LIFE PROCESSES SA:-I

Biology

Class:-X

Chapter-I

Life Processes
1. The living things shows the following characteristics :
 They can breathe.
 They can grow.
 They show movement or locomotion.
 They have sensation.
 Various life processes occur in them.

Whereas non-living things do not show these characteristics.

2. Virus is non-living but when they infect their host then they become living e.g. HIV
3. Tissues are made up of cells which have smaller components made up of molecules.

WHAT ARE LIFE PROCESSES?

The processes which together perform the maintenance of all body functions are
called as life processes.
1. Energy is needed for life processes which come from outside the body.
2. Transfer of source of energy i.e. food from outside the body to inside is called
as Nutrition.
3. Most of the food sources are carbon based e.g. carbohydrates.
4. Oxidizing-reducing reactions are chemical means to breakdown complex food
to simple form.
5. In unicellular organisms food intake, exchange of gases and removal of waste
takes p0lace by diffusion e.g. Amoeba.
6. In multicellular animals there are specialized tissue to perform different
functions such as intake of food, exchanger of gases and removal of waste
products.

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NUTRITION
Energy is needed to maintain a state of order in the body. The source of energy
is the food.

How do living things get their food?

(a) Autotrophic organisms such as green plants, blue green algae prepare their
food on their own by the help of the CO2 and H2O in the presence of
sunlight and chlorophyll (present in chloroplast)
(b) The prepared food is carbohydrates which provide energy to plants.
 Carbohydrates are stored in the form of starch.
 In our body energy is stored in the form of glycogen,
6Co2 + 12H2o C6H12O6 +6O2+6H2O

Events in photosynthesis
a. Absorption of light energy by chlorophyll.
b. Conversion of light energy to chemical energy.
c. Splitting of H2O into H2 & O2
d. Reduction of CO2 to carbohydrates.
 In desert plants CO2 is taken up at night and acted upon by the energy absorbed by
the chlorophyll during the day.
 Uptake of CO2 in plants takes place by stomata present in leaves, stems.
 They are tiny pores for gaseous exchange
 Guard cells of stomata swell up when water flows in them and pores are open. Pores
are closed if guard cells shrink.
 Water is taken up from soil by roots.
 N2, Mg, P, Fe are taken up from soil.
 Nitrogen is required for synthesis of proteins.
 N2 taken up in the form of nitrates nitrites.
 Nitrogen fixing bacteria convert atmospheric N2 to organic compounds available to
plants.

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 The organisms which obtain their food from plants directly or indirectly
 Some fungi like bread mold, yeast and mushroom break down the food outside the
body and take in digested food.
 The parasites derive nutrition from plants or animals without killing them. E.g. cuscuta
(amarbel) , hicks , lice, leeches and tape worms.

Types of Heterotrophic Nutrition:-

1. Saprophytic Nutrition (“sapro” means rotten)
Nutrition in which organisms derived their nutrition from dead and decaying
organic matter. E.g. fungi and bacteria
2. Holozoic Nutrition (“holos” means entire and “zoon” means animal)
Complete animal life nutrition.
It consists of:-
o Ingestion
o Digestion
o Absorption
o Assimilation
o Egestion
3. Parasitic Nutrition
Nutrition in which organisms derived their nutrition from other living
organisms. E.g. leech, tapeworm, plasmodium
How do organisms obtain their nutrition?
a. In single celled organisms food is taken up by entire surface.
b. Amoeba has finger like projections to take in food called as pseupodia. The
food is broken down and absorbed.
c. In paramecium food is taken by movement of cilia present on its entire surface.

