Ch-6 Life Processes CW Notes

Nutrition

1. Define photosynthesis. (2015)

Answer:
The process by which green plants make their own food (like glucose) from carbon dioxide and
water by using solar energy in the presence of chlorophyll is called photosynthesis.
2. Why do herbivores have longer, small intestine than carnivores? (2014)
Answer:
The length of the small intestine differs in various animals depending on the type of food they eat.
Cellulose is a carbohydrate food which is digested with difficulty. So the herbivorous animals like
cows which eat grass need a longer small intestine to allow the cellulose present in grass to be
digested completely.
3. Explain the process of nutrition in Amoeba.
Answer. Amoeba is an important protozoa found in fresh water. It feeds on microscopic plants
and animals present in water. The mode of nutrition in amoeba is Holozoic. And the process of
obtaining food by amoeba is called phagocytosis. The different processes involved in the nutrition
of amoeba are:

Ingestion: Ingestion is the process of taking food in the body. Amoeba is a unicellular
animal, so it doesn’t have a mouth for ingestion of food. Amoeba ingests the food by
engulfing it by forming pseudopodia. When the food is completely engulfed, food vacuole is
formed.

Digestion: Digestion is the process of breaking the large and insoluble molecules in small
and water soluble molecules. In amoeba, several digestive enzymes react on the food present
in the food vacuoles and break it down into simple and soluble molecules.

Absorption: The food digested by digestive enzymes is then absorbed in the cytoplasm by
the process of diffusion. While the undigested food remains in the food vacuole. If a large
amount of food is absorbed by amoeba, the excess food is stored in the cytoplasm ih the
form of glycogen and lipids.
 Assimilation: During this step the food absorbed by the cytoplasm is used to obtain energy,
growth and repair. This process of utilizing absorbed food for obtaining energy, repair and
growth is called assimilation.

Egestion: When a sufficient amount of undigested food gets collected in the food vacuole, it
is thrown out of the body by rupturing cell membrane. The process of removal of
undigested food from the body is called egestion.

4. In human alimentary canal, name the site of complete digestion of various components of
food. Explain the process of digestion.
Answer.In small intestine, complete digestion of various components of food take place.
The process of digestion of food in mouth, stomach and small intestine in human
body are as follows:
Mouth:
Digestion of food begins in the mouth. Saliva present in mouth contains a digestive enzyme,
called salivary amylase, maltose and dextrins, which breaks down starch into sugar.
Stomach:
Stomach stores and mixes the food received from the oesophagus with gastric juices. The main
components of gastric juice are hydrochloric acid, mucus and pepsinogen. Hydrochloric acid
dissolves bits of food and creates an acidic medium. In this medium, pepsinogen is converted
to pepsin which is a protein-digesting enzyme. Mucus protects the inner lining of the stomach
from the action of HC1.
Small Intestine:
Small intestine is the site of complete digestion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Small
intestine produces intestinal juice from the glands present in its wall. The intestinal juice helps
 in further digestion of food. Small intestine also obtains digestive juices from liver and
pancreas. The liver produces bile juice that causes emulsification of fats and the pancreas
produces pancreatic juice for digesting proteins and emulsified fats. This digested food is
finally absorbed through the intestinal walls.

5.(i) Write the balanced chemical equation for the process of photosynthesis.
(ii) When do desert plants take up CO2 and perform photosynthesis ? (CCE 2014)
Answer:

(ii) Carbon dioxide is absorbed during night when stomata are open. It is fixed in malic acid from
which the same is released during day time for performing Calvin cycle in light.

Respiration

1.(a) Draw a diagram of human respiratory system and label the following:
(i) part where air is filtered by fine hair and mucus
(ii) part which terminates in balloon – like structures
(iii) balloon – like structures where exchange of gases takes place. (iv) part which separates chest
cavity from abdominal cavity.
(b) Why is the rate of breathing in aquatic organisms much faster than in terrestrial organisms?
Answer.(a)

(b) Quantity of dissolved oxygen is fairly low in water as compared to the amount of oxygen in air.
Aquatic organisms therefore have to breath faster than terrestrial organisms to absorb the
required amount of oxygen from the water.

2. a]Draw a diagram to show open stomatal pore and label on it:

(i) guard cells
(ii) chloroplast
(b) State two functions of stomata.
(c) How do guard cells regulate the opening and closing of stomatal pore?
Answer.(a)
 (b) Two functions of stomata are:
(i) Exchange of gases between the plant and the atmosphere takes place through stomata.
(ii)Transpiration in plants takes place through stomata.
(c) Opening and Closing of Stomatal Pore: The opening and closing of the pore is a function of
the guard cells. The guard cells swell when water flows into them causing the stomatal pore to
open. Similarly, the pore closes if the guard cells shrink. As large amount of water is lost
through these stomata, the plant closes these pores when it does not require carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis.

3. Explain the process of breakdown of glucose in a cell (ii) in the absence of oxygen.
Answer. The process of breakdown of glucose in a cell are as follows:

The first step in the breakdown of glucose both in presence of 02 and in absence of Os is same.
In this step, glucose is broken down into pyruvate.
Second step which involves further breakdown of private into simple compounds can take place
in two different ways:
(i) In presence of Oz: In the presence of 02, private is converted into C02 and water. Energy
released during aerobic respiration is much greater than that released during an anaerobic
respiration.
(ii)In absence of Oz: In the absence of 02 in yeast, pyruvate is converted into ethanol and C02
 and the process is called fermentation. In absence of 02, in our muscle cells, pyruvate is
converted into lactic acid. The build up of lactic acid in muscle cells causes cramps.

