Biology Assignment Solutions: Life Processes (Nutrition)
Section 1: General Concepts
Q1. Why is diffusion insufficient to meet the oxygen requirements of
multicellular organisms like humans?
In single-celled organisms, the entire surface of the organism is in contact with the
environment, allowing gases to diffuse directly into the cell. However, in large
multicellular organisms like humans, most cells are not in direct contact with the
surrounding environment. Diffusion is a very slow process; it is estimated that it
would take three years for a molecule of oxygen to travel from our lungs to our toes
by diffusion alone. Therefore, multicellular organisms have evolved specialized
respiratory and circulatory systems to transport oxygen quickly to every cell.
Q2. What criteria do we use to decide whether something is alive?
The most important criterion is movement, though some movements (like plant
growth) are not easily visible. More specifically, we look for molecular movements
and various life processes including:
• Nutrition: Taking in food.
• Respiration: Producing energy from food.
• Transportation: Moving substances within the body.
• Excretion: Removing waste.
• Growth and Reproduction.
Q3. What are the outside raw materials used for by an organism?
Organisms use outside raw materials mainly for energy and growth.
• Food (Carbon-based molecules): Used as a source of energy and body-
building material.
• Oxygen: Used by many organisms to break down food and release energy
(respiration).
• Water: Necessary for metabolic reactions and maintaining cell structure.
Q4. What processes would you consider essential for maintaining life?
The essential life processes include:
1. Nutrition
2. Respiration
3. Transportation
4. Excretion
5. Control and Coordination
Section 2: Diagrams and Identifications
Q5. Draw diagrams for the following:
(Please refer to your textbook for the specific visual details of these diagrams.)
• (a) Cross-section of a leaf: Should show the waxy cuticle, upper epidermis,
chloroplasts in the mesophyll layer, and stomata on the lower epidermis.
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• (b) Structure of Chloroplast: Should show the double membrane, stroma,
and stacks of thylakoids called grana.
Anatoliy Stepura
• (c) Open and closed stomata: Highlight the swelling/shrinking of guard cells
and the stomatal pore.
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• (d) Nutrition in Amoeba: Show the stages of ingestion (pseudopodia),
digestion (food vacuole), absorption, assimilation, and egestion.
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Q6. Identify I, II, III, and IV in the diagram given:
The diagram depicts a stoma.
• I: Chloroplast
• II: Guard Cell
• III: Stomatal Pore
• IV: Nucleus
Section 3: Experimental Observations
Q7. Analysis of the Bell Jar setup:
• (a) Name the atmospheric gas which is essential for photosynthesis:
Carbon dioxide CO²
• (b) Why is potassium hydroxide (KOH) kept in a watch glass in figure X?
KOH is used because it absorbs carbon dioxide from the air inside the bell jar.
• (c) State the difference between the plants in the pots X and Y after a few
days: Plant X will not be able to perform photosynthesis effectively because it
lacks CO², so it will likely turn pale or show a negative starch test. Plant Y will
remain healthy and produce starch.
• (d) Why is iodine used in the above experiment? Iodine is used to test for
the presence of starch. A blue-black color indicates starch is present.
Q8. Design an activity to show that sunlight is essential for photosynthesis:
1. De-starch a potted plant by keeping it in the dark for 3 days.
2. Cover a portion of one leaf with a strip of black paper.
3. Keep the plant in sunlight for 6 hours.
4. Pluck the leaf, remove the paper, and test for starch using iodine.
5. Observation: Only the uncovered part turns blue-black. The covered part
remains yellowish-brown, proving sunlight is essential.
Q9. Analysis of the Variegated Leaf experiment:
• (a) What type of leaves are shown? Variegated leaves (leaves with green
and non-green parts).
• (b) Aim of the experiment: To show that chlorophyll is essential for
photosynthesis.
• (c) Examples: Money plant or Croton.
• (d) Why is the leaf boiled in alcohol? To remove chlorophyll so that the
color change with iodine can be seen clearly.
• (e) Indicator used: Iodine solution.
• (f) Observations: Only the parts that were originally green turn blue-black,
indicating starch production only occurred where chlorophyll was present.
Section 4: Advanced Theory
Q10. Describe the process of holozoic nutrition in Amoeba:
Amoeba uses temporary finger-like extensions of the cell surface called
pseudopodia to engulf food. The food is taken into a food vacuole, where complex
substances are broken down into simpler ones. These then diffuse into the
cytoplasm. The remaining undigested material is moved to the surface of the cell and
thrown out.
Q11. Explain the mechanism that controls the opening and closing of stomata:
This is controlled by the guard cells. When water flows into the guard cells, they
swell and become curved, causing the stomatal pore to open. When the guard cells
lose water, they shrink and become straight, causing the pore to close.
Q12. How do desert plants photosynthesize?
Desert plants take up carbon dioxide at night and prepare an intermediate
compound. This intermediate is acted upon by the energy absorbed by the
chlorophyll during the day. This prevents excessive water loss through stomata
during the hot daylight hours.
Q13. Describe the mechanism of photosynthesis in plants:
It involves three main steps:
1. Absorption of light energy by chlorophyll.
2. Conversion of light energy to chemical energy and splitting of water
molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
3. Reduction of carbon dioxide to carbohydrates (glucose).
Q14. Nutritive strategies:
• (a) Cuscuta: Parasitic (derives nutrition from a host plant without killing it).
• (b) Bread mould: Saprophytic (breaks down food outside the body and then
absorbs it).
• (c) Leech: Parasitic (sucks blood from a host).
• (d) Paramoecium: Holozoic (food is moved to a specific spot by cilia and
then ingested).
Q15. Stored forms of glucose:
• Plants: Starch.
• Animals: Glycogen.
Q16. Complete equation for photosynthesis:
6CO² + 12H²O → Chlorophyll/Sunlight C⁶H¹²O⁶ + 6O²+ 6H²0
Q17. Differentiate between egestion and excretion:
• Egestion: The removal of undigested food from the digestive tract.
• Excretion: The removal of metabolic waste products (like urea or CO²)
produced inside the cells.
Q18. Why is leaf the best site for photosynthesis?
Leaves have a large surface area for maximum light absorption, contain a high
concentration of chloroplasts (chlorophyll), and have stomata for efficient gas
exchange CO² in and O²