Brilliant STUDY CENTRE

CHAPTER - 09

 All living things perform certain life processes like nutrition, respiration, transportation, excretion etc.

 The basic functions performed by living organisms for their survival and body maintenance are called
life process.

Basic life processes are : Nutrition, Respiration, Transportation, Excretion etc.

LIFE PROCESSES IN MULTICELLULAR ORGANISMS

I. NUTRITION

 Life Processes require energy which is provided by nutrition.

 Nutrition: The process, by which an organism takes food and utilizes it is called nutrition.

 Need for Nutrition: Organisms need the energy to perform various activities. The energy is supplied by
the nutrients. Organisms need various raw materials for growth and repair. These raw materials are
provided by nutrients.

 Nutrients: Materials which provide nutrition to organisms are called nutrients.

Modes of Nutrition

1. Autotrophic:-Kind of nutrition in which organisms can synthesize their own food. Eg. Green Plants

2. Heterotrophic: - Kind of nutrition where organisms do not possess the ability to synthesize their own
food. They depend on other organisms for their food supply directly or indirectly. Eg. Animals, Fungi

Autotrophic Nutrition

 Autotrophs: The organisms which can make their own food are called autotrophs (green plants).
They are called producers.

 Photosynthesis: The process by which green plants make their own food with the help of CO2 and
H2O in the presence of chlorophyll and sunlight is called photosynthesis.

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6H 2 O 6 CO 2 
light energy
chlorophyll
 6O 2  C6 H12 O 6  6H 2 O
water carbon dioxide oxygen glu cose water

Raw Materials for Photosynthesis:

Autotrophs take in :

 Carbon dioxide  from air

 Water  from soil

These are converted into carbohydrates in the presence of :

 Sunlight

 Chlorophyll

Site of Photosynthesis:

Chloroplast in the leaf, chloroplast contains chlorophyll (green pigment).

Main Events of Photosynthesis:

 Absorption of light energy by chlorophyll

 Conversion of light energy into chemical energy and splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen

 Reduction of CO2 to carbohydrates

Stomata : Tiny pores present on the surface of the leaves.
Functions :

 Exchange of gases O2/CO2

 Loss of water (water vapour) during transpiration.

Opening and closing of stomatal pores:

 The opening and closing of stomatal pores are controlled by the turgidity of guard cells.

 When guard cells uptake water from surrounding cells, they swell to become a turgid body, which
enlarges the pore in between (Stomatal Opening).

 Later, when water is released, they become flaccid, shrinking to close the pore (Stomatal Closing).

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Significance of Photosynthesis:

 Photosynthesis is the main way by which solar energy is made available to different living beings.

 Green plants are the main producers of food in the ecosystem. All other organisms directly or indirectly
depend on green plants for food.

 The process of photosynthesis also helps in maintaining the balance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in
the air.
Mineral Nutrients from Soil
Plants take several minerals from the soil to :
• Build their body
• Grow and repair tissues
Important minerals include :
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorous
• Iron
• Magnesium
These minerals are required in small amounts but are essential.
Certain bacteria :
• Convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms.
• This process is called nitrogen fixation.
Heterotrophic Nutrition
The mode of nutrition in which an organism takes food from another organism is called heterotrophic
nutrition.

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Nutrition in Amoeba
 Amoeba is a unicellular organism which follows the holozoic mode of nutrition.
 In holozoic nutrition, the digestion of food follows after the ingestion of food. Thus, digestion takes
place inside the body of the organism.
 Holozoic nutrition happens in five steps, viz. ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation and egestion.

 Ingestion: The process of taking in the food

 Digestion: The process of breaking complex food substances into simple molecules. Simple molecules,
thus obtained, can be absorbed by the body easily.
 Absorption: The process of absorption of digested food
 Assimilation: The process of utilization of digested food, for energy and for growth and repair
 Egestion: The process of removing undigested food from the body
Amoeba has a holozoic nutrition. Thus, solid food particles are ingested which react with enzymes
and are digested.

