YEAR 7 TRIMESTER 2 WEEK 3 NOTES

LIFE PROCESSES
Biology is the study of living things. All living things are called organisms, both plants and animals are
living organisms. But how we decide whether something is living or non-living depends on 7 life
processes. If something is living it will carry out the 7 life processes below.
1. Movement
Both animals and plants have the ability to move. Plants are rooted and move slowly as they grow.
Their roots move down into the soil and their stems move up towards the light. Animals on the other
hand move quickly and can move their entire bodies. They can move in search of food, shelter or to
avoid danger.
2. Respiration
Respiration is the process of extracting energy out of the food we eat. All living things respire
because they need energy to grow, to replace worn out parts and to move. Respiration takes place in
the mitochondria of the cell. There are two types of respiration, with and without oxygen. Aerobic
respiration uses oxygen and releases a large amount of energy. Anaerobic respiration does not
require oxygen and releases a smaller amount of energy.

3. Sensitivity
All living organisms are sensitive, this means that they have an awareness of changes in their
environment. Animals respond quickly to stimuli such as heat, light, sound, touch and chemicals
which have taste and smell. On the other hand plants generally appear less sensitive and their
response is slower. Plants respond to light by moving their leaves towards it, the flowers of some
plants open in the morning and close at night when it is dark. Some plants, however, do respond
quickly such as the Venus flytrap response to touch.
4. Growth
All living organisms grow. Plants continue growing throughout their lives. Animals stop growing once
they reach adulthood. Even when growth stops, materials within an animal’s body are still being
replaced from its food.
5. Excretion
All living things make waste products these can be useless or harmful to it and therefore need to be
got rid of. Excretion is the process of getting rid of metabolic waste. Plants store waste substances in
their leaves, the waste is removed when their leaves fall off. Animals breathe out waste carbon
dioxide, other waste substances leave the body in urine and sweat. Note: Getting rid of faeces or
undigested food is not excretion but egestion.
6. Reproduction

All living things must produce offspring like themselves in order for their species to survive. This is
the process known as reproduction. Plants produce seeds that give rise to new plants of the same
species. Animals lay eggs or have babies. Reproduction can be of two types, Sexual which involves
two parents and the union of two gametes and Asexual where one parent can reproduce itself.

7. Nutrition
Nutrition is needed for energy and growth, both plants and animals need food. Plants are able to
make their own food by photosynthesis. They use sunlight to turn simple molecules like carbon
dioxide and water into more complex carbohydrate molecules. Animals are unable to make their
own food so rely on other plants and other animals for their nutrition. Animals take in complex
substances and break them down into small, simple, soluble molecules which can be used for energy
and growth.
Are viruses living or non-living?
Viruses cannot do anything at all on their own. They do not respire, feed, excrete or grow.
They are not sensitive and cannot move. When viruses are inside a living cell, they force the
cell to copy the instructions on its RNA, and make many new viruses. This is called
replication.
Species
A species is a group of similar organisms that can breed with one another to produce fertile
offspring. For example, humans are one species and dogs are another species.
Individuals of the same species can reproduce to make more individuals of the same
species. Two individuals belonging to different species cannot normally reproduce together.
If they do, their offspring is often infertile and unable to reproduce.

The differences in characteristics between individuals of the same species is

called variation.

• Some variation is passed on from parents to offspring, via genes during reproduction.
This is inherited variation.
• Genetic variation refers to differences in the genetic makeup of individuals in a
population.
• Some variation is the result of differences in the surroundings, or what an individual
does. This is called environmental variation.
• Variation helps a species to survive, by causing individuals of a species to be
genetically and physically different.

Using keys

When sampling a habitat, there is the possibility that a scientist will come across organisms that they
do not recognize. In this case, the scientist consults a key. This has pictures and descriptions of
organisms so that the scientist can compare what they see with the data in the key. A key will usually
ask questions based on easily identifiable features of an organism. Dichotomous keys use questions
to which there are only two answers. They can be presented as a table of questions, or as a
branching tree of questions.

