L5 Life Processes

Animal Nutrition
Heterotrophic Nutrition
The mode of nutrition in which an organism takes food from another organism
is called heterotrophic nutrition. Organisms, other than green plants and blue-
green algae follow the heterotrophic mode of nutrition. Heterotrophic nutrition
can be further divided into three types, viz. saprophytic nutrition, holozoic
nutrition, and parasitic.
1) Saprophytic Nutrition: In saprophytic nutrition, the organism secretes
the digestive juices on the food. The food is digested while it is still to be
ingested. The digested food is then ingested by the organism e.g., in bread
moulds, yeast and mushrooms.
2) Holozoic Nutrition: In holozoic nutrition, the digestion happens inside
the body of the organism. i.e., after the food is ingested. Most of the
animals follow this mode of nutrition.
3) Parasitic Nutrition: The organism which lives inside or outside another
organism (host) and derives nutrition from it is known as parasites and
this type of mode of nutrition is called parasitic nutrition. For example,
cuscuta (amar-bel), ticks, lice, leeches and tape-worms.
Nutrition in Amoeba
• Amoeba is a unicellular animal which follows the holozoic mode of
nutrition.
• In holozoic nutrition, the digestion of food follows the ingestion of food.
Thus, digestion takes place inside the body of the organism.
• The cell membrane of amoeba keeps on protruding into pseudopodia.
Amoeba surrounds a food particle with pseudopodia and makes a food
vacuole. The food vacuole contains food particle and water. Digestive
enzymes are secreted in the food vacuole and digestion takes place. After
that, digested food is absorbed from the food vacuole. Finally, the food
vacuole moves near the cell membrane and undigested food is expelled
out
 Nutrition in Amoeba
Steps of Holozoic Nutrition:
1) Ingestion: The process of taking in the food is called ingestion.
2) Digestion: The process of breaking complex food substances into simple
molecules is called digestion. Simple molecules, thus obtained, can be
absorbed by the body.
3) Absorption: The process of absorption of digested food is called
absorption.
4) Assimilation: The process of utilization of digested food, for energy and
for growth and repair is called assimilation.
5) Egestion: The process of removing undigested food from the body is
called egestion.
.
Nutrition in Human Beings
Human beings are complex animals, which have a complex digestive system.
The human digestive system is composed of an alimentary canal and some
accessory glands. The alimentary canal is divided into several parts, like
oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum and anus. Salivary
gland, liver and pancreas are the accessory glands which lie outside the
alimentary canal.
Structure of the Human Digestive System:
The human digestive system comprises of the alimentary canal and associated
digestive glands.
• Alimentary Canal: It comprises of mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small
intestine and large intestine.
• Associated Glands: Main associated glands are
• Salivary gland
• Gastric Glands
• Liver
• Pancreas
Mouth or Buccal Cavity:
• The mouth has teeth and tongue. Salivary glands are also present in the
mouth.
• The tongue has gustatory receptors which perceive the sense of taste.
• The tongue helps in turning over the food so that saliva can be properly
mixed in it.
• Teeth help in breaking down the food into smaller particles so that,
swallowing of food becomes easier.
• There are four types of teeth in human beings. The incisor teeth are used
for cutting the food.
• The canine teeth are used for tearing the food and for cracking hard
substances.
 • The premolars are used for the coarse grinding of food. The molars are
used for fine grinding of food.

Salivary glands secrete saliva: Saliva makes the food slippery which makes it
easy to swallow the food. Saliva also contains the enzyme salivary amylase or
ptyalin. Salivary amylase digests starch and converts it into sucrose, (maltose).
Oesophagus: Taking food from mouth to stomach by Peristaltic movement.
Peristaltic movement: Rhythmic contraction of muscles of the lining of the
alimentary canal to push the food forward.
Stomach
• Stomach is a bag-like organ. Highly muscular walls of the stomach help
in churning the food.
• The walls of the stomach secrete hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid
kills the germs which may be present in food.
• Moreover, it makes the medium inside the stomach as acidic. The acidic
medium is necessary for gastric enzymes to work.
• The enzyme pepsin, secreted in the stomach, does partial digestion of
protein.
• The mucus, secreted by the walls of the stomach saves the inner lining of
the stomach from getting damaged from hydrochloric acid.

Small Intestine: It is a highly coiled tube-like structure. The small intestine is

longer than the large intestine, but its lumen is smaller than that of the large
intestine. The small intestine is divided into three parts, like duodenum, jejunum
and ileum.
Liver: Liver is the largest organ in the human body. The liver manufactures
bile, which gets stored in the gall bladder. From the gall bladder, bile is released
as and when required.
Pancreas: Pancreas is situated below the stomach. It secretes pancreatic juice
which contains many digestive enzymes.
Bile and pancreatic juice go to the duodenum through a hepatopancreatic duct.
Bile breaks down fat into smaller particles. This process is called emulsification
of fat. After that, the enzyme lipase digests fat into fatty acids and glycerol.
Trypsin and chymotrypsin are enzymes which digest protein into amino acids.
Complex carbohydrates are digested into glucose. A major part of digestion
takes place in the duodenum.
No digestion takes place in the jejunum: The inner wall in the ileum is
projected into numerous finger-like structures, called villi. Villi increase the
surface area inside the ileum so that optimum absorption can take place.
Moreover, villi also reduce the lumen of the ileum so that food can stay for a
longer duration in it, for optimum absorption. Digested food is absorbed by
villi.
Large Intestine:
• Large intestine is smaller than the small intestine.
• Undigested food goes into the large intestine.
• Some water and salt are absorbed by the walls of the large intestine. After
that, the undigested food goes to the rectum, from where it is expelled out
through the anus.
• Large Intestine absorb excess of water. The rest of the material is
removed from the body via the anus. (Egestion).

Activity 5.3 (page 83)

Procedure:
1. Take 1 mL of 1% starch solution in test tubes A and B.
2. Add 1 mL saliva to test tube A; leave B as control.
3. Let both sit for 20-30 min and add dilute iodine solution to both.
Observation:
• Test tube B: Turns blue-black (starch present).
• Test tube A: No color change (starch absent).
Conclusion:
• Salivary amylase digests starch, preventing iodine reaction.