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(i) Amoeba moves with the help of pseudopodia (extension of cell membrane), along with cytoplasm
which also helps to capture its food
(ii) Food vacuole is formed. Food inside the vacuole is digested by digestive enzymes.
(iii) Undigested food is expelled through the cell membrane.
Nutrition in Paramoecium
• Paramoecium is a unicellular organism that has definit eshape and is covered with cilia.
• Cilia beat continously and sweep food particles inot the oral groove.
• Food enters the cell and forms a food vacuole.
• Digestive enzymes break down the food inside the vacuole.
• Digested nutrients are absorbed into the cytoplasm.
• Undigested food is expelled through the cell surface.
Nutrition in Human Beings
Human beings are complex animals, which have a complex digestive system. The human digestive system
is composed of an alimentary canal and some accessory digestive glands.
 The alimentary canal is divided into several parts, like oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large
intestine, rectum and anus.
 Salivary glands, gastric glands, liver and pancreas are the accessory glands which lie outside the
alimentary canal.

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1. Mouth & Buccal Cavity:

 The mouth has teeth and tongue. Salivary glands are also present in the mouth.

 The tongue has gustatory receptors which perceive the sense of taste.

 The tongue helps in turning over the food so that saliva can be properly mixed in it.

 Teeth help in breaking down the food into smaller particles so that, swallowing of food becomes easier.

 There are four types of teeth in human beings - incisors, canines, premolars and molars

 Salivary glands secrete saliva: Saliva makes the food slippery which makes it easy to swallow the
food. Saliva also contains the enzyme salivary amylase or ptyalin.

 Salivary amylase digests starch and converts it into maltose

2. Oesophagus: Allows food to pass from buccal cavity to stomach by peristaltic movement.

 Peristaltic movement: Rhythmic contraction of muscles of the lining of the alimentary canal to push
the food forward.

3. Stomach

 Stomach is a bag-like organ. Highly muscular walls of the stomach help in churning the food.

 The walls of the stomach contains gastric glands that secrete gastric juice.

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 Hydrochloric acid kills the germs which may be present in food.

 It makes the medium inside the stomach acidic. An acidic medium is necessary for gastric enzymes
to work.

 The enzyme pepsin, secreted in the stomach, does partial digestion of protein.

 The mucus, secreted by the walls of the stomach saves the inner lining of the stomach from getting
damaged by the hydrochloric acid.

• The exit of food from the stomach is regulated by a sphincter muscle which releases it in small amounts
into the small intestine.

Liver: Liver is the largest gland in the human body. The liver produces bile, which gets stored in the
gall bladder. From the gall bladder, bile is released as and when required.

Pancreas: Pancreas is situated below the stomach. It secretes pancreatic juice which contains many
digestive enzymes.

 Bile and pancreatic juice flow into the small intestine through a duct.

 Bile breaks down fat into smaller particles. This process is called emulsification of fat. It does not
contain any enzymes for digestion

4. Small Intestine: It is a highly coiled tube-like structure.

Site for complete digestion and absorption of nutrients

 Numerous finger-like structures, called villi are present in the lining of small intestine (ileum).

 Villi increase the surface area inside the ileum so that optimum absorption can take place.

 Digested food is absorbed by villi.

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5. Large Intestine:
 Large intestine is smaller in length than the small intestine.
 Undigested food goes into the large intestine.
 Some water and salt are absorbed by the walls of the large intestine.
 The undigested food goes to the rectum, from where it is expelled out through the anus (Egestion).
• The exit of this waste material is regulated by the anal sphincter.
Tooth Decay
• Tooth decay is the gradual destruction of tooth. It mainly affects the enamel and dentine.
• Bacteria in the mouth act on sugars to produce acids that dissolve enamel minerals and form dental
plaque, which blocks saliva from neutralising the acid.
• If untreated, the decay spreads to dentine and pulp, causing pain, inflammation, infection and possible
tooth loss.
II. RESPIRATION
 Respiration: The process by which a living being utilizes the food to derive energy
 Here carbohydrate is oxidized to produce energy.
 Mitochondria are the site of respiration and the energy released is stored in the form of ATP (adenosine
triphosphate).
Steps of respiration:
 Breaking down of glucose into pyruvate: This step happens in the cytoplasm. Glucose molecule is
broken down into pyruvate. Glucose molecule is composed of 6 carbon atoms, while pyruvate is
composed of 3 carbon atoms.
 Fate of Pyruvate: Depends on the organism and oxygen.
In aerobic organisms,, futher breakdown of pyruvate takes place in mitochondria, while in anaerobic
organisms it occurs in the cytoplasm.
Types of Respiration
 Aerobic respiration: This type of respiration happens by utilising oxygen. Pyruvate is converted into
CO2. Energy is released and water molecule is also formed at the end of this process.
 Anaerobic respiration: This type of respiration happens without utilizing oxygen. Pyruvate is either
converted into ethyl alcohol or lactic acid. Ethyl alcohol is usually formed in case of anaerobic respiration
in microbes, like yeast. Lactic acid is formed in some microbes as well as in the muscle cells.

