Life Processes

Viruses show no molecular movement in them until they infect a cell, that is why it is not
known if they're alive or not.

Diffusion isnt enough to get oxygen in multi cellular organisms as cells may not be in direct
contact with the environment, unlike in unicellular.

Nutrition:
Process of obtaining nutrients and transfering it from outside to inside the body is called
nutrition

Nutrients are substances essential for growth & development of body.

Enzymes are bio - catalysts which break down food into simpler substances so that it can be
digested.

Autotrophic nutrition is when organisms manufacture their own food by photosynthesis.

For example plants, blue-green algae.

Events in photosynthesis:
● Absorption of light energy by chlorophyll
● Conversion of light energy to chemical
● Splitting of water molecules Into hydrogen and oxygen.
● Reduction of carbon dioxide to carbohydrates.

Stomata are tiny pores on surface of leaves which absorb CO2.

Guard cells swell when water flows in them, causing stomatal pore to open, vice versa.
● So opening & closing of stomata is done by guard cell.

Nitrogen in essential in synthesis of proteins & other compounds.

Photosynthesis has 2 reactions:

● Light reaction:
● Happens in presence of light
● Takes place in grana

● Dark reaction:
● Absence of light
● Takes place in Stroma
In paramecium, cell has a definite shape and food is taken to a specific spot by cilia, which
cover the entire surface of cell.

Amoeba
● Amoeba engulfs food using pseudopodia (finger like projections)
● Temporary food vacoule is formed.
● Complex substances are broken into simpler substances.
● Nutrients diffuse to into the cytoplasm.
● The waste is then thrown out.

Humans:

Digestion starts in mouth.

Mouth wets food for smooth passage.

● Saliva contains salivary amylase which converts starch to sugar.

Alimentary canal has muscles that contract rhythmically to push the food forward.

Digestive system includes:

Alimentary canal
Glands
● (salivary glands, liver, pancreas)

Stomach:
● Muscular walls of stomach heep in mixing of food.
● Gastric glands present in walls of stomach release:
● HCl or Hydrochloric acid
● Kills germs
● Creates acidic medium for pepsin
● Pepsin
● Digests protein (partially)
● Mucus
● Protects inner lining of stomach from acids.
● Helps in better mixing of food

Small Intestine:

Between, small intestine & stomach, there is a sphincter which releases food in small
amounts.

Small intestine is longest part of alimentary canal.

Herbivores have longer small intestine as they need to digest cellulose

Carnivores have shorter small intestine as meat is easy to digest.

Bile from Liver:

● stored in gall bladder
 ● Functions:
● Emulsification of fats
● Makes food alkaline for pancreatic enzymes.
● Gives colour to urine & faeces.

Pancreas

Trypsin: Protein digestion

Lipase: emulsified fat digestion.
Villi: finger- like projections on inner lining of small intestine.
● Increases surface area of absorption.
● Slows down food for absorption.

Large intestine
● Water is absorbed.
● Waste is excreted via anus.
● Exit in regulated by anal sphincter

Respiration

Process of acquiring oxygen and using it to breakdown food sources for cellular needs is
called respiration.

The energy released is used to synthesize ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

● ATP fuels all activities in cells.
● When ATP in broken with water, 30.5 kJ/mol energy is released.

Plants breathe by diffusion:

● At night, CO₂ is eliminated.
● In day, CO₂ is used so O2 is eliminated.
Earthworms, Frogs breathe through skin.

Amount of dissolved oxygen is lower in water than air, so aquatic animals have much faster
rate of breathing.

Fishes take in water through their mouths, force it past the gills, where the dissolved oxygen
is taken by blood.

Respiratory System
Nostrils → Nasal Passage → Pharynx Larynx (Voice Box) → Trachea → Bronchi →
Bronchioles → Alveoli

Trachea has rings of cartilages to prevent it from collapsing.

Alveoli are tiny thin - walled balloon like structures surrounded by blood cappilaries.
● It provides a surface area for exchange of gases.

Lungs always contain a residual volume of air so there is sufficient time for oxygen to be
absorbed and for the carbon dioxide to be released.

Diffusion cant take air to all parts in large animals, thus there are respiratory pigments.
● Haemoglobin is a respiratory pigment.

If diffusion was happening, it would take 3 years for oxygen to move from toes to lungs.

Tobacco
Toobaco causes oral cancer, heart attacks, strobes etc.

Smoking
The upper part of respiratory tract is provided with small hair like structures called cilia.
● Cilia filter germs, dust & other particles.

Smoking destroys these hair & we inhale germs & dust.

● This causes infection, cough & even lung cancer.

Grasshoppers breathe from trachea. Spiracles are tiny pores on grasshopper bodies which
open into trachea.
Excretion

The elimination of harmful metabolic wastes from our body is called excretion

Excretory system
Kidneys:
● Bean shaped.
● Produce urine
● Nitrogenous wastes such as urea or uric acid is removed from blood.
● Nephrons are filtration units of kidneys.
● Nephrons are capillary clusters with a cup shaped end a coiled tube (called
Bowman's capsule)
 ● Ultrafiltration occurs in Bowman's capsule.

