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Chapter 6 : Life Processes

LIFE PROCESSES

Growth Diges on Respira on Circula on Excre on

1. Nutri on :
The process by which an organism obtains its food.

Modes of Nutri on:

Autotrophic Heterotrophic
It is a process in which the organism It is a mode of nutri on in which
produces its food from simple inorganic organisms depend upon other
materials such as water, carbon dioxide organisms for food to survive. They
and mineral salts in the presence of can't make their own food like green
sunlight. plants.
Eg : Green Plants Eg : Animals

Simple inorganic Complex high

material and Excess is stored in
Autotrophs Use energy molecules
convert into form of Starch
(Carbohydrates)

 In animals the excess food is stored in form of Glycogen.

 Raw Materials for Photosynthesis:

 Sunlight
 Chlorophyll – Sunlight absorbed by chlorophyll
 CO2- Enters through stomata and Oxygen is released as a byproduct through
stomata on leaf.
 Water – water and dissolved minerals like nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium,
are taken up by the roots of the soil (Nitrogen is taken in form of nitrates and
nitrites).
 Equa on for Photosynthesis:
6CO2+6H2O→C6H12O6+6O2

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 Site of Photosynthesis:
Chloroplast in the leaf
 Main events of Photosynthesis
 Chlorophyll absorbs light energy.
 The light energy is converted into chemical energy when the water molecules are
split into hydrogen and oxygen.
 Carbon dioxide is reduced to carbohydrates.
Note: Desert plants take up carbon dioxide in night and prepare an intermediate
which is acted upon in the presence of sunlight.

Cross Sec on of a Leaf

 Stomata:
 Helps in gaseous exchange.
 The opening and closing of the pore is a func on of the guard cells and the
guard cells swell when water flows into them causing the stomatal pore to
open. Similarly, the pore closes if the guard cells shrink.

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Heterotrophic Nutri on :
1. Holozoic : Animals take in solid food and break down inside the body. Example
amoeba , animals.
2. Saprophy c: Organisms feed on dead decaying ma er. Eg : Fungi
3. Parasi c : Parasites live inside or outside other organism and derive nutri on from it.
Eg : Cuscuta, ck

How do Organisms obtain their food:

Amoeba:

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Amoeba

Pseudopodia (extension of cell

membrane) captures food

Taken by a food vacuole

Diges on of food in food, vacuole

(diffusion of simple substances in
cytoplasm)

Undigested food moves to the

surface of cell and is thrown out

Paramecium :

Take in food
Cilia all over
Paramecium at a specific
the body
spot

Nutri on in Human beings:

Parts Func ons

Mouth in take of whole food
Teeth chewing or grinding of food
Tongue rolling of food + tas ng of food+ swallowing or pushing down of
the food

Salivary glands secrete saliva and mucus

salivary amylase
starch Sugar
Oesophagus Taking food from mouth to stomach by peristal c movement
(Contrac on and expansion of muscles of oesophagus)

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Stomach Gastric glands Secrete gastric juices

Gastric Juices

Pepsin HCl Mucus

(Breaks down (Makes medium acidic (Protects the
proteins to pep des) for facilita ng the ac on inner lining
of pepsin, Kills the germs) of stomach)
Movement of food from stomach to small intes ne is regulated by sphincter muscles
Small intes ne (a) Longest part of alimentary canal.
The length differs in different animals depending on the food
consumed. Herbivores has longer small intes ne to allow diges on
of cellulose whereas carnivores has shorter small intes ne to allow
diges on of meat.

Intes nal Enzymes

converts

Carbohydrates Fats Proteins

Glucose Fa y acids and glycerol Amino acids

(b) Contains Villi (finger like projec ons) which increase the
surface area for absorp on of food into the blood stream.
(c)
Receives secre ons from – Liver Bile
converts
Large fat globules
Emulsifica on

Small fat globules

Pancreas

Pancrea c Juice

Trypsin Lipase
Converts Converts

Proteins to Peptones Fats to lipids

Large Intes ne a) Absorb excess of water
b) The rest of the material is removed from the body via anus.
The movement of waste material from anus is regulated by sphincter.

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Points on ac vi es related to nutri on:

 Presence of starch is indicated by using iodine which turns blue black in colour.
 Po ed plants kept in darkness is to halt photosynthesis and u lize the complete
starch stored in plants.
 Leaf dipped in boiling water and then in alcohol to extract chlorophyll and remove
the green color of the leaves.
 Potassium hydroxide absorbs carbon dioxide.
RESPIRATION
Respira on involves :

 Internal respira on : Gaseous exchange between the blood and body cells.
 Cellular respira on involves the breakdown of simple food to energy.