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Human Respiratory System: Passage of air through the respiratory system.

Mechanism of Breathing

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Exchange of Gases between alveolus, blood and tissues.

 Terrestrial Organism - use atmospheric oxygen for respiration

 Aquatic Organisms - use oxygen dissolved in water.
 Respiration in Plants: Respiration in plants is simpler than the respiration in animals. Gaseous
exchange occur through
1. Stomata in leaves 2. Lenticels on stems 3. General surface of the roots.
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III. TRANSPORTATION
1. Human beings like other multicellular organisms need regular supply of food, oxygen, etc., This function
is performed by circulatory system or transport system.

2. The circulatory system in human beings consists of :

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Double Circulation : Blood travels twice through the heart in one complete cycle of the body.

 Pulmonary circulation: blood moves from the heart to the lungs and back to the heart.

 Systemic circulation: blood moves from the heart to rest of the body and back to the heart.

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 Lymph: There is another type of fluid also involved in transportation. This is called lymph or tissue fluid.
Through the pores present in the walls of capillaries some amount of plasma, proteins and blood cells
escape into intercellular spaces in the tissues to form the tissue fluid or lymph. It issimilar to the
plasma of blood but colourless and contains less protein. Lymph drains into lymphatic capillaries from
the intercellular spaces, which join to form large lymph vessels that finally open into larger veins.
Lymph carries digested and absorbed fat from intestine and drains excess fluid from extra cellular
space back into the blood.

Transportation in Plants:
There are two main conducting tissues in a plant. (a) Xylem (b) Phloem.

 Transpiration is the process by which plants lose water in the form of water vapour from the aerial
parts (leaves, stem) of the plant

 Role of Transpiration
1. Absorption and upward movement of water and minerals by creating a pull.
2. Helps in temperature regulation in plants.

 Translocation : Transport of food from leaves (food factory) to the different parts of the plant. It occurs
in phloem.

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IV. EXCRETION

Excretion in human beings: The process of the removal of harmful metabolic wastes from the body is
called excretion.

 Excretory system of human beings includes :

-A pair of kidneys

-A urinary bladder

-A pair of ureters

-A urethra

 Kidney is a bean-shaped organ which lies near the vertebral column in the abdominal cavity.

 Each kidney is composed of many filtering units, called nephrons.

 Nephron is the functional unit of kidney.

 Process of Excretion

Renal artery brings in blood containing waste substances to the kidneys.

Kidney filters blood.

Urine produced in the kidneys passes through the ureters and into the urinary bladder where it is
stored until it is released through the urethra.
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 Function of Kidneys: They remove waste products from the blood i.e., urea which is produced in the
liver.
 Mechanism of Urine Formation : The Urine formation involves three steps:
1. Blood is filtered from the glomerulus into Bowman's capsule of the nephron. This
filtrate passes through the tubules of the nephron.
2. Now, useful substances from the filtrate like Na+, K+, glucose, amino acids, etc. are selectively
reabsorbed by the capillaries surrounding the nephron into the blood. The amount of water
re-absorbed depends on how much excess water there is in the body, and on how much of
dissolved waste there is to be excreted.
3. Urea, extra water and salts are secreted into the tubule & then into the ureters.

 Urine is stored in the urinary bladder until the pressure of the expanded bladder leads to the urge to
pass it out through the urethra.

 Haemodialysis: The process of purifying blood by an artificial kidney. It is meant for kidney failure
patients

 Excretion in Plants
1. Oxygen released during photosynthesis.
2. H2O by transpiration
3. Wastes may be stored in leaves, bark etc., which fall off from the plant.
4. Waste products stored as gums, resin, in old xylem
5. Plants excrete some waste into the soil around them.