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NUTRITION IN HUMAN BEINGS

 Alimentary Canal extends from mouth to anus.
 Teeth crushing.
 Saliva secreted by salivary glands wettens the food so that it moves smoothly in the
soft alimentary canal.
 Salivary amylase enzyme (biocatalyst) breaks down starch to give sugar.
 Muscular tongue helps in movement of food.
 The lining of canal had muscles which contract methodically to push the food forward
in peristaltic movement.
 Food is taken to the stomach through food pipe of oesophagus.
 The gastric glands present in stomach wall secrete digestive juices.
 They release Hcl, Pepsin (acts on protein) and mucus.
 Hcl creates an acidic medium for the pepsin enzyme to work.
 Hcl helps in killing of microbes which enter the alimentary canal along with food.
 Mucus protects the inner wall of stomach from action of acid.
 Food enters the intestine from stomach which is regulated by sphincter muscles.
 There is extensive coiling in the intestine. It is the longest part.
 Herbivores have larger small intestine for digestion of cellulose.
 Carnivores have shorter small intestine.
 Complete digestion of carb, proteins and fats takes place in small intestine.
 Bile juices secreted from the liver makes the medium alkaline for pancreatic enzymes
to work.
 Bile juice acts on fat.
 Bile salts break the large globules of fat into smaller globules.
 Pancreatic enzyme Trypsin secreted by pancreas in pancreatic juice helps in the
digestion of proteins.
 Lipase (pancreatic enzyme) breaks down emulsified fats.
 The glands of small intestine secrete intestinal juices which finally convert proteins to
amino acids, complex carb to glucose, fats to fatty acids and glycerol.
 The inner lining of small intestine has finger like projections to increase absorptive
surface area.
 The villi are supplied with blood vessels which supply absorbed food to every cell.
 In large intestine absorption of water from undigested food takes place.
 Undigested food is eliminated from body through anus.

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DENTAL CARIES
Due to softening of enamel and dentine bacteria stick to the teeth. Microorganism invades
pulp causing infection.

RESPIRATION
 Food materials provide energy for various life processes.
 Some organism use oxygen to breakdown glucose completely in CO2 and H2O. This is
Aerobic Respiration.
 Some organisms do not use O2 to break down glucose. Glucose is broken down to
Pyruvate and Pyruvate is broken down to CO2 and Ethanol. This is an Anaerobic
Respiration. E.g. Yeast.
 In aerobic respiration glucose (C6H12O6) is broken down to Pyruvate (3C compound) in
Cytoplasm and pyruvate is broken down to CO2 H2O and energy in Mitochondria.
 Energy released is high in aerobic process.

ABSENCE OF 02
ETHANOL+CO2+EN
IN YEAST
LACK OF 02
GLUEOSE PYRUVATE LACTIC ACID+EN
(MUSCLE CELLS)
PRESENCE OF 02
CO2+H2O+EN
(MITOCHONDRIA)

 This energy is used for synthesis of ATP.

 ATP is energy currency of cell.
 ATP is broken down with help of H2O and energy (30.5 KJ/mole) is released which
provides energy for all life processes.
 In plants during day CO2 released due to respiration is used up in photosynthesis and
during nights CO2 is released.
 In aquatic animals, dissolved O2 is used for respiration. Fishes take in water through
mouth and pass it to gills where the dissolved O2 is taken up by blood.
 In terrestrial organisms e.g. Humans air is taken in body through nostrils.
 Passage is lined with mucus.

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 Air from nostrils leads into trachea which is surrounded by rings of cartilage to
prevent collapsing.
 Trachea divided into Bronchus then bronchitis and finally alveoli.
 Alveoli are balloon like structure with delicate membrane supplied with blood
capillaries.
 The exchange of gases takes place in the alveoli.
 When we breathe out there is residual air present in lungs.
 O2 move into blood through diffusion pressure.
 The respiratory pigment Hemoglobin transports O2 in blood to different cells.
 Hemoglobin is present in RBC.
 Transport of CO2 takes place in dissolved state.
 The alveoli increase the surface area for absorption (diffusion) of gases.

TRANSPORTATION
 Blood consists of Plasma and cells (RBC, WBC and Platelets)
 Plasma transport food, CO2 and Nitrogenous wastes in dissolved state.
 Heart pumps blood around the body with the help of network of tubes (arteries &
veins) to reach all tissues.
 The heart pumps deoxygenated blood to lungs for oxygenation.
 The heart also pumps oxygenated blood to all body parts.
 To prevent mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood heart has 4 chambers.
 Pure blood comes to Left Auricle.
 Left Auricle contracts and blood reaches Left Ventricle.
 When LV contracts blood is pumped to the body.
 Deoxygenated (impure) blood comes from whole body to RA. When RA contracts
impure blood move to RV. Now this blood is pumped to lungs for oxygenation.
 Ventricles have thicker walls than atria.
 Valves ensure on way flow of blood.
 Amphibians and many reptiles have 3 chambered hart.
 Fishes have 2 chambered hearts, blood is pumped to gill for oxygenation then to
whole body I.e. blood goes once through heart in 1 cycle of passage through body.
 In other animals blood goes through heart twice during each cycle. Double Circulation.