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Glucose

In cytoplasm

Pyruvic Acid + Energy

Ethanol + CO2 + CO2 + H2O + Energy

Energy (ATP)

Lac c acid + Energy

Aerobic Respira on Anaerobic Respira on

Aerobic respira on occurs in presence of Anaerobic respira on occurs in absence of
oxygen. oxygen.
It releases more energy but more slowly. It releases less energy but more quickly
Occurs in mitochondria Occurs in cytoplasm
End products are CO2 + H2O End products are alcohol or lac c acid.

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Human Respiratory System

Pathway:

• Facilitates the entry of air into the body.

Nostril

• Filters the air by trapping dust particles in hair

Nasal • Adds moisture and bring the air temperature to the body temperature.
Cavity

• Warming and moistening the air

Pharynx

• Produces sound and forms the basis for our speech,song etc.
Larynx

• Channelises air into the lungs.

Trachea

• Helps in passage of air into bronchioles.

Bronchus

Bronchio • Pass the air into the structural and functional units of respiratory system i.e. alveoli
les

• Exchange of gases
Alveoli

• Carries oxygen to the body and collects CO2 from each and every cell of the body.
Blood

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Events or steps in respira on:

• Air movement into and out of lung

Breathing

Gaseous • Exchange of gases between alveoli and blood

exchange at
lungs level.

• Transport of oxygen from blood capillaries of alveoli to

Gas transport body cells and return of carbon dioxide.
by blood

• Exchanging of oxygen from blood into the cells and

Gaseous
excahnge at carbon dioxide outside from the cells into the blood .
tissue level

• Using oxygen in cell processes to produce carbon dioxide

Cellular and water using energy to be used for life process.
respiration

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Organs/Modes of Respira on:

Organ of Respira on Mode of Respira on Organisms

Body Surface Diffusion Amoeba, Hydra, Planaria
Trachea Tracheal respira on Insects (Cockroaches,
grasshopper)
Gills Branchial respira on Fish, crab, Tadpole larva of
frog
Skin Cutaneous respira on Leech, Earthworm,
Amphibians.
Lungs Pulmonary (Bronchial) Amphibians, Rep les, birds,
respira on mammals

Difference between Inhala on and Exhala on:

Basis of Comparison Inhalation Exhalation

Process of taking air into the It’s the process of letting air
Meaning
lungs. out from the lungs.
Size of Chest Cavity Increases Decreases
Contract during the process Relaxes during exhalation
Role of Diaphragm and flattens by moving and turns into dome-shaped
down. by moving up.
Increases during the process Decreases during the
Volume of Lungs
i.e. get inflated process i.e. get deflated
Oxygen-rich air is taken in Carbon dioxide is pushed
Result
the blood. out
They relax and external They contract and external
Role of Intercostal Muscle
costal muscles contract intercostals muscles relax
Inhaled air is oxygen and Air exhaled is carbon
Composition of Air
nitrogen mix dioxide and nitrogen mix
Effect of Intercostal Rib cage moves upward and
Rib cage moves downward
Muscles outward
Air Pressure Decreases Increases

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Exchange of gases between alveolus, blood and ssues:

Air (rich in O2) Blood Binds with haemoglobin in RBC O2 is
released in alveolus through blood vessels Tissues
CO2 released in blood dissolved in blood Blood vessels
released in alveolar sac sent out through nostrils.
Respira on in Plants:
a) Stomata in leaves
b) Len cels in the stem
c) General surface of the root

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TRANSPORTATION IN ANIMALS

Blood Vascular System Lympha c System

Lymph Lymph
Heart
Nodes Vessels
Blood
Blood Vessels
Lymph
Lymph
Capillaries
Plasma + Blood Cells

Arteries,
Veins,
Capillaries

Difference Between Arteries and Veins:

Parameter Arteries Veins
Transport direction Carries blood away from the Carries blood towards the
heart heart
Type of blood Carries oxygenated blood Carries deoxygenated blood
Its location is deep within Its location is close to the
Location
the body skin
Their colour is red due to Their blood is blue due to
Colour
the oxygenated blood the deoxygenated blood
The pulmonary artery The pulmonary vein carries
Pulmonary vessel carries blood that is blood that is certainly
deoxygenated oxygenated
They are resistance blood They are capacitance blood
Resistance
vessels vessels
Their walls are not elastic in
Elasticity Their walls are elastic
contrast to arteries
The pressure of blood
flowing is high , rapid and The pressure of blood
Pressure intensity
quick. Hence the walls are flowing is low
thicker.