Ureters:
● Tube
● Connects kidneys to urinary bladder

Urinary Bladder:
● Urine is stored here.
● Bladder is muscular therefore it is under nervous control.
● So we can usually control the urge to urinate.

Urethra:
● Eliminates urine.

An artificial kidney is used to remove nitrogenous wastes from body

through dialysis.

• In a healthy adult, initial filtrate is 180L daily

• Volume excreted in 1-2L as it is reabsorbed.

Plants get rid of excess waste by transpiration.

Plante store metabolic wastes in leaves which fall.

Plants also store wastes in resins & gums, especially in old xylem

Plants also excrete in soil around them.

Transportation

Blood is a fluid connective tissue

Plasma transports food, carbon dioxide & nitrogenous wastes.

RBCS (Red Wood Corpuscle) transport oxygen.

Heart

Heart has 4 different chambers to prevent mixing of O1 rich blood with CO2 rich blood.
Double Circulation:

● Oxygen rich blood comes to left atrium.

● Blood goes to left ventricle & blood is pumped to the body. De-oxygenated blood
comes to right atrium.
● Blood is transferred to right ventricle which sends it to lungs for oxygenation.
● Since ventricles have to pump blood to all organs it has thicker walls than atria.
Animals like amphibians & reptiles have 3 chambered hearts, they may allow little bit of
ruining of oxygenated & deoxygenated blood. Their body temperature depends on the
atmosphere.

Fish has 2-chambered hearts, as bloods in pumped to the gills, oxygenated there & passed
to the rest of the body. (One cycle)

Force that blood exerts against the wall of a vessel is called blood pressure.

Blood pressure in artery during contractions is called Systolic pressure.

● Nomal 120 mm of Hg

Blood pressure in artery during relaxation is diastolic pressure.

● Normal 80 mm of Hg

Blood pressure is measured with sphygmomanometer.

High blood pressure is called hypertension

● leads to rupture of artery & internal bleeding.

Arteries take blood from heart to different parts, they have thick elastic walls as more slood
pressure.

Veins have valves to ensure blood doesnt flow back.

How is blood distributed

● On reaching a tissue, artery divides itself into small vessels, to reach cells.
● Smallest vessels have walls 1 cell thick and are called capillaries.
● Exchange of material takes place across this wall.
● Capiillaries join up and emerge as veins.

Platelet cells help in clotting of blood.

Lymph
● Some amount of plasma, proteines & blood cells escape from capillaries.
● They form tissue fluid or lymph in risques.
● Lymph is colourless
● Contains less protein.
● Lymph carries digested & absorbed fat.
● Drains excess fluid from extra cellular spaces back to blood.

Heart beat of an adult is 72 beats per minute.

Pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood.

Pulmonary vein carries oxygenated blood.
Transportation in Plants

● Soil is the nearest & richest source of raw materials.

● Xylem moves water & minerals obtained from sand.
● Phloem transports products of photosynthesis to other parts of plants.
● Evaporation of water from the cells of leaf create a suction which pulls water from the
xylem cells of roots

Transpiration:

● Eliminates excess water.

● Helps in transportation of water.
● Helps in temperature regulation.

Transport of products of photosynthesis in called translocation.

Phloem also transports amino acids.

Transport of food of photosynthesis from one part to another

How does Phloem move food

● Translocation takes place in sieve tubes with the help of adjacent companion cells
both in upward & downward directions.
● Osmotic pressure of phloem is increased causing water to move in it.
● This allows phloem to move food

Potassium Hydroxide absorbs CO2

Glucose, amino acid & salts are reabsorbed in kidney

Parameters of re-absorption:
 ● Amount of urea in nitrogenous waste in the body.
● Amount of water in the body, excess causes harm.

Two water conducting tissues in plants are хуlem vessels & xylem tracheids.

Water enters xylem:-

● At the roots, cells in contact with the soil actively take up ions.
● This creates difference in concentration of ions, so water moves up.

Since plants do not move & have large proportion of dead cells in many tissues Thus, plants
have low energy needs.

Yeast, mushroom & bread mould break food outside the body and then absorbs

Hippocampus, Exocoetus and Anabas have single circulation.

Pisces doesnt pump blood to different parts of body

Oxygen liberated during photosynthesis is from water.

Movement of molecules in cells takes place as diffusion, osmosis etc.

Most plants absorb niitrogen as nitrates, nitrites and urea.

Pyruvate is converted into lactic and in cytoplasm.

Fishes can only respire with dissolved oxygen, so they die without water.

Putting vasline on leaves of plants will make it die as stomata can't take CO2.

Adaptations of leafs for photosynthesis:

● Surface of leaf should be flat to allow greater exposure of light.
● Presence of chlorophyll to trap sunlight.
● Presence of stomata on the leaves surface for easy transiparation.
● Numerous stomata for more carbon dioxide.

Advantages of having 4-chambered heart:

● clear division of labour among chambers.
● Segregation of oxygenated & deoxygenated.
● Efficiency of heart will increase.

Manuring doesnt affect rate of photosynthesis.

Rainfall doesn't affect photrosynthesis.

Cuscuta, ticks and leches are parasites live on or inside another body to obtain food. They
will harm host body.
• Inhaling - Ribs come out and diaphragm moves down.
• Exhaling - Ribs go inward & diaphragm moves up.