CHAPTER - 6
LIFE PROCESSES
●
1) Criteria to decide whether something is alive :-
● The most important criteria to decide whether something is alive is
movement. All living things move without the help of any external help.
Some movements are easily visible like the movements of body parts.
Some movements are not easily visible like molecular movements. The
molecular movements in cells and tissues is necessary for all life
processes.
2) Life processes :-
●Life processes are the basic processes in living organisms which are
necessary for maintaining their life. The basic life processes are –
nutrition, respiration, transportation, and excretion.
●i) Nutrition :– is the process of taking food by an organism and its
utilization by the body for life processes.
●ii) Respiration :– is the process by which food is broken down in the
cells of the body with the help of oxygen to release energy.
●iii) Transportation :– is the process by which food, oxygen, water,
waste products are carried from one part of the body to the other,
●iv) Excretion :- is the process by which waste products are removed
from the body.
3) Nutrition :-
Nutrition is the process of taking food by an organism and its utilisation by the body to
●
build the body, for growth, to repair the damaged parts of the body and for energy.
●Life on earth depends on carbon based molecules and most of the food are also
carbon based molecules. The outside raw materials used by living organisms are
food, water and air.
●a) Modes of nutrition :- There are two main modes of nutrition. They are autotrophic
nutrition and heterotrophic nutrition.
●i) Autotrophic nutrition :- is nutrition in which organisms prepare their own food from
simple inorganic substances like carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight
and chlorophyll.
●Eg :- all green plants and some bacteria.
●ii) Heterotrophic nutrition :- is nutrition in which organisms get their
food directly or indirectly from plants.
●Eg :- all animals fungi and some bacteria.
b) Types of heterotrophic nutrition :- There are three main types of
●
heterotrophic nutrition. They are saprophytic, parasitic and holozoic nutritions.
● i) SaproPhytic nutrition :- is nutrition in which organisms get their food
from dead and decaying organisms. They break down the food material
outside their body and then absorbs it. Eg :- mushroom, bread mould,
yeast, some bacteria etc.
●ii) Parasitic nutrition :- is nutrition in which organisms get their food
from living organisms (host) without killing them. Eg :- cuscuta,
orchids, ticks, lice, leeches, round worm, tape worm, plasmodium etc.
●iii) Holozoic nutrition :- is nutrition in which organisms take food
directly and then digests and absorbs it. Eg :- amoeba, paramaecium,
birds, fishes, humans etc.
4) Nutrition in plants :-
● Photosynthesis :- is the process by which plants prepare food by
using carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight and
chlorophyll. The food prepared is carbohydrate which is stored in the
form of starch. Oxygen is released in this process.
●
Sunlight
● 6CO2 + 12H2O C6H12O6 + 6H2O + 6O2
● Chlorophyll
● Process of photosynthesis :-
● Photosynthesis takes place in three main steps. They are :-
● i) Absorption of light energy by chlorophyll.
● ii) Conversion of light energy into chemical energy and splitting of
● water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
●iii) Reduction of carbon dioxide by hydrogen to form carbohydrates.
●
●Chlorophyll :- are the green pigments present in the leaves. If we observe
a cross section of a leaf under a microscope, we can see cells containing
green dot like structures called chloroplasts which contain chlorophyll.
●Stomata :- are tiny pores present in the leaves through which
exchange of gases takes place. Each stoma has a pair of guard cells
which controls the opening and closing of the stomatal pore. When
water enters the guard cells, it swells and the pore opens and when the
guard cells lose water, it shrinks and the pore closes.
Where is stomata located in plants?
How does the stomata open and close to carry out the different
functions?
5a) Activity to show that chlorophyll is necessary for
photosynthesis :-
●Take a potted plant having variegated leaves (croton plant). Keep it in a
dark room for three days so that all the starch is used up. Then keep it
in sunlight for 6 hours. Then take a leaf from the plant and mark the
green areas of the leaf on a sheet of paper. Then dip the leaf in boiling
water to make it soft. Then dip the leaf in alcohol and heat it in a water
bath to decolourise it and remove the chlorophyll. Then wash the leaf in
water and dip it in dilute iodine solution. It will be seen that only the
green parts of the leaf turns blue black. This shows that chlorophyll is
necessary for photosynthesis.
b) Activity to show that carbon dioxide is necessary for
photosynthesis :-
●Take two potted plants of the same size and keep them in a dark room
for three days so that all the starch is used up. Then keep the plants on
separate glass plates. Keep a watch glass containing some potassium
hydroxide near one plant to absorb carbon dioxide. Cover both the
plants with bell jars and seal the bottom of the jars with vaseline to
make it air tight. Keep the plants in sunlight for three hours. Then take a
leaf from each plant and test for starch. The leaf of the plant kept in the
jar containing potassium hydroxide does not show the presence of
starch. This shows that carbon dioxide is necessary for
photosynthesis.