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Capillaries: The capillaries are thin walled and extremely narrow tubes or blood vessels
which connect arteries to veins. Thus, the capillaries are in-between the arteries and veins.
The blood from arteries enters the capillaries in the body. Every living cell of our body is
close to a capillary. The walls of capillaries are only one-cell thick. The various dissolved
substances (like oxygen, food, etc.) present in blood pass into the body cells through the
thin walls of the capillaries. At the same me, the waste substances (like carbon dioxide)
formed in the cells enter into capillaries. Thus, the exchange of various materials like
oxygen, food, carbon dioxide, etc., between the blood and the body cells takes place
through capillaries.
The other end of capillaries is joined to some wider tubes called veins. The deoxygenated
blood coming from the capillaries enters into veins.

Heart :
 It’s a muscular organ size of our fist.
 Contains 4 chambers: Le auricle , le ventricle, right auricle, right ventricle.
 The chambers prevent the mixing of the oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.
 Walls of Ventricles are thicker when compared to auricle as the ventricles pump
blood to various organs.
 Valves present prevents the back flow of blood.

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Func ons of :

Red Blood Cells :

Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to all the cells of the body. It is actually the
haemoglobin present in red blood cells which carries oxygen in the body. Haemoglobin
performs a very important function of carrying oxygen from lungs to body tissues.
Haemoglobin also carries some of the carbon dioxide from body tissues to the lungs (most of
carbon dioxide is carried by plasma of blood in the dissolved form).

White Blood Cells:

White blood cells fight infec on and protect us from diseases.

Platelets:
Platelets help in the coagula on of blood (or clo ng of blood) in a cut or wound.

Valves in heart:
Prevent the back flow of blood in the chambers.

Double Circula on in humans:

A circulatory system in which the blood travels twice through the heart in one complete
cycle of the body is called double circula on.

Pulmonary Circula on: The pathway of blood from the heart to the lungs and back to the
heart.
Systemic Circula on: The pathway of blood from the heart to the rest of the body and back
to the heart

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1. When the muscles of all the four chambers of the heart are relaxed, the pulmonary vein
brings the oxygenated blood (oxygen-carrying blood) from the lungs into the le atrium of
the heart .
2. When the le atrium contracts, the oxygenated blood is pushed into the le ventricle
through the valve.
3. When the le ventricle contracts, the oxygenated blood is forced into the main artery
called ‘aorta’. This main artery then branches into smaller arteries which go into different
body organs (except the lungs). The smaller arteries (called arterioles) further
branch into capillaries.
4. The main artery carries blood to all the organs (or parts) of the body like head, chest,
arms, stomach, intes nes, liver, kidney, trunk and legs (except the lungs). When the
oxygenated blood passes through the capillaries of the body organs, then it gives oxygen to
the body cells. Since the blood loses oxygen here, we say that the blood has been
deoxygenated. The blood also gives the digested food and other dissolved materials to the
body cells. At the same me, carbon dioxide produced as a waste material during
respira on enters into the blood. The deoxygenated blood (carrying carbon dioxide) from
the body organs enters into the main vein called vena cava. The main vein carries the
deoxygenated blood to the right atrium of the heart .
5. When the right atrium contracts, deoxygenated blood is pushed into the right ventricle
through the valve .
6. And when the right ventricle contracts, the deoxygenated blood is pumped into the lungs
through the pulmonary artery . In the lungs, deoxygenated blood releases its carbon dioxide
and absorbs fresh oxygen from air. So, the blood becomes oxygenated again. This
oxygenated blood is again sent to the le atrium of heart by pulmonary vein for circula on
in the body.
This whole process is repeated con nuously. In this way, the blood keeps on circula ng in
our body without stopping due to which all the body parts keep on ge ng oxygen, digested
food and other materials all the me. The blood circula on also keeps on removing waste
products formed in the cells of the body.

Blood , Plasma and Lymph:

Lymph : Lymph is a light yellow liquid which is somewhat similar in composi on to blood
plasma. Lymph is not red like blood because it does not contain red blood cells. Lymph
contains large protein molecules and digested food.

Plasma: It is a colourless fluid containing 90% water and 10% organic substances like
proteins, organic minerals.

Blood : When the blood cells are immersed in the plasma ,it is called as blood.