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BLOOD PRESSURE
 The force that blood exerts against wall of vessel is called B.P.
 The normal BP IS 120/80 is the V. Systolic (contraction) pressure in arteries. 80 mm is
the pressure of V.diastole in artery in released state.
 B.P. is measured with Sphygmomanometer.
 Rise in BP leads to Hypertension due to contraction in areoles leading to rupture of
artery and internal bleeding. The tubes-blood vessels.
 Arteries carrying blood away from heart to organs therefore they have thick walls.
 Veins collect blood from different organs and bring it back to heart. Veins have thin
walls compared to arteries. Veins have valves to ensure one way flow.
 The arteries divide into capillaries whereas walls are one cell thick (at the organ). The
capillaries join to form veins to take blood away from organ.

MAINTENANCE BY PLATELETS
Whenever there is any leakage the platelets cells of the blood plug these leaks by helping to
clot the blood at the point of injury. The leakage is to be prevented to avoid loss of pressure
which reduces the efficiency of pumping system.

LYMPH / TISSUE FLUID

Through the pores present in the walls of capillaries some amount of plasma, proteins and
blood cells escape into intercellular space in tissue. This fluid is called as Lymph.

It is similar to plasma but has less protein. Lymph drains into lymphatic vessels which
open into veins.

TRANSPORTATION IN PLANTS
 The absorption of H2O and nutrients occurs through roots.
 When the size of the plant is large, diffusion pressure is not sufficient for
transportation.
 Plants have conducting system for the transport of raw materials from roots to leaves
and for transport of prepared food from leaves to all parts.
 Xylem moves water and minerals to the leaves.
 Phloem transports products of photosynthesis from leaves to other parts.

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TRANSPORT OF WATER
There is a continuous system of conducting channels in all parts of plants.
 In roots cells take in ions.
 Water also moves in the roots,
 This water is pushed upwards.
 H2O that is lost through stomata in transpiration is replaced by H2O from xylem
vessels through suction pressure.
 Transpiration helps in temperature regulation.

TRANSPORT OF FOOD AND OTHER SUBSTANCES

 The transport of soluble products of photosynthesis is called translocation.
 It occurs through phloem.
 The substances are delivered to roots, fruits, seeds and growing organs.
 Translocation takes place through some tubes and companion cells.
 Translocation involves energy from ATP.
 H2O also moves due to the osmotic pressure created due to movement of sucrose.

EXCRETION
 The removal of harmful metabolic waste is nitrogenous waste from the body is called
as excretion.
 In unicellular organisms wastes are removed through diffusion.
 Multicellular animals have specialized organs for removal of waste.

EXCRETION IN HUMAN BEINGS

 A pair of kidneys, a pair or ureter, urinary bladder and urethra.
 Kidneys are located in abdomen.
 Urine formed as a result of filtration of blood is passed on to ureter and shared in
urinary bladder and released through urethra.
 Nitrogenous wastes such as urea, uric acid are filtered out from blood in kidneys.
 Basic filtration unit is kidney consists of a large number of nephrons.
 The cup shaped structure of Nephron has a cluster of capillaries through which
filtration of blood takes place.
 Glucose, amino acids, salts and water are absorbed from the tubules.

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ARTIFICIAL KIDNEY (HEMODIALYSIS)

 Whenever there is infection, injury or restricted blood flow to kidney, there is
accumulation of waste products which can be removed by artificial kidneys through
dialysis.
 The blood is filtered outside the body by artificial kidney consisting of dialyzing fluid.
 Wastes pass out into dialyzing fluid through diffusion.
 Purified blood is pumped back.

EXCRETION IN PLANTS
 Excess water is removed by transpiration.
 Many waste products are also stored in vacuoles.
 Waste products can also be stored in leaves that fall off.
 Other waste products are stored in resins and gums.

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