LIFE PROCESSES CLASS:X

NUTRITION
1. Define life processes.
Ans: The processes which together keep the living organisms alive and perform the job of body
maintenance are called life processes. Eg; nutrition, respiration, transportation, excretion etc.

2. What is nutrition?
Ans: The process of obtaining food and its utilization by the body for various biological activities is called
nutrition.

3. Explain different types of heterotrophic nutrition.

Ans: Different types of heterotrophic nutrition are:
a) Saprotrophic nutrition is that nutrition in which an organism obtains its food from dead and decaying
organic matter of dead plants, dead animals and rotten bread, etc.,
b) The Parasitic nutrition is that nutrition in which an organism derives its food from the body of another
living organism (called its host).
c) Holozoic nutrition refers to the mode of nutrition in which the complex organic matter in the form of
solid food is ingested, digested and then absorbed into the cells and utilized e.g. Amoeba, frog, human
being etc.

3. Explain photosynthesis in plants.

Ans: The process of conversion of light energy into chemical energy by green plants by using carbon
dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight and chlorophyll is called photosynthesis.

Following events occur during photosynthesis:

 Absorption of light energy by chlorophyll
 Conversion of light energy to chemical energy and splitting of water molecules into hydrogen and
oxygen.
 Reduction of carbon dioxide to carbohydrates.

4. How does photosynthesis occur in desert plants?

Ans: Desert plants take up carbon dioxide at night and prepares an intermediate which is acted upon by the
energy absorbed by the chlorophyll during the day.

5. How is the opening and closing of stomata regulated?

Ans: The opening and closing of stomata is guarded by the guard cells. When the guard cells absorb water, they
swell up causing the stomatal pore to open whereas when the guard cells lose water, they shrink and the
stomatal pore closes.
 6. Explain nutrition in Amoeba.
Ans: Mode of nutrition in Amoeba is holozoic and involves the following steps:
 Ingestion: It engulfs the food with the help of pseudopodia to form a food vacuole.
 Digestion: Inside the food vacuole, digestive enzymes breakdown the food and digests it.
 Absorption: The digested food diffuses into the cytoplasm and is absorbed.
 Assimilation: The absorbed food is utilized by the cell to release energy.
 Egestion: The remaining undigested food in the food vacuole moves to the surface of the cell and is
thrown out.

7. How is nutrition in Amoeba different from Paramecium.

Ans:
S.No. Amoeba Paramecium
1. In Amoeba, there is no In paramecium, there is a
specific spot to ingest the specific spot to ingest the
food. food.
2. Food moves towards the Food moves towards the
Amoeba with the help of Paramecium with the help of
pseudopodia. cilia.

7. Explain nutrition in human beings.

Ans: Ingestion: Mode of nutrition in human beings is holozoic and following steps occur after the food is
taken into the mouth by hands and fingers:

Digestion:
INGESTION & DIGESTION:
 As soon as the food is taken into the mouth, digestion of food (starch) begins. Salivary glands release saliva
that contains an enzyme called salivary amylase. This enzyme converts starch into sugars.
 Tongue helps in mixing of food well with saliva and also enables us to get the taste of food due to the presence
of taste buds on it.
 Esophagus is just a muscular passage that carries the food from the mouth to the stomach. Due to peristaltic
movement the food is pushed forward.

DIGESTION IN STOMACH:
As soon as the food enters the stomach, gastric glands present in the walls of the stomach
releases gastric juices that contain HCl, mucus and pepsin.
 HCl disinfects the food by killing bacteria present in the food and makes the medium acidic for the functioning
of enzyme pepsin.
 Mucuscovers the inner lining of stomach to protect it from the action of HCl.
 Pepsin is the protein digesting enzyme.

DIGESTION IN SMALL INTESTINE:

 Now, the food passes to the small intestine. As soon as it enters the small intestine it receives secretion from
gall bladder and pancreas.
 Gall bladder release the bile juice (secreted by the liver), it emulsifies the fat (breakdown of bigger fat
globules into smaller globules) and also makes the medium basic for the enzyme trypsin to act.
 Pancreatic juice contains enzyme trypsin which acts on proteins in basic media. It also contains lipase that
digests fats and amylase that digests carbohydrates.
 The walls of the intestine also secrete the intestinal juice that contains enzymes which finally convert the
proteins to amino acids, complex carbohydrates into glucose and fats into fatty acids and glycerol.
 The digestion gets completed in the small intestine.
ABSORPTION
 In the last part of the small intestine, the absorption of the digested food starts. The inner lining of the
small intestine has numerous finger-like projections called villi which increase the surface area for absorption of the
digested food. The villi are richly supplied with blood vessels which take the absorbed food to each and every cell of
the body.
 Water is absorbed in the large intestine.

ASSIMILATION:
 Once the digested food reaches to every cell of the body. It is utilized for obtaining energy, building up of new
tissues and repair of worn-out tissues.

EGESTION:
 The rest unabsorbed material is removed from the body via the anus. The exit of this waste material is regulated
by the anal sphincter.
8. State the function of:
a) muscles that line the alimentary canal
b) muscular walls of the stomach
Ans: a) muscles that line the alimentary canal: contract rhythmically in order to push the food forward, these
movements are called as peristaltic movements.
b) muscular walls of the stomach: The muscular walls of the stomach help in mixing the food
thoroughly with more digestive juices.
9. Why do herbivores have longer small intestine than carnivores?
Ans: Herbivores feed on plants which contain cellulose. Digestion of cellulose takes longer time and hence
to allow complete digestion their small intestine needs to be longer. Meat is easier to digest, hence
carnivores like tigers have a shorter small intestine.

10. Tabulate the organs, enzymes and their function.

S.No Organ Secretion Enzyme Function

.
1. Mouth Saliva Salivary amylase It converts starch into sugars.
(Ptyalin)
2. Stomach Gastric Juice Pepsin It digests proteins.
3. Pancreas Pancreatic Juice Trypsin It digests proteins.
Pancreas Pancreatic Juice Lipase It digests fats.
4. Small Intestine Intestinal Juice Carbohydrate Finally digests carbohydrate into
digesting enzyme. sugars.
Small Intestine Intestinal Juice Protein digesting Finally digests proteins into amino
enzyme. acids.
Small Intestine Intestinal Juice Fat digesting Finally digests fats into fatty acids
enzyme. and glycerol.

11. Design an activity to show that:

a) chlorophyll is necessary for photosynthesis.
b) sunlight is necessary for photosynthesis.
c) carbon dioxide is necessary for photosynthesis.

Diagrams: Figure 5.1, 5.3, 5.5, 5.6