SECTION A: Living Organisms in the Environment
Characteristics of Living Things
Movement: All living organisms move in some way, e.g., plants grow
toward light, animals can change location.
Respiration: Release of energy from food molecules (glucose) for
processes like growth and movement.
Sensitivity: Ability to detect and respond to stimuli (e.g., light,
temperature, sound).
Growth: Permanent increase in size or number of cells.
Reproduction: Creation of offspring to continue the species.
Excretion: Removal of metabolic wastes like urea, CO₂, and excess
water.
Nutrition: Intake of materials needed for energy, growth, and repair.
Ecosystems
Biotic Factors: Living components of an ecosystem (e.g., plants,
animals, fungi, bacteria).
Abiotic Factors: Non-living factors like sunlight, temperature, water,
air, soil, and minerals.
Food Chains: Linear feeding relationships. Example: Grass → Rabbit →
Fox.
Food Webs: Interconnected food chains in an ecosystem.
Energy Flow: Energy enters the ecosystem from the sun and flows
through producers and consumers. Only 10% of energy transfers to
each trophic level.
Ecological Relationships:
o Mutualism: Both species benefit, e.g., bees and flowers.
o Parasitism: One species benefits, the other is harmed, e.g.,
fleas on a dog.
o Commensalism: One benefits, the other is unaffected, e.g.,
barnacles on whales.
Human Impact on Ecosystems
Deforestation: Clearing forests reduces biodiversity and causes soil
erosion.
Pollution: Air (CO₂, SO₂), water (oil spills, sewage), and land (plastics,
pesticides).
Conservation: Protecting resources, e.g., recycling, reforestation, and
habitat preservation.
SECTION B: Life Processes
1. Nutrition
Photosynthesis:
o Equation: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ (in presence of
sunlight and chlorophyll).
o Importance: Produces glucose for energy and oxygen for
respiration.
o Factors: Light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration, and water
availability.
Human Nutrition:
o Balanced Diet: Includes carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins,
minerals, water, and fiber.
o Digestion:
Enzymes: Biological catalysts that break down food.
Amylase: Starch → Maltose.
Protease: Proteins → Amino acids.
Lipase: Fats → Glycerol + Fatty acids.
o Deficiency Diseases:
Vitamin C: Scurvy (bleeding gums).
Vitamin D: Rickets (weak bones).
Iron: Anemia (low oxygen transport).
2. Respiration
Aerobic Respiration: Uses oxygen. Equation: Glucose + O₂ → CO₂ +
H₂O + Energy (ATP).
Anaerobic Respiration: Without oxygen. Produces less energy.
o In animals: Glucose → Lactic Acid (+ energy).
o In yeast: Glucose → Ethanol + CO₂ (+ energy).
3. Transport
Human Circulatory System:
o Heart: Pumps blood; has four chambers (two atria, two
ventricles).
o Blood Vessels:
Arteries: Carry oxygenated blood away from the heart
(except pulmonary artery).
Veins: Carry deoxygenated blood to the heart (except
pulmonary vein).
Capillaries: Site of exchange of gases and nutrients.
o Blood Components:
Red blood cells: Carry oxygen using hemoglobin.
White blood cells: Fight infections.
Platelets: Help in blood clotting.
Plant Transport:
o Xylem: Transports water and minerals from roots to leaves.
o Phloem: Transports food (sugars) from leaves to other parts.
o Transpiration: Loss of water vapor through stomata; helps draw
water up the plant.
4. Excretion
Humans:
o Lungs: Remove CO₂ and water vapor.
o Kidneys: Filter blood, remove urea, produce urine.
o Skin: Removes excess water, salts, and urea via sweat.
Plants: Excrete oxygen during photosynthesis and release waste
through leaf fall.
5. Reproduction
Sexual Reproduction:
o Humans: Fusion of sperm and egg → Zygote → Embryo → Fetus.
o Plants: Pollen transfer (pollination) → Fertilization → Seed
formation.
Asexual Reproduction: Offspring produced from a single parent, e.g.,
binary fission in bacteria.
6. Growth
Mitosis: Division of a cell into two identical daughter cells (growth and
repair).
Meiosis: Produces gametes (sperm and egg); reduces chromosome
number by half.
7. Coordination
Nervous System: Brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Neurons transmit
electrical signals.
Endocrine System: Hormones like insulin and adrenaline control body
processes.
Plant Responses:
o Phototropism: Growth towards light.
o Geotropism: Growth in response to gravity.
SECTION C: Continuity and Variation
Genetics
DNA: Double helix structure; carries genetic instructions.
Genes: Units of inheritance found on chromosomes.
Dominant vs. Recessive Traits: Dominant masks recessive.
Punnett Squares: Show probability of inheritance in offspring.
Evolution
Natural Selection: Organisms best adapted to their environment
survive and reproduce.
Evidence: Fossils, homologous structures (similar anatomy but
different functions).
Biotechnology
Uses:
o Genetic engineering (e.g., insulin production).
o Cloning (e.g., identical plants).
SECTION D: Disease and Its Impact
Types of Diseases:
o Infectious: Caused by pathogens (e.g., viruses → flu; bacteria →
tuberculosis).
o Non-infectious: Caused by lifestyle or genetics (e.g., diabetes,
heart disease).
Immune System:
o White blood cells fight pathogens.
o Vaccines stimulate antibody production for immunity.
Key Diagrams to Practice
1. Plant and animal cells.
2. Human systems: Digestive, circulatory, respiratory, nervous.
3. Food chains and webs.
4. Neuron structure and reflex arc.
5. Punnett squares for genetics.