6) Nutrition in animals :-
●a) Nutrition in amoeba :-
● Amoeba is a unicellular animal living in water. It takes in food by
forming finger like projections called pseudopodia and forms a food
vacuole. Inside the food vacuole the food is digested and absorbed.
The undigested food is then sent out through the surface of the cell.
b) Nutrition in Human beings :-
●Nutrition in human beings takes place in the digestive system. It
consists of the alimentary canal and glands which produce enzymes
which breaks down food into smaller molecules.
●The main organs of the digestive system are mouth, oesophagus,
stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and anus. The main glands are
salivary glands, gastric glands, liver, pancreas and intestinal glands.
3D MODEL
Q1. Where does the digestion begin in human body?
Q2. Where is the saliva produced? Name the enzyme present in
saliva.
Q3. Write three function of the tongue.
Q4. What type of digestion is performed by the teeth in our mouth?
Q5. Where does the digestion of the following components begin:
a. carbohydrates
b. proteins
c. fats
Q6. Where is the bile produced and what is its site for storage?
Q7. Describe the emulsification of fats.
Q8. Where does the complete digestion of food take place?
Mention the products of digestion in this site.
Q9. Name the special structures present in small intestine. Write about
its function and structure.
Q10. What is bolus and chyme?
Q11. What are the two main functions of Bile Juice?
●In the mouth :- the food is broken down into smaller particles by the teeth
and mixed with saliva from the salivary glands. Saliva contains the enzyme
salivary amylase which converts starch into sugar. Then the food passes
●through
I the oesophagus into the stomach.
●In the stomach :- the gastric glands produce gastric juice which contains the enzyme
pepsin, hydrochloric acid and mucous. Pepsin breaks down proteins. Hydrochloric
acid makes the medium acidic and helps in the action of pepsin. Mucous protects the
walls of the stomach from the action of the acid. Then the food passes into the small
intestine.
●In the upper part of the small intestine called duodenum :- the food is mixed with bile
from liver and pancreatic juice from the pancreas. Bile breaks down fats into smaller
globules. Pancreatic juice contains the enzymes trypsin and lipase. Trypsin breaks
down proteins and lipase breaks down lipids.
●In the small intestine :- the glands the walls of the small intestine produces intestinal
juice. The enzymes of the intestinal juice coverts carbohydrates into glucose, fats
into fatty acids and glycerol and proteins into amino acids. The walls of the small
intestine has several finger like projections called villi having blood vessels. It helps
to increase the surface area for the absorption of digested food. The digested food is
absorbed by the blood and transported to all cells in the body. Then the undigested
food passes into the large intestine.
●In the large intestine :- water is absorbed and the waste material is removed through
the anus.
7a) Respiration :-
● Respiration is the process by which food is broken down in the cells of
the body with the help of oxygen to release energy. It takes place in the
mitochondria of the cells.
● The energy released during respiration is used to make ATP
molecules (Adenosine tri phosphate) from ADP molecules (Adenosine di
phosphate) and inorganic phosphate.
●
Energy
● ADP + Phosphate ATP
●
from respiration
● Energy is stored in the cells in the form of ATP molecules. When
the cells need energy, ATP is broken down in the presence of water to
form ADP and energy is released.
●
●
water
ATP ADP + Energy
b) Types of respiration :-
●There are two main types of respiration. They are aerobic and anaerobic respiration.
●i) Aerobic respiration :- takes place in the presence of oxygen. It produces more energy.
The end products are carbon dioxide, water and energy. It takes place in most
organisms.
●I
● presence of oxygen presence of oxygen
●Glucose Pyruvate CO2 + H2O + Energy
in cytoplasm in mitochondria
●
●
●In aerobic respiration glucose is converted into pyruvate in the cytoplasm in the
presence of oxygen and then in the presence of oxygen, pyruvate is converted into
●carbon dioxide, water and energy in the mitochondria.
ii) Anaerobic respiration :- takes place in the absence of oxygen. It produces less
energy. The end products are lactic acid or ethanol, carbon dioxide, and energy. It
takes place in muscle cells and yeast.
●In
anaerobic respiration in muscle cells, glucose is converted into pyruvate and in the
absence of oxygen pyruvate is converted into lactic acid and energy.
