Science
Globules-a small drop or ball of a liquid
• A somewhat similar situation is seen in us where some of the energy
derived from the food we eat is stored in our body in the form of
glycogen.
Events in photosynthesis
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.
How do plant obtain CO2
• Through stomata-
• Stomata are tiny pores present on the surface of the leaves
• Massive amounts of gaseous exchange and water loss take place
through it.
• Opening and closing by guard cells
How do plant obtain H2O
• Water used in photosynthesis is taken up from the soil by the
roots in terrestrial plants.
• Other materials like nitrogen, phosphorus, iron and magnesium are
taken up from the soil.
Why nitrogen is essential for plants
• Nitrogen is an essential element used in the synthesis of proteins and
other compounds.
• Nitrogen is taken up in the form of inorganic nitrates or nitrites or it is
taken up as organic compounds which have been prepared by
bacteria from atmospheric nitrogen.
Inorganic vs organic compounds
• Inorganic : No C-H Bonds
• The defining feature is the absence of carbon bonded to hydrogen.
• Ex- CO2, H2O , table salts
Organic
Ex-Phenyl,Wood
Heterotrophic nutrition
• Heterotrophic nutrition is a way of getting food where organisms
(heterotrophs) can't make their own food and must consume other
living or dead organisms (plants, animals, fungi, bacteria) for energy
and organic substances.
Types of Heterotrophic nutrition
[Link] Nutrition:
• Taking in whole material (food) and break it down
inside their bodies
Involves ingestion of solid/liquid food, followed by digestion,
absorption, assimilation, and egestion (e.g., Amoeba,
humans).
[Link] Nutrition (Saprotrophic):
Organisms feed on dead and decaying organic matter by
releasing enzymes externally (e.g., yeast, many fungi, some
bacteria).
[Link] Nutrition:
Organisms live on or inside a host, deriving nutrients
from the host body without killing them. (e.g., Cuscuta,
lice, tapeworms).
“Mosquitoes feed primarily on plant saps and nectar for energy.
However, only female mosquitoes also require a blood meal to obtain
the protein and iron necessary for developing their eggs”.
[Link] Nutrition:
Two different organisms live in close association,
benefiting each other (e.g., fungi and algae in lichens).
Nutrition
• Nutrition is defined as the process of taking in food by an organism
and its utilization by the body for building/repairing tissues, growth,
obtaining energy, and protection from diseases
Steps in nutrition
[Link]/Absorption: Taking in food or
absorbing nutrients from the environment.
[Link]: Breaking down complex food
into simpler, soluble molecules.
[Link]: Taking these simple
nutrients into the body.
[Link]: Using the absorbed
nutrients for energy, growth, and repair.
[Link]: Removing undigested waste.
How do single celled organism
obtain nutrition?
• In single-celled organisms, the food may be taken in by the entire surface
• Amoeba takes in food using temporary finger-like extensions of the cell surface
which fuse over the food particle forming a food-vacuole.
• Vacuoles are membrane-bound storage sacs with a single membrane called the tonoplast,
filled with cell sap (water, sugars, acids, proteins, wastes).
• Plant cells have a large central vacuole (50-90% volume) for turgidity, rigidity, and storage,
while animal cells have small, temporary ones for waste/transport.
• They store nutrients, manage waste, help maintain cell shape (turgor pressure in plants), and
in single-celled organisms, perform osmoregulation (removing excess water).
• In Paramoecium, which is also a unicellular organism, the cell has a definite shape
and food is taken in at a specific spot.
• Food is moved to this spot by the movement of cilia which cover the entire surface.
Nutrition in human beings
• The alimentary canal or digestive tube or gut is basically a
long tube extending from the mouth to the anus.
• Peristaltic movements- The rhythmic contraction of muscles
of alimentary canal in order to push the food forward.
• Enzymes-Biological catalysts that break down the complex
nature of food to smaller molecules.
• The saliva contains an enzyme called salivary amylase that
breaks down starch which is a complex molecule to give
simple sugar.
• Since the lining of the canal is soft, the food is also wetted to
make its passage smooth.
Work of saliva
• Wetting of food to make its passage smooth inside soft lining of
alimentary canal
• The saliva contains an enzyme called salivary amylase that breaks
down starch which is a complex molecule to give simple sugar.
Sequence of passage of food
• Mouth-Oesophagus-Stomach-Small intestine-Large intestine
Stomach
• The digestion in stomach is taken care of by the gastric glands present
in the wall of the stomach
• These release hydrochloric acid, a protein digesting enzyme called
pepsin and mucus.
• The hydrochloric acid creates an acidic medium which facilitates the
action of the enzyme pepsin.
• The mucus protects the inner lining of the stomach from the action of
the acid under normal conditions.
• The exit of food from the stomach is regulated by a sphincter muscle
which releases it in small amounts into the small intestine.
Pancreas
• Pancreas has two main functions: aiding digestion by producing
enzymes to break down food (fats, proteins, carbs) and regulating
blood sugar by releasing hormones like insulin and glucagon to
control glucose levels.
• The pancreas secretes pancreatic juice which contains enzymes like
trypsin for digesting proteins and lipase for breaking down emulsified
fats and amylase for starches.
Pancreas
•Insulin: Lowers blood sugar by helping cells absorb glucose.
•
Glucagon: Raises blood sugar by signaling the liver to release stored glucose .
• It acts as an exocrine gland for digestion, sending juices to the small
intestine, and an endocrine gland by secreting hormones directly into
the bloodstream for metabolism.
Bile
• It makes the food alkaline for the pancreatic enzymes to act.
• Bile salts break them down larger globules to smaller globules of fat
to increase the efficiency of pancreatic enzymes to act.
Small Intestine
• This is the longest part of the alimentary canal which is fitted into a
compact space because of extensive coiling.
• Herbivores eating grass need a longer small intestine to allow the
cellulose to be digested.
• Meat is easier to digest, hence carnivores like tigers have a shorter
small intestine.
Small intestine
• The small intestine is the site of the complete digestion of
carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
• Receives secretion from liver and pancreas
• The walls of the small intestine contain glands which secrete intestinal
juice. The enzymes present in it finally convert the proteins to amino
acids, complex carbohydrates into glucose and fats into fatty acids and
glycerol.
Small intestine
• Digested food is taken up by the walls of the intestine.
• The inner lining of the small intestine has numerous finger-like
projections called villi which increase the surface area for absorption.
• The villi are richly supplied with blood vessels which take the
absorbed food to each and every cell of the body, where it is utilised
for obtaining energy, building up new tissues and the repair of old
tissues.
Large intestine
• The unabsorbed food is sent into the large intestine where its wall
absorb more water from this material.
• The rest of the material is removed from the body via the anus.
• The exit of this waste material is regulated by the anal sphincter.