Transportation

1.a]Draw a schematic representation of transport and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide
during transportation of blood in human beings and label on it:
Lung capillaries, Pulmonary artery to lungs, Aorta to body, Pulmonary veins from lungs.
(b) What is the advantage of separate channels in mammals and birds for oxygenated and
deoxygenated blood?
Answer. (a) A schematic representation of transportation and exchange of oxygen and
carbon dioxide during transportation of blood in human being

(b) It is necessary to separate oxygenated and deoxygenated blood in mammals and birds
because they need high energy and large amount of oxygen. The separation of oxygenated and
deoxygenated blood provides high oxygen supply to the organs.
2.Define translocation with respect to transport in plants. Why is it essential for plants? Where in
plants are the following synthesised?
(i) Sugar (iii) Hormone
Answer: Translocation is the transport of food from the leaves to other parts of the plant and
occurs in the part of the vascular tissue known as phloem.
It is essential for plants because every part of the plant needs food for obtaining energy for
building its parts and maintaining its life.
(i) Sugar is synthesised in the leaves of the plant.
(ii) Hormones are synthesised at the tips of roots and stems of a plant.

3.What will happen to a plant if its xylem is removed?

Answer. Xylem in plant transports water and dissolved mineral nutrients from the roots to all
parts of the vascular plant. So, if xylem is removed from the plant, the water and mineral supply
to the plant will stop and therefore, the plant will die.

4. (a) Draw a sectional view of the human heart and label on it – Aorta, Right ventricle and
Pulmonary veins.
(b) State the functions of the following components of transport system:
(i) Blood (ii) Lymph
Answer.(a)
(b) The functions of blood and lymph are as follows:
(i) Blood

• Oxygen is transported by the blood to the tissues of the body for the breakdown of
digested food.
• Carbon dioxide is transported to the lungs by the blood plasma.
• The digested and absorbed nutrients are transported by blood to the tissues.
Nitrogenous wastes are transported to the kidneys.
• It regulates the body temperature and maintains the pH of the body tissues.
• It transports various hormones from one region to another and bring about the
coordination.
• It maintains water balance to constant level.
• The lymphocytes produce antibodies against the invading antigens and protect from
diseases.
• It helps in rapid healing of wounds by forming a clot at the site of injury.
(ii) Lymph

• It cleans the cellular environment.

• It returns proteins and tissue fluids to the blood (drainage)
• It provides a pathway for the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins into the
bloodstream.
• It defends the body against disease.

Excretion

1.Draw a diagram of human excretory system and label renal artery and urethra.
State in brief the function of :

1. renal artery
2. kidney
3. ureter
4. urinary bladder

Answer.
 1. Renal artery: The renal artery carries blood to the kidneys from the abdominal aorta.
This blood comes directly from the heart and is sent to the-kidneys to be filtered
before it passes through the rest of the body. Up to one-third of the total cardiac
output per heartbeat is sent to the renal arteries to be filtered by the kidneys. Each
kidney has one renal artery that supplies it with blood. The filtered blood then can
exit the renal vein.
2. Kidney: The kidneys perform the essential function of removing waste products from
the blood and regulating the water fluid levels. The kidneys regulate the body’s fluid
volume, mineral composition and acidity by excreting and reabsorbing water and
inorganic electrolytes.
3. Ureter: The ureter is a tube that carries urine from the kidney to the urinary bladder.’
There are two ureters, one attached to each kidney.
4. Urinary bladder: The urinary bladder is an expandable muscular sac that stores
urine before it is excreted out of the body through the urethra.

2. Compare alveoli in the lungs and nephrons in the kidneys with respect to their structure and
functioning.
(CCE 2015)
Answer:

Alveoli Nephrons

1. Shape. They are rounded or polyhedral. They are elongated tubules.

 Each nephron has two components-

Malpighian capsule and renal tubule. Renal

2. Components. Alveoli are single entities.
tubule has three parts – PCT, loop of Henle

and DCT.

3. Blood Capillaries. They are of one type Blood capillaries form two patches—

and lie all over the alveoli. glomerulus and peritubular capillaries.

4. Materials. They deal with respiratory

They deal with body fluids.
gases.

5. Function. Alveoli perform exchange of Nephrons bring about separation of waste

gases between blood and inhaled air. products from blood.

Urine formation occurs through

6. Processes. Gaseous exchange occurs
ultrafiltration, reabsorption, secretion and
through diffusion.
osmosis.

3. (a) Draw a diagram of an excretory unit of human kidney and label the following : Bowman’s
capsule,
Glomerulus, collecting duct, Renal artery. ‘
(b) Write the important function of structural and functional unit of kidney.
(c) Write any one function of an artificial kidney. (CCE 2011)
Answer:
(a)

(b) Nephron. It takes part in filtration, reabsorption and selective secretion to form urine.
(c) Artificial kidney. It helps in removal of toxins, relieve urea, and remove wastes in patients with
damaged kidneys.