1.
NUTRITION IN PLANTS
Nutrients :- The components of food which are necessary by our body for
growth and development are called nutrients.
Example: carbohydrates ,fats ,proteins,vitamins,minerals.
Importance of food is:-
A. It provide energy to do various activities
B. It helps in growth
C. It helps to repair and replace damaged Parts of the body
D. It protects us from infections and diseases.
Nutrition :-It is the mode of taking food by an organism and its utilisation by
The body.
Types of nutrition:
1.Autotrophic nutrition
2.Heterotrophic nutrition
Autotrophic nutrition:
The mode of nutrition where an organism prepare its own food by taking in
simple substances present in surroundings is called autotrophic nutrition.
Autotrophs:- organisms that shows autotrophic nutrition are called autotrophs
Eg: green plants
All green plants prepare their own food by the process of photosynthesis.
Phot=-Light
Synthesis= to combine
Photosynthesis:- The process by which green plants prepare their own food
using carbon dioxide and water in the presence of Sunlight and chlorophyll is
called photosynthesis.
The raw materials required for photosynthesis are carbon dioxide and water.
Photosynthesis mostly occurs in the leaves of green plants .hence,leaves are
also known as the food factories of the plant.
Carbon dioxide :-It enters the leaves from air through the stomata.
Stomata:- stomata are the tiny pores present on the surface of the leaves .these
pores are surrounded by guard cells.
Water is absorbed from the soil through the roots the observed water is then
sent to the leaves through the stem.
Chlorophyll is a green pigment found in the leaves of plants and it traps
sunlight.
Some of the leaves other than green also have chlorophyll. the large amount of
Red, Brown and other pigment mask the green colour .photosynthesis takes
place in these leaves also.
Products of photosynthesis:-
In the leaves of green plants the light energy from the sun converts carbon
dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.
Glucose:- the food prepared by the plants is glucose .excess glucose is stored in
parts such as seeds ,stems ,roots and even leaves. it usually stored in the form
of starch.
Oxygen:- it is released during photosynthesis this oxygen is released into the
atmosphere through stomata.
Algae are slimy ,green patches in ponds or in other stagnant water bodies.
HETEROTROPHIC NUTRITION IN PLANTS:-
The mode of nutrition in which organisms cannot prepare their own food and
depend on other plants and animals is called heterotrophic nutrition .such
organisms are called Heterotrophs.
Depending on the mode of nutrition heterotrophic plants can be
1. Parasitic plants
2. Saprophytic plants
3. Insectivorous plants
4. Symbiotic plants.
1.Parasitic plants:-
Parasitic plants are plants that obtain their nutrients from other plants. the
plant from which the parasitic plant gets its nutrients is called its host. in this
mode of nutrition only parasite gets benefited.
Example:-Cuscuta(amarbel) yellow ,tubular structure twining around the
stems and branches of trees .it takes in prepared food from plants on which it
is climbing.
2.Insectivorous plants:-
Insectivorous plants are plants that obtain nutrients from animals such as
insects. these are green plants that grow in soil that lacks nutrients such as
nitrogen. these plants obtain these nutrients by trapping insects.
The leaf of the Pitcher plant is modified into a pitcher. The end of the pitcher
has a lid which can open and close .when an insect enters the pitcher, the lid
closes .The insect is then digested by the digestive juices inside the pitcher.
3.Saprophytic plants:-
Some of the organisms like mushroom( fungi )form different modes of
nutrition. They secrete digestive juices on the dead and decaying matter and
convert it into a solution. then they absorb the nutrients from it .the mode of
nutrition in which organisms take in nutrients in solution from dead and
decaying matter is called saprotrophic nutrition.
Saprotrophs:- plants which use saprotrophic mode of nutrition called
saprotrophs.
4.Symbiotic plants:-
Some plants live together and share shelter and nutrients .Examples :-lichens
In Lichens, an algae and a fungus live together .The fungus provides shelter
,water and Minerals to the algae. The algae provides food to the fungus which it
prepares by photosynthesis.
HOW NUTRIENTS ARE REPLINISHED IN THE SOIL:-
Plants absorb nutrients from the soil .so the nutrients in the soil decreases .so
farmers add manures and fertilizers to the soil to increase the nutrients in the
soil.
The bacterium called Rhizobium which lives in the roots of leguminous plants
like gram, Peas ,beans etc...converts nitrogen from theair into soluble form in
the soil. and makes the soil rich in in nitrogen.iIn return the plant provides food
and shelter to the bacteria .so they have a symbiotic relationship.
