explain chapter life processes class 10
Answers
The existence of life on the planet earth is mainly based on certain functions and processes. There are certain basic vital processes which are essential for an organism to stay healthy and to maintain the proper functioning of the body organ system, which all are necessary for survival.These basic essential activities performed by an organism are called as life processes. Altogether there are six life processes which predict the condition of life. The important life processes are nutrition, transportation, metabolism, respiration, reproduction, and excretion.
Let us know in detail about the different life processes.
Types life processes
Nutrition
Nutrition is the process of taking food by an organism and utilization of food for energy. This is a vital process which helps living beings to obtain their energy from various sources. Nutrients are the substances which provide nutrition. Mode of nutrition varies from one species to another. Plants are autotrophs and they have an autotrophic mode of nutrition. They do photosynthesis to prepare their own food. Animals depend on plants for food. Hence, they have a heterotrophic mode of nutrition. Humans follow the holozoic mode of nutrition.
Transportation
Transportation and transportation system in plants and animals are entirely different. In animals, transportation is carried out through the circulatory system. This system includes the heart, blood, and blood carrying blood vessels. Plants have particular tissues called vascular tissues for the conduction and transportation of materials throughout the plant parts. Vascular tissues include xylem and phloem. Xylem conducts water and minerals from roots to shoot system while phloem transports prepared food from leaves to other plant parts.
Metabolism
Metabolism is the chemical process in which different types of chemical reactions involved in controlling the living state of the cells in an organism. It is broadly classified into catabolism and anabolism.
Catabolism: The metabolic process in which energy is released.
Anabolism: The metabolic process in which energy is stored for further requirements.
Respiration
Respiration includes the exchange of gases as well as burning of food. Animals have a well defined respiratory system for respiration. In the process of respiration, glucose is broken down to extract energy. It is a redox reaction which can take place with or without oxygen and takes place in mitochondria of the cell and releases energy in the form of ATP. Respiration is mainly of two types- aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration.
Reproduction
The biological process of reproducing their own offspring the continuity of species, generation after generation. The basic types of reproduction are the sexual and asexual reproduction.
Sexual Reproduction: The process of reproducing their own offspring by the involvement of the two parents.
Asexual Reproduction: The process of reproducing their own offspring by the involvement of the two parents.
Excretion
Elimination of toxic and waste substances from the body is called excretion. Plants produce waste products in the form of two gases, i.e. oxygen during photosynthesis and carbon dioxide during respiration. They excrete these gases through a structure called stomata. Animals have an excretory system consisting of a couple of kidneys, ureter, urinary bladder and urethra. Kidney has a structural unit called nephron where the blood is filtered. After filtration, pure blood will circulate back to other parts and extracted waste products are passed into the ureter. Urinary bladder collects urine, which is excreted through the urethra.
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Life processes
- Constantly exhibit the functions of maintenance and repair in living organisms
- Some Examples- Digestion, Respiration, Circulation etc.
Nutrition
- Process of obtaining nutrients from the environment i.e. intake of food and then its digestion in the body. .
Autotrophic nutrition
- Synthesis of food by photosynthesis- ‘photo’ means light and ‘synthesis’ means production. It is the production of food with the help of sunlight.
- Photosynthesis equation-
6CO₂+6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆+6O₂
- Events of photosynthesis are as follows:
- Absorption of light energy chlorophyll which is the green pigment and gives energy for activation of reaction.
- Then the splitting of water into its constituent’s hydrogen and oxygen and finally reduction of CO₂ to carbohydrates.
Heterotrophic nutrition
- Generally take up energy from plants and animals by using them as food.
- Mostly of three types—holozoic, parasitic, and saprophytic.
- Digestion- mechanical and chemical reduction of ingested nutrients which can be then converted to energy for use.
- Human digestive system- consists of the long alimentary canal that includes mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus.
Nutrition in humans:
- Saliva is secreted by salivary glands located under the tongue which contains digestive enzymes like salivary amylase, which break down starch into sugar. So, digestion of carbohydrates starts in the mouth itself.
- Tongue helps in chewing, moistening, rolling and swallowing of food.
- The food from mouth then goes down the oesophagus, which is the food pipe to the stomach, through the movement of walls of oesophagus (peristalsis)
- Stomach mixes the food hence received with various digestive juices.
- Inner lining of stomach secretes:
- Mucus – protects the lining of stomach from being corroded by the acid.
- Hydrochloric acid – creates an acidic medium and dissolves bits of food.
- Digestive juices – break down protein into simpler substances.
- The food from stomach eventually moves into the small intestine.
- Digestion in small intestine: It is the longest part (about 7.5 m long) of alimentary canal. It is the site where complete digestion of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats takes place. It gets intestinal juices from two different glands – liver and pancreas that help in the further digestion of food.
- Liver is the largest gland of the body and secretes bile juice. Bile juice is stored in the gall bladder and has a significant role in the digestion of fats.
- Pancreas has enzymes that help in total digestion of all food components.
- The digestive tract and associated glands together constitute the digestive system.
Respiration
- It is controlled by enzymes and energy is released from the breakdown of organic substances. It is of two types that are aerobic and anaerobic
- Aerobic respiration .
- Anaerobic respiration
RESPIRATION IN HUMANS
- It consists of the nose, pharynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli
- Bronchioles then divide into many alveoli which are sites of gaseous exchange.
- O2 present in alveolar blood vessels is then transported to various cells of the body.
- Hemoglobin pigment present in blood is majorly responsible for transportation of carbon dioxide and oxygen.
Transportation
First and foremost things, a liquid medium is required always for transportation.
Transportation in humans
- Double circulation occurs in human beings i.e. the blood goes through the heart twice during each cardiac cycle.
- Blood and lymph are both involved in transportation
- Components of blood are RBCs, WBCs, platelets, and plasma.
- Three types of blood vessels are arteries, veins and capillaries.
- Arteries carry oxygenated blood in them, except one that is pulmonary artery
- Veins carry deoxygenated blood in them, except pulmonary vein
- The Human heart is divided into four chambers – right auricle, right ventricle, left auricle, and left ventricle
- The Right side of the heart gets deoxygenated blood from different cells of the body
- The Left side of the heart receives oxygenated blood from lungs.
Transportation in plants
- Transportation of water is through xylem tissues
- Transport of water occurs due to transpiration pull, root pressure and difference in pressure gradient.
- Transport of food or translocation takes place through phloem and it requires energy.
Excretion
It involves the removal of harmful metabolic wastes from the body of organisms by various processes.
Excretion in humans
- The excretory system consists of- a pair of kidneys, a pair of ureters, a urinary bladder, and a urethra.
- Nitrogenous wastes such as urea and uric acid are removed
- Nephron- basic filtration unit
- Main components of the nephron - glomerulus, Bowman’s capsule, renal tube