Nutrition in Animals

Nutrients are the substance present in the food. And nutrition is defined as the
process of obtaining it and its utilization by the body.

Heterotopic Nutrition

like plants animals cannot synthesize and make their own food. They
depended on other organisms for their food. The mode of nutrition organismn
cannot syntheise their own food and depended on other organismn for their
food is known as heterotropic nutrition. Hetero means other and trophos
means to feed. They are classified into

i)Holozoic ii) parasitic iii) saprotropic iv) symbiotic.

Holozoic nutrition-In holozoic nutrition animals consume solid and liquid food
which later gets break down by their body. The useful substances are absorbed
by the body and unwanted substances are thrown out from the body. Based
on their food habts they are classified into Herbivores, Carnivores and
Omnivores.

Herbivores- eat only green plants. Ex cow, deer, elephants, horse etc.

Carnivores- eat only flesh of other animals. Ex lion, tiger, cheetah,leopard etc.

Omnivores- eat both plant and animals. Ex bear,chimpanzie, monkey etc.

Fig 1.1 lion Fig 1.2 horse Fig 1.3 bear

Parasitic nutrition-Animals who live inside or outside of the body of other

animals and obtain nutrients from them are called parasites. Parasites often
gets harmed in this process as it take nutrition directly from the body. For
example Leech is a parasite which feeds on human and animal blood. A
tapeworm is a parasite which live in the intestines of other organismn.

Fig 1.4 leech Fig 1.5 tapeworm

Based on the position of parasites they are classified into

Ectoparasites:Live inside of the body and obtains nutrition. Ex tapeworm,

hookworm.

Endoparasites:Live outside of the body and obtains nutrition.Ex tick,leech,mite.

Saprotropic Nutrition- The mode of nutrition in which organismn obtains food

from dead and decaying matter is known as Saprotropic nutrition and thoose
organismns are known as saprotrops. Ex fungi(mushroom, bread mould),
bacteria.

Fig 1.6 mushroom Fig 1.7 bacteria

Symbiotic Nutrition- Some organismn enter a symbiotic realtionship with

other plants and animals to obtain nutrition. In this realtionship both are
benefited without harming of one of them. For ex bacteria in the digestive
sydtem aid in the digetion in turn bacteria gets nutrients from the digested
food. Rhibozium bacteria which lives in root nodules in leguminous plant which
cannot absorb atmospheric nitrogen. Rhibozium bacteria converts atmospheric
nitrogen into soluble nitrogenous subtances(ammonium ions, nitrate ions)
which can be absorbed by the plant. In turn plant provide other nutrients to
the bacteria for their growth.
 Fig 1.8 bacteria

Fig 1.9 nitrogen fixation.

Steps in Holozoic Nutrition

 Ingestion:The process of consuming food is known as indigestion. Most

of the animals indegst food through mouth. Some of the others from
which animals indgest food are:
 Animals such as frog and chameleons has a long sticky tongue
from which they catch their prey.
 Paramecium has hair like cillia which help to push food into the
cell.
 Butterflies suck nectar from the flower with long tubes known as
Proboscis.
 Digestion: The process of break down of food with digestive enzymes
into its simple soluble forms so that it can be absorbed by the body is
known as the digestion
 Absorbtion: The process of extracting nutrients from the digested food
and transporting them to all parts of the body is known as absorbtion.
 Assimilation:The nutrients from the digested food is use for growth,
repair and maintanience of the body. This is called as assimilation.
 Egestion:The undigested food are excreated from the body along with
many other waste materials. This is called as egestion.
The animals first Ingestion
consume food.

Digestion
It gets breakdown by
digestive system.
Absorpation
It gets absorbed by
intestines.
Assimilation
it is used for various
purposes.
Egestion

fig 1.10
Nutrition in amoeba

A amoeba is an unicellur organismn which live in fresh water bodies such as

ponds, river, streams, lakes etc. It feeds on microrganisms such as protoza and
alage. It is surronded by a cell membrane. The nucleaus, food vacoule,
contratile vacoule is present in the cyctoplasmn of the cell as of Fig 1.11.

Fig 1.11 amoeba

An amobea constantly changes its shape with two finger like projections called
pseudopodia. The amobea is derived from the greek work amobei means to
change. Capturing food and locomotion are main functions of pseudopodia.
When pseudopodia encircles and meets together it form a food vacoule
contaning food. It secreates hydrolytic enzymes which digests the food and
then assimilated. This is known as phagocytosis. The process of engulfing food
and break it down inside the cell is known as phagocytosis. The undigested
food and excess water gets excerated from the cell by contratile vacoule.

Fig 1.12 digestion in amoeba

 Nutrition in Ruminants-Animals such as goat, deer, antelops, cows, horse eat
grass and hay which contain cellouse which can’t be digested by human being
and many other animals. Thoose animals who digest cellouse(Ruminants)
stomach is divided into four chambers rumen, reticulumn, omasum,
abomasum. (Fig 1.13 digestion in the ruminants)

A rumen chews a plant material hurridely .The food enter into a first chamber
rumen and stores into it.It is also the largest chamber the rumen sends food
back into the mouth for further chewing where it is mixed with saliva for a
breif time. The process of storing food and regurgitates back into the mouth is
known as rumination and animals which regurgiates the stored food are
known as ruminants. Then it gets swallowed and enter into a rumen stomach
where bacteria present in it secreates digestive enzymes onto the food and
digests the cellouse. The rumen and reticulumn cause food to separate into
solid and liquid parts. Then the partially digested food are sended to the
second chamber reticulumn. The reticulumn sends food back into the mouth
as a cud where it gets chewed, mixed with saliva and ground them into smaller
parts. This process can occur sereval times. Then the prtially digested food are
sended to the the third chamber omasum which absorb water partially from
the partially digested food. Then the partially digested food then passesed into
the abomasum which is also a true stomach as it secreates various digestive
enzymes which digests the food. Then it passes through intestines where most
of the absorbation happens. There is a large pouch which connects small
intestine and large intestine known as caecum which contains digestive
bacteria which digests the cellouse. The undigested food along with other
waste material are excreated from the body.

Quiz time
Q1)What is rumination ? Q2) How rumain digest its food with four chambers ? Q3)How does digestion
in amobea take place ? O4) Arrange the following in chrnological order.- Cellouse- Amobea break
down- absorption Phagocytisis- Ruminants extracting of nutrients- digestion. Thank you