● presence of oxygen absence of oxygen
●Glucose Pyruvate Lactic acid + Energy
in cytoplasm in muscle cells
●
●In anaerobic respiration in yeast, glucose is converted
into pyruvate and in the absence of oxygen pyruvate is
converted into ethanol, carbondioxide and energy. This
process is called fermentation.
● presence of oxygen absence of oxygen
●Glucose Pyruvate Ethanol + CO2 + Energy
in cytoplasm in yeast
●
Breakdown of glucose by various pathways :-
● presence
● of oxygen
CO2 + H2O + Energy
●
(in mitochondria)
●
● presence absence
●
of oxygen of oxygen
●Glucose Pyruvate Lactic acid + Energy
● in cytoplasm + (in muscle
●
Energy cells)
●
● absence
● of oxygen
Ethanol + CO2 + Energy
● (in yeast)
●
●
b) Respiration in Humans :-
● The main organs of the respiratory system are nostrils, nasal cavity,
pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, lungs and diaphragm.
● Air enter through the nostrils. The hairs and mucous traps the dust
particles. It then passes through the phraynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi
and enters the lungs. The trachea has rings of cartilage which prevents
it from collapsing when there is no air in the trachea. The bronchi
divides into smaller tubes called bronchioles which ends in tiny air
sacs called alveoli. The alveoli is supplied with blood vessels through
which exchange of gases takes place. The alveoli helps to increase the
surface area for the exchange of gases.
Mecahanism of breathing :-
●When we breathe in air, the muscles of the diaphragm contracts and
moves downward and the chest cavity expands and air enters into the
lungs.
●When we breathe out air, the muscles of the diaphragm relaxes and
moves upward and the chest cavity contracts and air goes out of the
lungs.
8) Transportation :-
● a) Transportation in Human beings :-
● The main transport system in human beings is the circulatory
● system. It consists of blood, arteries, veins capillaries and heart.
●i) Blood :- transports food, oxygen and waste products. It consists of
●plasma, red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC) and platelets.
●Plasma transports food, water, carbondioxide, nitrogenous waste etc.
●Red blood cells transports oxygen. White blood cells kills harmful
●microbes and protects the body. Platelets help in clotting of blood
and
●prevents loss of blood during injury.
●ii) Arteries :- carry OXYGENATED blooD from the heart to all parts of the body.
●They are thick walled and do not have valves.
●iii) Veins :- carry DEOXYGENATED blood from all parts of the body to the heart.
●They are thin walled and have valves.
●iv) Capillaries :- are very narrow blood vessels which connects
arteries and veins together. The exchange of food, water, oxygen,
●
carbon dioxide etc. between the blood and cells take place through
●
the capillaries.
●
Q. differentiate between arteries and veins on the basis of,
Type of blood
Walls
Valves
Elasticity
Pressure of blood
●v) Heart :- is a muscular organ which pumps blood to all parts of the
body. It has four chambers. The upper chambers are called atria and the
lower chambers are called ventricles. Since the ventricles pump blood
to the different organs its walls are thicker than the atria. The right and
left chambers are separated by a septum. It prevents the mixing of
oxygenated and deoxygenated blood The atria and ventricles have
valves between them to prevent blood flowing backward.
Working of the heart (Circulation of blood) :-
●Working of the heart ( Circulation of blood ) :-
●When the left atrium relaxes oxygenated blood from the lungs flows into it through the
pulmonary vein. When it contracts, the left ventricle expands and the blood flows into it.
Then the left ventricle contracts and the oxygenated blood is pumped out through the
aorta to all parts of the body. After circulating through all parts of the body the
deoxygenated blood enters the right atrium through the vena cava. When the right atrium
contracts, the right ventricle expands and the blood flows into it. Then the right ventricle
contracts and the blood is pumped to the lungs through the pulmonary artery. In the
lungs carbon dioxide is removed and oxygen is absorbed and the oxygenated blood
again enters the left atrium and the process repeats.
●Since blood flows through the heart twice in one cycle, it is called double circulation.
Lymph :- is a colourless fluid present in intercellular spaces. It is formed from the plasma
●
which escapes from the capillaries. Lymph drains into lymphatic capillaries which forms
lymph vessels and joins into large veins.
●Lymph transports digested fats and drains excess fluids from intercellular spaces back into the
blood. It contains lymphocytes which kills germs and protects the body
TRANSPORTATION IN HUMANS
LUNGS→ PULMONARY VEIN → LEFT ATRIUM → LEFT VENTRICLE → AORTA
→ BODY ORGANS (CAPILLARIES) → VENA CAVA → RIGHT ATRIUM → RIGHT
VENTRICLE → PULMONARY ARTERY → LUNGS
Key points:
● The oxygenated blood goes to the left side of the heart
● The deoxygenated blood goes to the right side of the h
Hearts of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fishes :-
●i) The heart in mammals :- and birds have four chambers and the right and left
sides of the heart is separated by a septum. This prevents mixing of oxygenated
and deoxygenated blood and provides efficient supply of oxygen. This is
necessary because they need more energy to maintain their body temperature.