Branching tree example

This tree could help you identify a new vertebrate. For example, if it had no fur or feathers and dry
skin, you would follow the right-hand pathway at the first and second junctions, but the left-hand
pathway at the third junction. This would lead you to identify the animal as a reptile.
A dichotomous key uses a series of statements, descriptions, or yes or no questions grouped into
pairs, which eventually lead to the correct identity of a specimen or organism. An example of a
dichotomous key designed to be used by children to classify common invertebrates they may find in
a garden is shown below.
Ecology

Ecology is the study of living organisms and the places that they live. An ecologist studies the number and
distribution of living organisms in an ecosystem. Knowing this is essential to allowing us to protect the
organisms that need help to survive.

Key points

• All organisms in an ecosystem depend on each other.

• Food chains show the flow of energy from one organism to another.
• Food chains show the feeding relationships between organisms.
• Food webs show how all the food chains in an ecosystem interact.

Trophic levels

A food chain is a list of organisms in a habitat that shows their feeding relationship, i.e. what eats what. The
organisms are joined by arrows which show the transfer of energy in food between them. The stages in food
chains are called trophic levels.

• Food chains always start with a producer. This is usually a green plant or algae that completes
photosynthesis to store energy from sunlight as glucose.
• Grass is the producer in the grass → rabbit → fox food chain. Photosynthesis provides the
energy for most life on Earth.

A primary consumer eats a producer. The rabbit is the primary consumer in the example food chain.
This is in turn eaten by a secondary consumer, which is the fox.
After this might be a tertiary consumer (which eats a secondary consumer) and possibly a quaternary
consumer (which eats a tertiary consumer), but not in this example.

Animals that are hunted and eaten are prey, and these are consumed by predators. The final
consumer at the top of the food chain is called a top (or apex) predator and is not eaten by anything
else.

Food webs
Most populations of organisms that live in a habitat usually have more than one food source. They
usually consume more than one organism from the trophic level below. This means that there are
almost always more than one food chain and these are interlinked into a food web.
As for decomposers, they're often included in food webs or chains. In the example below,
the bacteria is the decomposer. The nutrients/energy goes from the dead eagle to the bacteria to
the grass.

Decomposers play a critical role in the flow of energy through an ecosystem. They break apart dead
organisms into simpler inorganic materials, making nutrients available to primary producers.
Most decomposers are microscopic organisms, including protozoa and bacteria. Other decomposers
are big enough to see without a microscope. They include fungi along with invertebrate organisms
sometimes called detritivores, which include earthworms, termites, and millipedes.

ACIDS AND ALKALIS

Key points
• The pH scale shows how acidic a substance is. It can be measured using a pH meter which
gives a numerical value.

• The pH scale ranges from 0 (very acidic) through 7 (neutral) to 14 (very alkaline).
• pH can be also be measured using an indicator and comparing the colour with a comparison
chart.

The pH scale
The pH scale is a number scale from 0 to 14. It tells us how acidic or alkaline an aqueous solution is.
The pH scale is used to classify solutions as acidic, alkaline or neutral.
• Neutral solutions are exactly pH 7.
• Acidic solutions have pH values less than 7. The closer to pH 0, the more acidic a solution is.
• Alkaline solutions have pH values more than 7. The closer to pH 14, the more alkaline a
solution is.
Solutions can be acidic, alkaline or neutral. For example, pure water is neutral with a pH of 7. A
solution of common salt (sodium chloride) is also neutral, so it has a pH of 7 too.
In science we often use the term aqueous solution. It describes a solution that’s made of water. pH
can only be measured in water-based solutions.
Therefore, we can measure a substance’s pH by dissolving it in water.
Finding the pH of a substance

The pH of a substance can be tested if it is an aqueous solution. The substance must be dissolved in
water.
There are 2 methods for testing for pH:
• Using a pH meter
• Using an indicator
Using a pH meter
A pH meter gives a numerical value of the pH. As long as the pH meter has been looked after
properly, the measurement should be accurate. This means that the measurement is close to the
true value.

Using an indicator
An indicator is a substance which will change colour depending on the pH of the solution it is mixed
with. Some indicators are liquids, meaning we can add drops of the indicator to the solution being
tested. Other indicators are strips of paper, and we can dip these into the solution.

