: These are tiny pores present in the epidermis of leaf or stem through which
gaseous exchange and transpiration occur.

Functions of stomata

 Exchange of gases, O2 and CO2.

 Loses a large amount of water (water vapour) during transpiration.

Opening and closing of stomatal pores:

 The opening and closing of stomatal pores are controlled by the turgidity of guard cells.

 When guard cells uptake water from surrounding cells, they swell to become a turgid body,
which enlarges the pore in between (Stomatal Opening).

 While, when water is released, they become flaccid shrinking to close the pore (Stomatal
Closing).

Significance of Photosynthesis:

 Photosynthesis is the main way through which solar energy is made available for different
living beings.

 Green plants are the main producers of food in the ecosystem. All other organisms directly
or indirectly depend on green plants for food.

 The process of photosynthesis also helps in maintaining the balance of carbon dioxide and
oxygen in the air.

Heterotrophic Nutrition
The mode of nutrition in which an organism takes food from another organism is called
heterotrophic nutrition. Organisms, other than green plants and blue-green algae follow the
heterotrophic mode of nutrition. Heterotrophic nutrition can be further divided into three types, viz.
saprophytic nutrition, holozoic nutrition, and parasitic.

 Saprophytic Nutrition: In saprophytic nutrition, the organism secretes the digestive juices on
the food. The food is digested while it is still to be ingested. The digested food is then
ingested by the organism. All the decomposers follow saprophytic nutrition. Some insects,
like houseflies, also follow this mode of nutrition.

 Holozoic Nutrition: In holozoic nutrition, the digestion happens inside the body of the
organism. i.e., after the food is ingested. Most of the animals follow this mode of nutrition.

 Parasitic Nutrition: The organism which lives inside or outside another organism (host) and
derives nutrition from it is known as parasites and this type of mode of nutrition is called
parasitic nutrition. For example Cuscuta, tick etc.

Nutrition in Amoeba

 Amoeba is a unicellular animal which follows the holozoic mode

of nutrition.
 In holozoic nutrition, the digestion of food follows after the
ingestion of food. Thus, digestion takes place inside the body of
the organism.
 Holozoic nutrition happens in five steps, viz. ingestion,
digestion, absorption, assimilation and egestion.

Amoeba is a unicellular animal which follows the holozoic mode of nutrition. The cell membrane of
amoeba keeps on protruding into pseudopodia. Amoeba surrounds a food particle with pseudopodia
and makes a food vacuole. The food vacuole contains food particle and water. Digestive enzymes are
secreted in the food vacuole and digestion takes place. After that, digested food is absorbed from the
food vacuole. Finally, the food vacuole moves near the cell membrane and undigested food is
expelled out.

Steps of Holozoic Nutrition:

 Ingestion: The process of taking in the food is called ingestion.

  Digestion: The process of breaking complex food substances into simple molecules is called
digestion. Simple molecules, thus obtained, can be absorbed by the body.

 Absorption: The process of absorption of digested food is called absorption.

 Assimilation: The process of utilization of digested food, for energy and for growth and repair
is called assimilation.

 Egestion: The process of removing undigested food from the body is called egestion.

Nutrition in Human Beings

Human beings are complex animals, which have a complex digestive system. The human digestive
system is composed of an alimentary canal and some accessory glands. The alimentary canal is
divided into several parts, like oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and
anus. Salivary gland, liver and pancreas are the accessory glands which lie outside the alimentary
canal.

Structure of the Human Digestive System:

The human digestive system comprises of the alimentary canal and associated digestive glands.

 Alimentary Canal: It comprises of mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine and large
intestine.

 Associated Glands: Main associated glands are

 Salivary gland

 Gastric Glands

 Liver

 Pancreas

Mouth or Buccal Cavity:

 The mouth has teeth and tongue. Salivary glands are also
present in the mouth.
 The tongue has gustatory receptors which perceive the sense
of taste.
 The tongue helps in turning over the food so that saliva can be
properly mixed in it.
 Teeth help in breaking down the food into smaller particles so
that, swallowing of food becomes easier.
 There are four types of teeth in human beings. The incisor
teeth are used for cutting the food.
 The canine teeth are used for tearing the food and for cracking
hard substances.
 The premolars are used for the coarse grinding of food. The
molars are used for fine grinding of food.


Salivary glands secrete saliva: Saliva makes the food slippery which
makes it easy to swallow the food. Saliva also contains the enzyme
salivary amylase or ptyalin. Salivary amylase digests starch and converts
it into sucrose, (maltose).

Oesophagus: Taking food from mouth to stomach by Peristaltic movement.

Peristaltic movement: Rhythmic contraction of muscles of the lining of the alimentary canal to push
the food forward.

Stomach

 Stomach is a bag-like organ. Highly muscular walls of the stomach help in churning the food.

 The walls of the stomach secrete hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid kills the germs which
may be present in food.

 Moreover, it makes the medium inside the stomach as acidic. The acidic medium is necessary
for gastric enzymes to work.

 The enzyme pepsin, secreted in the stomach, does partial digestion of protein.

 The mucus, secreted by the walls of the stomach saves the inner lining of the stomach from
getting damaged from hydrochloric acid.

Small Intestine: It is a highly coiled tube-like structure. The small intestine is longer than the large
intestine but its lumen is smaller than that of the large intestine. The small intestine is divided into
three parts, like duodenum, jejunum and ileum.

Liver: Liver is the largest organ in the human body. The liver manufactures bile, which gets stored in
the gall bladder. From the gall bladder, bile is released as and when required.

Pancreas: Pancreas is situated below the stomach. It secretes pancreatic juice which contains many
digestive enzymes.
Bile and pancreatic juice go to the duodenum through a hepatopancreatic duct. Bile breaks down fat
into smaller particles. This process is called emulsification of fat. After that, the enzyme lipase digests
fat into fatty acids and glycerol. Trypsin and chymotrypsin are enzymes which digest protein into
amino acids. Complex carbohydrates are digested into glucose. The major part of digestion takes
place in the duodenum.

No digestion takes place in the jejunum: The inner wall in the ileum is projected into numerous
finger-like structures, called villi. Villi increase the surface area inside the ileum so that optimum
absorption can take place. Moreover, villi also reduce the lumen of the ileum so that food can stay
for a longer duration in it, for optimum absorption. Digested food is absorbed by villi.

Large Intestine:

 Large intestine is smaller than the small intestine.

 Undigested food goes into the large intestine.

 Some water and salt are absorbed by the walls of the large intestine. After that, the
undigested food goes to the rectum, from where it is expelled out through the anus.

 Large Intestine absorb excess of water. The rest of the material is removed from the body via
the anus. (Egestion).