●ii) The heart in amphibians and reptiles :- have three chambers and allows some
mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood because the do not use energy to
maintain their body temperature. Their body temperature is the same as the
temperature of the surroundings.
●
●iii) The heart in fishes :- have only two chambers and blood is oxygenated in the
gills.
b) Transportation in plants :-
● In plants, transportation of materials like food, water and minerals
takes place through conducting tissues called xylem and phloem.
●i) Xylem :- transports water and minerals from the roots to all parts
of the plant. It consists of xylem vessels and tracheids. Water and
minerals enter the roots by diffusion. Then due to transpiration, the
suction force helps in the upward movement of water and minerals.
●ii) Phloem :- transports food from the leaves to the other parts of the
plant. This process is called translocation. The phloem consists of sieve
tubes and companion cells. Food from the leaves is transferred to the
xylem by the energy of ATP molecules. Due to osmotic pressure water
enters the phloem and helps in the transport of food.
Q1. Differentiate between phloem and xylem. (3 points)
Q2. Define : a. Ascent of sap and B translocation of food.
Q3. Write the role of transpiration in plants.(at least 2)
Q4. What is the role of companion cells in translocation of
food?
Q5. Explain the mechanism of food transfer in the body of a
plant.
Ans1:
Ans 2: Ascent of sap: The process by which water and minerals are transported from the
roots to all the other parts of the plant through xylem by the suction pull created by
transpiration.
Translocation of food: The process by which food and other nutrients are transported from
the leaves to all the other parts of the plant through phloem by the osmotic pressure is
called translocation of food.
Ans3. a. Removes excess water from the plant body.
b. Helps in cooling down the plant temperature.
C. creates a suction pull to carry the water upwards in xylem
Ans4. Companion cells provide energy to the sieve tubes so that they can carry on the
process of translocation of food.
Ans5.
9) Excretion :-
●Excretion is the process by which the waste products produced
during metabolic activities is removed from the body.
●In unicellular organism the waste products are removed from the
cells into the surroundings by diffusion.
●In multicellular organisms the waste products are removed through
specialised organs.
a) Excretion in Human beings :-
● The excretory system consists of a pair of kidneys , a pair of
ureters, urinary bladder and urethra. Each kidney has a number of
excretory units called nephrons.
URINE FORMATION
GLOMERULAR
FILTRATION SELECTIVE
REABSORPTION SECRETION
When the glucose, amino
blood flows acid, minerals ,
through water gets Waste from the
glomerulous, reabsorbed blood is moved to
it gets filtered from the tubules collecting duct
through pores into the blood
of walls of by diffusion.
capillaries
Salts, glucose,
amino acid,
nitrogenous
waste gets
filtered,.
Proteins and
blood cells are
not filtered, this
is called
ultrafiltration
● Nephron :-
●Each nephron has a cup like structure called Bowman’s capsule containing a bundle
of capillaries called glomerulus. The Bowman’s capsule leads into a tubular structure
which joins into a collecting duct. The renal artery brings the nitrogenous waste like
ammonia, urea, uric acid (urine) along with excess water, salts etc. into the nephron. It
filters the nitrogenous waste, water and salts which passes through the tubular
structure into the collecting duct. The waste then passes through the ureters into the
urinary bladder and is then sent out through the urethra
●as urine.
●The useful products like amino acids, glucose, salts etc. are reabsorbed by the
capillaries around the tubular structure and goes into the renal vein.
●b) Excretion in plants :-
●In plants the gaseous waste products produced during respiration (CO2) and
photosynthesis (O2) are removed through the stomata. Excess water is removed
through the stomata. This process is called transpiration.
●Some waste products are stored in the leaves and removed when the leaves dry
and fall off. Some waste products are stored in vacuoles. Some waste products
like gums and resins are stored in the old xylem cells. Some waste products are
removed through the roots.
Dialysis
● When is dialysis performed?
● What is artificial kidney?
● What are the steps involved in
dialysis?
Excretion in Plants
1. The gaseous waste comes out of stomata such as CO2 is the waste produced by the process of
respiration, excess water through transpiration.
2. Some waste come out in the form of resins and gums.
3. Some waste is stored in the leaves, when leaves fall off the waste is removed.
4. Some waste is directly excreted in the soil through the conducting tissues