Litmus is an example of an indicator. It turns red in solutions that are acidic and it is blue in alkaline
solutions.
Universal indicator is a special indicator because it turns into a different colour at many different pH
values. The colour of universal indicator at different pH values is shown further below.

Using universal indicator

Universal indicator is supplied as a solution or as universal indicator paper. It is a mixture of several
different indicators. Unlike litmus, universal indicator can show us how strongly acidic or alkaline a
solution is, not just that the solution is acidic or alkaline. This is measured using the pH scale, which
runs from pH 0 to pH 14.
Universal indicator has many different colour changes, from red for strongly acidic solutions to dark
purple for strongly alkaline solutions. In the middle, neutral pH 7 is indicated by green.
Neutralisation reactions
Key points

• An acid and alkali will neutralise each other and produce a salt and water. This is called a
neutralisation reaction.
• Neutralisation reactions
• A chemical reaction happens if you mix together an acid and a base. The reaction is called
neutralisation. A neutral solution is made if you add just the right amount of acid and base
together.
• Neutralisation is an exothermic reaction, so the reaction mixture warms up during the
reaction.

Reactions of metals with acids

Key Points
• Acids react with most metals.
• When an acid reacts with a metal, the products are a salt and hydrogen.

• This is the general word equation for the reaction: metal + acid → salt + hydrogen
Metals and acids
Acids react with some metals to produce a salt and hydrogen gas.

Metal + acid → salt + hydrogen

The abbreviation M.A.S.H. can be used to remember this general reaction.

When a metal is put in acid, it gets smaller and smaller as it gets used up in the chemical reaction.

At the same time, bubbles of gas can be seen. The bubbles produced in the reaction are hydrogen
gas.

This can be proven using a burning splint because hydrogen is flammable. When the burning splint is
put into the test tube containing hydrogen gas, a small explosion occurs, making a squeaky pop
sound. This shows that hydrogen is present.

Lit splint
What is seen when a metal reacts with an acid?
Reactions of acids with carbonates
A salt, water and carbon dioxide are produced when acids react with carbonates. In general:
Acid + carbonate → salt + water + carbon dioxide
Testing for carbon dioxide gas
Carbon dioxide gas can be identified by bubbling it through limewater. Limewater is a dilute solution
of calcium hydroxide. Limewater is colourless, but when it is mixed with carbon dioxide, it turns
cloudy.

Glowing Splint Test

• The test for oxygen consists of placing a glowing splint inside a test tube of gas
• If the gas is oxygen the splint will relight
Matter is capable of undergoing changes, which are classified as either physical or chemical. Physical
changes in matter are reversible: An ice cube can melt into liquid water, and then the liquid water
can be frozen back into an ice cube. Chemical changes, on the other hand, are not reversible: A log
burned in a fire turns to ashes, but the ashes cannot be changed back into a log.

What Is a Physical Change?

In a physical change, the material involved in the change is structurally the same before and after the
change. Types of some physical changes are texture, shape, temperature, and a change in the state
of matter. A change in the texture of a substance is a change in the way it feels.
What Is a Chemical Change?

A chemical change occurs when the composition of a substance is changed. This results in the
rearranging of atoms in substances to form the products of a chemical reaction, which are brand
new molecules that cannot be easily reverted back to their original state.

Sometimes it is difficult to tell if a chemical reaction has taken place. To help determine whether
there has been a reaction, chemists consider the basic indicators that a reaction has occurred, such
as a change in temperature, a change in color, the development of an odor, the formation of
a precipitate, or the formation of a gas.
Another common sign of a chemical reaction is the formation of a precipitate. This happens when
chemicals dissolved in a solution are mixed together and an insoluble solid, known as a precipitate,
forms in the liquid mixture. The creation of a new, solid substance from two liquid substances
indicates that a reaction has taken place and altered the original substances.

A common chemical reaction is the mixing of vinegar and baking soda. When these two household
chemicals are mixed together, it immediately starts bubbling and foaming. The bubbles are a release
of carbon dioxide gas, a product of the chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar.
Remember that the difference between a physical reaction and chemical reaction is that a chemical
reaction cannot be easily reversed, if at all.
Examples of chemical Changes
Metal + acid → salt + hydrogen

Acid + carbonate → salt + water + carbon dioxide