Chapter 6: Life Processes
1. Life Processes
Life processes are the essential activities that take place in living organisms, helping them to
maintain life, grow, and function. These processes involve various biochemical and
physiological functions that sustain life. In general, all living organisms carry out four
primary life processes:
1. Nutrition – The process of obtaining and utilizing food to produce energy.
2. Respiration – The process by which organisms release energy from food.
3. Transportation – The movement of materials such as water, nutrients, and gases within
the organism.
4. Excretion – The process of removing waste products from the body.
2. Nutrition
Nutrition is the process of obtaining food and utilizing it for energy, growth, and
maintenance of the body.
Types of Nutrition:
- Autotrophic Nutrition:
- In autotrophic nutrition, organisms are capable of preparing their own food. They do
this by using simple substances like carbon dioxide (CO₂), water (H₂O), and sunlight. Plants,
algae, and some bacteria perform autotrophic nutrition.
Photosynthesis:
- Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and some bacteria synthesize their
food using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water, releasing oxygen as a by-product.
- Equation for Photosynthesis:
6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂
This equation shows that six molecules of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and six molecules of
water (H₂O) are used to produce one molecule of glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆) and six molecules of
oxygen (O₂).
- Stages of Photosynthesis:
1. Light-dependent reactions: These occur in the thylakoid membranes of the
chloroplasts. Sunlight splits water molecules into oxygen, protons, and electrons
(photolysis).
2. Light-independent reactions (Calvin cycle): In the stroma of the chloroplasts, ATP and
NADPH produced in the light reactions are used to convert CO₂ into glucose.
- Heterotrophic Nutrition:
- Organisms that cannot synthesize their own food and rely on other organisms for food
are called heterotrophs. Examples of heterotrophs include animals, fungi, and most bacteria.
Types of Heterotrophic Nutrition:
- Holozoic Nutrition: This involves ingestion of food, digestion, absorption, and the
elimination of undigested food. Humans and animals perform this type of nutrition.
- Saprophytic Nutrition: Organisms like fungi and bacteria feed on dead and decaying
matter.
- Parasitic Nutrition: Parasites like tapeworms depend on living hosts for food, often
harming the host.
Human Digestive System:
- Mouth: The process of digestion starts in the mouth, where food is chewed and mixed with
saliva. The enzyme salivary amylase begins the breakdown of carbohydrates.
- Esophagus: After chewing, food moves down the esophagus through peristalsis.
- Stomach: The food is mixed with gastric juices containing hydrochloric acid (HCl) and
pepsin.
- Small Intestine: Digestion is completed with the help of pancreatic juices and bile.
Nutrients are absorbed through the villi into the bloodstream.
- Large Intestine: The undigested material is passed into the large intestine, where water
and salts are absorbed, and waste is excreted as feces.
3. Respiration
Respiration is the biochemical process in which organisms break down food (usually
glucose) to release energy in the form of ATP.
Types of Respiration:
- Aerobic Respiration: In the presence of oxygen, glucose is completely broken down to
produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy.
- Equation for Aerobic Respiration:
C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + Energy (ATP)
- Anaerobic Respiration: In the absence of oxygen, glucose is partially broken down into
products like lactic acid (in animals) or ethanol and CO₂ (in yeast). This process produces
less energy than aerobic respiration.
- Example for Yeast:
C₆H₁₂O₆ → C₂H₅OH + CO₂ + Energy
Human Respiratory System:
- Nose: Air is filtered, moistened, and warmed in the nasal cavity.
- Trachea: Air moves down the trachea to the bronchi.
- Bronchi: Branches into bronchioles leading to the alveoli.
- Alveoli: Tiny air sacs where gas exchange occurs.
- Hemoglobin: A protein in red blood cells that binds to oxygen and transports it throughout
the body.
4. Transportation
Transportation refers to the movement of essential substances like water, nutrients, and
gases within an organism.
In Humans:
- Circulatory System: The system consists of the heart, blood vessels, and blood.
- Heart: A muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body. It consists of four
chambers and operates in a double circulation process:
1. Pulmonary Circulation: Blood circulates through the lungs for gas exchange.
2. Systemic Circulation: Oxygenated blood is pumped to body tissues.
- Blood Vessels:
- Arteries: Carry oxygenated blood away from the heart.
- Veins: Carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart.
- Capillaries: Microscopic vessels where nutrient and gas exchange takes place.
- Blood Components:
- Red Blood Cells: Carry oxygen.
- White Blood Cells: Defend against infections.
- Platelets: Help in clotting.
- Plasma: The liquid part of blood that transports nutrients, waste, and hormones.
In Plants:
- Xylem: Transports water and minerals from roots to leaves.
- Phloem: Transports food (mainly glucose) from leaves to other parts.
- Transpiration: Loss of water through stomata, helping in water transport.
5. Excretion
Excretion is the process of eliminating metabolic waste products from the body.
In Humans:
- Excretory System: Composed of kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra.
- Kidneys: Filter blood to remove waste like urea.
- Nephron: The functional unit of the kidney.
- Excretion of Urine: Urine is stored in the bladder and eliminated through the urethra.
- Other Excretory Organs:
- Skin: Excretes sweat, containing water and salts.
- Lungs: Excrete carbon dioxide and water vapor during breathing.
In Plants:
- Plants store waste products like resins and gums or release them through stomata.
