Class 7 th : Revision Notes on Nutrition in Animals

• The animals depend upon other plants and animals for their food.

• Animal nutrition comprises the mode of taking in the food in the body,
nutritional requirements of the body and how animals can utilize their food.

• Digestion - it is a process by which animals break down complex food

substances in simpler substances.
Different ways of taking the food

Digestion in Humans

• The food that we eat passes through a Canal inside our body.

• The food is processed and utilized in the body and unused food is collected
inside the canal only.

• This Canal is often called as the Alimentary Canal or the Digestive Tract.

• The canal is divided into different parts:

• The Mouth or Buccal Cavity

• Food Pipe or Oesophagus

• Stomach

• Small Intestine Digestive Tract in Humans

• Large Intestine There are three glands associated with the alimentary canal that secrete
digestive juices that are used to convert the complex food substances into
• Anus
simpler substances.

• liver
• pancreas Permanent Teeth - The teeth that grow after milk teeth fall off are
called Permanent Teeth. They generally remain during the lifetime of a
• salivary glands
person or at least until old age.
The Digestive System - The alimentary canal and the digestive glands
together form a system in the human body which is responsible for the Different Types of Teeth
digestion of food in the body. This system is called the Digestive System.

The Mouth or Buccal Cavity

Tooth Decay –

• A gradual damage of teeth is often called tooth decay.

• The main cause of tooth decay is the presence of bacteria in the mouth that

• Ingestion - the process of taking in the food through the mouth is called grow if we do not keep our mouth and teeth clean.

ingestion. • Any leftover food present inside our teeth is broken down by such bacteria.
• The food is chewed with the help of teeth, saliva and the tongue present
• As a result, an acid is released which damages the teeth slowly.
in the mouth.
• The salivary glands present in our mouth secrete saliva which mixes with • Tooth decay can cause severe pain and even toothless.
the food, moist it and breaks the starch present in the food into sugar. • Tooth decay is caused mainly because of eating food with high sugar
• The tongue present in the mouth helps in mixing the food with the saliva content, soft drinks and chocolates.
and helps in swallowing it inside the mouth. It also has taste buds which
help in identifying the taste of anything that we eat. Besides this, the
tongue also helps in talking. Stages of
The Teeth Tooth Decay
Milk Teeth - In the early childhood a set of teeth growth in children that then
fall off after certain age 6 to 8 years. These teeth are called Milk Teeth.
How can we prevent tooth decay? • The liver and pancreas release digestive juices into the small intestine.

• Clean your teeth with a brush or dental floss at least twice a day • The inner lining of the intestine also secretes some digestive juices on its

• Rinse your mouth after every meal you eat own.

• Do not put a dirty finger or any unwashed food items in your mouth • The small intestine breaks the carbohydrates into glucose, fats into fatty

Food Pipe or Oesophagus acids and proteins into amino acids.

• The food pipe starts from the neck region and runs until the chest area in The Liver
animals. • It is a gland reddish brown in colour.

• The food, when the chewed, moves through the food pipe and reach the • It is known as the largest gland of the human body.
stomach through this path.
• It secretes a digestive juice called bile juice.
• The food moves in download direction in the food pipe.
• The bile juice is stored in the gallbladder.
The Stomach
• The bile juice makes it possible for the body to digest the fats.
• It is the widest part of the
alimentary canal. The Pancreas

• It's a bag like structure in a flat • It is a cream coloured gland present in the human body.

U shape. • It secretes pancreatic juice that helps in digestion of fats, carbohydrates

• The stomach is connected with and proteins.

the food pipe and the small How small intestine absorbs food?
intestine. • Absorption: it is a process by which the digested food enters the blood

• The stomach’s inner lining vessels of the small intestine.

produces three things: • Villi in the intestine: the small

intestine contains small finger-
• Mucous: It protects the
like structures called Villi.
stomach lining
They increase the surface area
• Hydrochloric Acid: It kills the bacteria present inside the stomach and
of the intestine thereby
activates the digestive juices
increasing the amount of
• Digestive Juices: They help in digestion of the food by breaking down
absorption. The digested food
the proteins present in the food into simple substances (olympiads)
Small Intestine gets into the blood vessels
through villi and then reaches
• It is a highly coiled structure.
the whole body. (Olympiads)
• The length of the small intestine is almost 7.5m.
• Assimilation: The process by which the organs of the body utilize the • Food poisoning and infection are two main causes of diarrhoea.
digested food and form complex substances which the body needs such as
• It is a serious disease and can lead to death in severe cases because it
proteins are called Assimilation.
involves extensive loss of water and salts from the body.
Parts of Small Intestine
• Generally, ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) which is boiled cooled water in
The small intestine has been divided into three parts:
which a pinch of salt or sugar is added is recommended to the patients to
1. Duodenum maintain the water loss of the body.
It is the first part of the small intestine whose main function is to initiate the Digestion in Grass Eating Animals
digestive process. In this process, the food that enters the small intestine from
the stomach is mixed with the digestive juices (bile and pancreatic juice) and
is further broken down into simpler substances.

2. Jejunum
It is the middle part of the small intestine that contains the villi and hence
undergoes absorption and assimilation.

3. Ileum

It is the third and last part of the small intestine that contains villi-like
structures. The ileum absorbs vitamin B12, bile acids and any other nutrients
present in the food.
The Large Intestine

• Any food that is left undigested passes through the small intestine and
enters the large intestine.

• It is a wide tube-like structure. Rumen - It is a sac-like structure present between the food pipe and the small
intestine in grass eating animals like cows and buffaloes.
• It is only 1.5 m long.
• At first, the animals do not chew their food (basically grass) and instead
• The main function of the large intestine is to absorb water and salts from swallow it.
the undigested food.
• This partly digested food is stored in the rumen.
• The rest of the waste, undigested food passes through the rectum.
• Cud: The partly digested food present in the rumen is called Cud.
• Egestion: The process by which the waste, undigested food (the faecal • Rumination: The cud returns to the mouth in these animals and then they
matter) get out of the body through the anus. chew it. This is called Rumination.
What is diarrhoea? • Ruminants: the animals that swallow their food at first and then chew it,
• A condition when watery stools appear frequently is called Diarrhoea. later on, are called Ruminants.
• Grass eating animals can digest cellulose while several other animals
cannot. These animals have a different type of bacteria present in the
stomach that helps in digesting the cellulose. (Olympiads)

Feeding and Digestion in Amoeba

• The Amoeba is a microscopic organism which is made up of only one cell

• The Amoeba has a cell membrane, cytoplasm, a nucleus which is round

and dense and small vacuoles which are like bubbles present all over it.

• The Amoeba is capable of changing its shape and position on its own.

• It uses false teeth called pseudopodia to take in the food present in the
surroundings.

• Whenever it wants to intake the food the pseudopodia or finger-like

projections come out of its body.
• The pseudopodia engulf the food in and the food gets stored in the food
vacuoles. How amoeba digests the food

• Then it secretes some digestive juices inside the vacuoles that help in its
digestion of the food.

• The Amoeba then absorbs the digested food and uses it for fulfilling
different life processes such as multiplication and growth.

• The Amoeba also secretes out waste products or undigested food out of its
body. (Olympiads)