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Heartbeat, Pulse, Blood Pressure:

Heartbeat: One complete contrac on and relaxa on of the heart is called a heart beat.
The heart usually beats about 70 to 72 mes in a minute when we are res ng. This means
that the heart pumps out blood to the arteries about 70 to 72 mes per minute. The
stethoscope magnifies the sound of heart beats so that the doctor can hear the heart beats
clearly.

Pulse: The expansion of an artery each me the blood is forced into it, is called pulse. Each
heartbeat generates one pulse in the arteries, so the pulse rate of a person is equal to the
number of heartbeats per minute. Since the heart beats about 70 to 72 mes per minute,
therefore, the pulse rate of an adult person while res ng is 70 to 72 per minute.

Blood Pressure : The pressure at which blood is pumped around the body by the heart is
called blood pressure.
The maximum pressure at which the blood leaves the heart through the main artery (aorta)
during contrac on phase, is called the systolic pressure.
The minimum pressure in the arteries during the relaxa on phase of heart is called the
diastolic pressure.
The normal blood pressure values are :
Systolic pressure : 120 mm Hg
Diastolic pressure : 80 mm Hg
This is usually wri en as 120/80
Blood pressure is measured by using an instrument called sphygmomanometer.

Hypertension : High blood pressure is called hypertension. High blood pressure is caused by
the constric on (narrowing) of very small arteries (called arterioles) which results in
increased resistance to blood flow. Very high blood pressure can lead to rupture of an artery
and internal bleeding.

Lympha c System:
Heart

Vein Artery

Lymphatic
Arteriole
Trunk

Lymph
Capillaries
Nodes

Lymph Tissue
vessels Fluid
Lymph
Capillaries

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Transporta on in Plants:

Water is added to the soil

absorp on by root hair

water is pushed up in xylem vessels

propels water in further upwards

transporta on or loss of water, through leaves

more water moves up to make up for the loss

There are two main conduc ng ssues:

Xylem Phloem
Transports water and minerals from the Transports product of photosynthesis from
roots to upper parts of the plant. leaves to the non-photosynthesising parts
of the plants such as root & stem.
No energy is used for transport. Energy is used from ATP for transport.

On maturity, the xylem becomes dead Phloem exists as living so ssue.

ssue and gives mechanical support to the
plant.

Transport by Transpira on:

The evapora on of water from the leaves of a plant is called transpira on. The leaves of a
plant have ny pores on their surface which are called stomata. A lot of water from the
leaves keeps on evapora ng into the air through the stomata. This loss of water (as water
vapour) from the leaves of a plant is called transpira on. Since the cells of the leaf are losing
water by transpira on, so water from the xylem vessels in the leaf will travel to the cells by
osmosis to make up this loss of water. Thus, water is constantly being taken away from the
top of the xylem vessels in the leaves to supply it to the cells in the leaves. This reduces the
effec ve pressure at the top of the xylem vessels, so that water flows up into them (from
the soil). Thus, the con nuous evapora on of water (or transpira on) from the cells of a
leaf creates a kind of suc on which pulls up water through the xylem vessels. In this way,
the process of transpira on helps in the upward movement of water (and dissolved
minerals) from the roots to the leaves through the stem.

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Thus, transpira on helps in the absorp on and upward movement of water and minerals
dissolved in it from roots to the leaves. It also helps in temperature regula on. The effect of
root pressure in transport of water is more important at night. During the day when the
stomata are open, the transpira on pull becomes the major driving force in the movement
of water in the xylem.

Transport of Food and other substances:

This transport of soluble products of photosynthesis is called transloca on and it occurs in
the part of the vascular ssue known as phloem. Besides the products of photosynthesis,
the phloem transports amino acids and other substances. These substances are especially
delivered to the storage organs of roots, fruits and seeds and to growing organs. The
transloca on of food and other substances takes place in the sieve tubes with the help of
adjacent companion cells both in upward and downward direc ons. Unlike transport in
xylem which can be largely explained by simple physical forces, the transloca on in phloem
is achieved by u lising energy. Material like sucrose is transferred into phloem ssue using
energy from ATP. This increases the osmo c pressure of the ssue causing water to move
into it. This pressure moves the material in the phloem to ssues which have less pressure.
This allows the phloem to move material according to the plant’s needs. For example, in the
spring, sugar stored in root or stem ssue would be transported to the buds which need
energy to grow.

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Excre on :
During excre on, the harmful metabolic nitrogenous wastes like urea and uric acid
generated are removed from the body.

