Saumya Victor

Asst. Teacher

6. Life Processes
• All living things perform certain life processes like
growth, excretion, respiration, circulation 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 require energy which is provided by

nutrition.
Modes of Nutrition:
1. Autotrophic :-Kind of nutrition in which organisms
can synthesize (prepare) their own food.

Eg. Green Plants

2. Heterotrophic:- Kind of nutrition of which

organisms do not possess the ability to synthesize their
own food. They depend on autotrophs 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).

➢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 also called photosynthesis.

Raw Materials for Photosynthesis : Co2 and H2O

Site of Photosynthesis : Chloroplast in the leaf. Chloroplast

contain chlorophyll. (green pigment)
Main Events of Photosynthesis

• Absorption of sunlight energy by chlorophyll

• CO2 to carbohydrates.
Stomata:
Stomata: Tiny pores present on the surface of
the leaves.

Functions of Stomata

(i) Exchange of gases O2 / CO2

(ii) Loses large amount of water [water vapour] a) Open Stomata b) Closed Stomata

during transpiration and helps in up flow of

water.
Types of heterotrophic nutrition :-
There are three main types of:
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 mold,
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, paramecium,
birds, fishes, humans etc.
Nutrition in Human beings :-
• Nutrition in human being takes place in the digestive system.

• It consists of the alimentary canal and glands which produce enzymes

(asmylase) 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.
• 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 molecules (i.e maltose & dextrin). Then
the food passes through the oesophagus into the stomach following peristaltic
movement.
Tongue
• In the stomach :- the gastric glands produce gastric juice which contains the
enzyme pepsinogen, hydrochloric acid (HCL) and mucus.

• Pepsinogen is converted into pepsin by HCL ,then pepsin break down proteins.

• Hydrochloric acid kills the microbes, makes the medium acidic and helps in the
action of pepsin.

• Mucus protects the walls of the stomach from the action of the acid. Bile juice has
no enzymes but it is essential for digestion as it acts on fats (Emulsification of fat).

• Then the food passes into the small intestine.

• In the small intestine :- 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.

• Pancreas secretes pancreatic juice which contains enzymes like trypsin and lipase. Trypsin
breaks down proteins into peptides/peptones. Lipase breaks down lipids (oils & fats).

• Secretes hormones like insulin & glucagon which regulates the level of glucose in the blood.

• 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.
Respiration :
• The process by which a living being utilizes the food to get energy, is called respiration.

• Respiration is an oxidation reaction in which carbohydrate is oxidized to produce energy.

• Mitochondria is the site of respiration and the energy released is stored in the form of ATP
(adenosine triphosphate).

• ATP is stored in mitochondria and is released as per need.

• 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
(respiration)
Steps of respiration:
• Breaking down of glucose into pyruvate: This step happens in the cytoplasm. Glucose
molecule is broken down into pyruvic acid. Glucose molecule is composed of 6 carbon
atoms, while pyruvic acid is composed of 3 carbon atoms.

• Fate of Pyruvic Acid: Further breaking down of pyruvic acid takes place in mitochondria
and the molecules formed depend on the type of respiration in a particular organism.
Respiration is of two types, viz. aerobic respiration and anaerobic respiration.

• Respiration involves: Gaseous exchange- Intake of oxygen from the atmosphere and
release of CO2 → Breathing.

• Breakdown of simple food in order to release energy inside the cell → Cellular respiration
Types of Respiration:
• 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.

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.

Presence of oxygen Presence of oxygen

Glucose In cytoplasm
Pyruvate CO2 + H2O + Energy
In mitochondria
• 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 Lack 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, carbon dioxide 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 :-
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 pharynx, 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.
 Mechanism 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.
Transportation in Human beings :
The main transport system in human beings is the circulatory system. It consists of blood,
arteries, veins capillaries and heart.
• 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, carbon dioxide,
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.
• Arteries :- carry pure blood from the heart to all parts of the body.
• Veins :- carry impure blood from all parts of the body to the heart.
• 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.
• Heart :- is a muscular organ which pumps blood to all parts of the body. It has
four chambers. The upper chambers are called arteries and the lower chambers
are called ventricles. Since the ventricles pump blood to the different organs its
walls are thicker than the arteries. The right and left chambers are separated by
a septum. It prevents the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood The
arteries and ventricles have valves between them to prevent blood flowing
backward.
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 colorless 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 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 tracheid's. Water and minerals enter the roots
by diffusion. Then due to transpiration, the suction force helps in the upward
movement of water an 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.
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 specialized organs.
Excretion in Human beings :-
• The excretory system consists of a pair of
kidneys:

• a pair of ureters,

• urinary bladder

• urethra

• Each kidney has a number of excretory units

called nephrons.
 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.
 Filteration and creation of urine:
The filtration and creation of urine take place in four steps:

• Glomerual Filteration: Glomerulus, which serves as the location of blood filtration, filter the blood through the
pushing of blood through its capillaries. The blood passes through the filtration membranes of the glomerulus
and is now called filtrate which is devoid of large cells such as proteins. The filtrate pass to the bowman's
capsule and then to the proximal convoluted tubule. The glomerulus filter about 180 liters of blood.

• Reabsorption: The filtrate contains essential nutrients that the body needs and wastes that will be later
eliminated from the body. In order to reuse the essential substances in the filtrate, a reabsorption process takes
place. The vast process of reabsorption takes place in the proximal convoluted tubule. Essential substances such
as water, glucose, electrolytes, and amino acids are reabsorbed back into the blood. Then, when the remaining
filtrate reaches the loop of Henle, more selective reabsorption occurs. The majority of water is reabsorbed from
the first portion of the descending limb of the loop of Henle, while sodium, potassium, and chloride are
reabsorbed in the ascending limb of Henle.
• Secretion: When water along with essential substances are
reabsorbed in the proximal-distal tubule, secretion of hydrogen and
water ions takes place at the same moment. The hydrogen ions
have a role in balancing the pH of the blood. Waste products also
are secreted such as creatinine, urea, and uric acid.
• Urine formation: The remaining filtrate along with the waste
product combine to form the urine. Urine makes its way from the
collecting duct to the ureters to the urinary bladder and is then
expelled from the urethra.
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