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QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following is incorrect?
A) Organisms grow with time
B) Organisms must repair and maintain their structure
C) Movement of molecules does not take place among cells
D) Energy is essential for life processes
2. Select the correct statement
A) Heterotrophs can synthesise their own food
B) Autotrophs utilise solar energy for photosynthesis
C) Parasites absorb decaying food materials from the soil
D) Heterotrophs are capable of converting carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates
3. In which mode of nutrition does an organism derive its food from the body of another living
organism without killing it?
A) Saprotrophic nutrition B) Parasitic nutrition
C) Holozoic nutrition D) Autotrophic nutrition
4. The mode of nutrition found in fungi is
A) Parasitic nutrition B) Holozoic nutrition
C) Autotrophic nutrition D) Saprotrophic nutrition
5. The site of photosynthesis in the cells of a leaf is
A) Chloroplast B) Mitochondria C) Cytoplasm D) Protoplasm
6. Which process converts light energy to chemical energy?
A) Respiration B) Photosynthesis C) Transpiration D) Translocation
7. In amoeba, food is digested in the:
A) Food vacuole B) Mitochondria C) Pseudopodia D) Chloroplast
8. Which of the following events will be affected in the stomach if HCl is lacking in the gastric juice?
A) Starch breaking down into sugars B) Breaking down of fats
C) Conversion of pepsinogen into pepsin D) All of the above
9. Which region of the alimentary canal is the main site of absorption of the digested food?
A) Stomach B) Small intestine C) Large intestine D) Liver
10. When a few drops of iodine solution are added to rice water, the solution turns blue- black in
colour. This indicates that rice water contains
A) fats B) Complex proteins C) Starch D) Simple proteins

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11. What are the final products obtained by anaerobic respiration in yeast?
A) Lactic acid + Energy B) Carbon dioxide + Water + Energy
C) Ethanol + Carbon dioxide + Energy D) Pyruvate
12. Glucose is a ......carbon molecule
A) Four B) Five C) Six D) Seven
13. The breakdown of pyruvate to give carbon dioxide, water and energy takes place in
A) Cytoplasm B) Mitochondria C) Chloroplast D) Nucleus
14. Name the substance/s whose build up in the muscles during vigorous physical exercise may
cause cramps
A) Ethanol + Carbon dioxide B) Lactic acid
C) Carbon dioxide + Water D) Pyruvate
15. Name the pores on a leaf through which exchange of gases takes place
A) Lenticels B) Vacuoles C) Xylem D) Stomata
16. The respiratory pigment in human beings is
A) Carotene B) Blood C) Haemoglobin D) Mitochondria
17. Site of gas exchange in the human respiratory system is
A) Alveoli B) Trachea C) Bronchi D) Larynx
18. The energy released during the process of respiration is used to make a chemical called
A) ATP B) ADP C) Pyruvate D) Lactic acid
19. When air is blown through lime water it turns milky because of.....
A) Water B) Carbon dioxide C) Limestone D) Oxygen
20. Which plant tissue transports water and minerals from the roots to the leaf?
A) Xylem B) Phloem C) Parenchyma D) Collenchyma
21. The movement of food through phloem is called
A) transpiration B) Translocation C) Respiration D) Evaporation
22. Most of the plants absorb nitrogen from the soil in the form of
A) Proteins B) Nitrates and nitrites
C) Atmospheric nitrogen D) Amino acids
23. Backflow of blood from the ventricles into the atria is prevented by
A) Septal walls B) Nodal tissues C) Valves D) Both B and C
24. Single circulation is exhibited by
A) Amphibians B) Lizards C) Fish D) All vertebrates

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25. Name the tubes which connect the kidneys to the urinary bladder.
A) Urethra B) Nephrons C) Tubules D) Ureters
26. Blood containing nitrogenous wastes is filtered in the
A) Heart B) Lungs C) Ureter D) Kidneys
27. The procedure used for removing nitrogenous wastes from the blood of a person with kidney
failure is called
A) Excretion B) Filtration C) Dialysis D) Double circulation
28. Identify the correct path of urine in the human body.
A) Kidney  urinary bladder  urethra  ureter
B) Urinary bladder  ureter  kidney  urethra
C) Kidney  ureter  urethra  urinary bladder
D) Kidney  ureter  urinary bladder  urethra
29. Plants can remove their waste products by
A)Photosynthesis B) Transpiration C) Shedding of leaves D) All of the above
30. Match the following
Column I Column II

a. Pulmonary vein p. Short small intestine

b. Pulmonary artery q. Long small intestine

c. Gums and resins [Link] waste products

d. Herbivores s. Deoxygenated blood

t. Oxygenated blood

A) a - s, b – q, c – p, d - t B) a -t , b – s, c – r, d – q
C) a -t , b – r, c– q, d - s D) a - s, b – t, c – r, d - q

ANSWERS
1. C 6. B 11. C 16. C 21. B 26. D
2. B 7. A 12. C 17. A 22. B 27. C
3. B 8. C 13. B 18. A 23. C 28. D
4. D 9. B 14. B 19. B 24. C 29. D
5. A 10. C 15. D 20. A 25. D 30. B

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