Urinary
System

Urinary
Kidneys Ureters Urethra
Bladder
 Excretory system of human beings includes a pair of Kidney, a Urinary Bladder, a pair
of Ureter and a Urethra.
 Each kidney contains many filtra on units called nephrons. Nephrons are the basic
filtra on units of kidneys. They carry out filtra on, selec ve reabsorp on and tubular
secre on to form urine in kidney, which is then passed out through the urethra, via
the ureters and urinary bladder.

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Bowman's
Capsule
Malphigian Body

Glomerulus

Nephrons Proximal
Convoluted
Tubule (PCT)

Renal Tubule Loop of Henle

Distal Convoluted
Tubule (DCT)

Organ Func ons

Kidney Regula on of blood volume, blood pressure , pH, ionic
composi on of the blood and excre on of waste products and
foreign substances.
Ureter carry the urine produced by the kidneys to the urinary bladder.
Urinary Bladder store the urine produced by the kidneys in it temporarily.
Urethra to expel urine out of the body.

Urinary /Excretory System

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Func ons of part of Nephron:

Part Func ons

Glomerulus Filtra on of blood water urea, glucose amino acid salt can
pass out but plasma proteins and cells cannot .
Renal capsule Collect the filtrate
First convoluted tubule selec ve reabsorp on of water, glucose amino acids, by ac ve
transport
Loop of Henle reabsorp on of water and salt.
Second convoluted secre on of waste into the filtrate
tubule
Collec ng duct Reabsorp on of water passes urine to pelvis.

Structure of a nephron
 A nephron is made up of a cluster of thin walled capillaries called glomerulus which is
associated with a cup like structure called as Bowman’s capsule and a long tube which
terminates through this capsule.
 The renal artery brings oxygenated blood to the kidneys along with the nitrogenous
wastes like urea and uric acid and many other substances.
 The blood gets filtered through the glomerulus and this filtrate enters the tubular part
of nephron.
 As this filtrate moves down the tubular part, glucose, amino acids, salts and excess of
water gets selec vely re-absorbed by the blood vessels surrounding the tubules.
 The amount of water re-absorbed depends upon:
 How much excess of water is there in the body and,

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 How much nitrogenous wastes need to be excreted out.

 The fluid now flowing in the tubular part is urine, which gets collected in collec ng
ducts of nephrons.
 These collec ng ducts together leave the kidney at a common point by forming the
ureter.
 Each ureter drains the urine in the urinary bladder where it is stored un l the
pressure of expanded bladder leads to an urge to pass it out through urethra.
 This bladder is a muscular structure which is under nervous control.
 180 litres of filtrate is formed daily but only 2 litres is excreted out as urine so the rest
is re-absorbed in the body.

Urine forma on in Kidneys:

Urine forma on involves three steps:
 Glomerular filtra on: The dirty blood containing waste like urea (brought by renal
artery) enters the glomerulus (see Figure 109). Inside the glomerulus, blood pressure
pushes fluid from capillaries into the glomerular capsule through a specialized layer
of cells and filters this blood. This layer, the filtra on membrane, allows water and
small solutes (like glucose, amino acids, salts,) to pass but blocks blood cells and
large proteins. Those components remain in the bloodstream. The filtrate (the fluid
that has passed through the membrane) flows from the glomerular capsule further
into the tubule of nephron.
 Tubular reabsorp on: When the filtrate containing useful substances as well as the
waste substances passes through the tubule, then the useful substances like all
glucose, all amino acids,most salts, and most water, etc., are reabsorbed into the
blood through blood capillaries surrounding the tubule. Only the waste substances
urea, some unwanted salts and excess water remain behind in the tubule. The liquid
le behind in the tubule of nephron is urine.
 Secre on: The filtrate absorbed in the glomerulus flows through the renal tubule,
where nutrients and water are reabsorbed into capillaries. At the same me, waste
ions and hydrogen ions pass from the capillaries into the renal tubule. This process is
called secre on. The secreted ions combine with the remaining filtrate and become
urine. The urine flows out of the nephron tubule into a collec ng duct. It passes out
of the kidney through the renal pelvis, into the ureter, and down to the bladder.

 Haemodialysis: In case of kidney failure, haemodialysis is the process of purifying

blood by an ar ficial kidney.
 Excre on in plants:
i. The plants get rid of gaseous waste products through stomata in leaves and
len cels in stems.
ii. The plants get rid of stored solid and liquid wastes by the shedding of leaves,
peeling of bark and felling of fruits.
iii. The plants get rid of wastes by secre ng them in the form of gums and resins.
iv. Plants also excrete some waste substances into the soil around them.
v. Excess water by transpira on.

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