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General Biology 2 – Grade 11

(STEM) Learning Activity Sheets
Quarter 4 – Week 2A: Plants and Animals: Nutrient Procurement and Processing

First Edition, 2021

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Development Team of Learner’s Activity Sheets

Writer Mendelssohn L. Ajesta, II
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Author: MENDELSSOHN L. AJESTA II
Station: Carmen National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte
Email Add: [email protected] or [email protected] 1
 WEEKLY LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEETS
General Biology 2 Grade 11 Quarter 4 Week 2A

Plants and Animals: Nutrient Procurement and Processing

Name: ______________________________________________ Grade and Section: ____________________

Most Essential Learning Competency:

Compare and contrast nutrient procurement and processing in plants and animals
(STEM_BIO11/12-IVc-1).

Specific Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the learners shall be able to:
1. define nutrient and cite the nutritional requirements of plants and animals;
2. differentiate the nutritional adaptation by plants and feeding mechanisms in animals; and
3. trace the pathway of food processing in a mammalian/human digestive system.

Time Allotment: 2 hours

Key Concepts

Nutrients are compounds in foods essential to life and health, providing us with energy, the
building blocks for repair and growth and substances necessary to regulate and manage chemical
processes. The following are the six major nutrients namely: Carbohydrates (CHO), Lipids (fats),
Proteins, Vitamins, Minerals, and Water.

Plant Nutrition - refers to the supply and absorption of

chemical compounds for the growth and metabolic
processes of plants. These chemical compounds for
growth are known as plant nutrients or essential
elements. In order for higher plants to sustain their
metabolic processes, inorganic nutrients are obtained
from the environment via soil, air, and water. Classifying
elements are essential for plant growth is based on visual
diagnosis, plant analysis, biochemical tests, and soil test.
The following are the nutritional
requirements of plants; water, carbon dioxide, and
Figure 1. Plant Nutrients: What they need essential elements. and when they need it?
©https://gardenerspath.com
• Water helps a plant by transporting important nutrients. Nutrients are drawn from the soil and
utilized by the plant. Without proper balance of water, the plant is malnourished, physically
weak, and cannot support its own weight.

• Carbon Dioxide is a gas consisting of one carbon and two oxygen. It is one of the most important
gases on Earth because plants use CO2 to produce carbohydrates in a process called
photosynthesis. Since humans and animals rely on plants for food. Thus, photosynthesis is
necessary for the survival of life on Earth. Higher concentrations of carbon dioxide make plants

Author: MENDELSSOHN L. AJESTA II

Station: Carmen National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte
Email Add: [email protected] or [email protected] 2
 more productive because photosynthesis depends on using the sun's energy to synthesize sugar
out of carbon dioxide and water. Plants and ecosystems use the sugar both as an energy source
and as the basic building block for growth. (Note that water and carbon dioxide are the raw
materials required for photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert the energy from sunlight
into chemical energy.)

• Essential Elements. At present, plant biologists are able to identify 17 elements as essential for
plants, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Essential Elements and Physiology in Plants

Elements Function in plants

Carbon, Hydrogen, Major constituent of organic plant material; assimilation of

Oxygen oxidation-reduction reactions
Cell wall synthesis; enzymatic reactions and metabolic pathways;
Boron
mitotic activity for brown rot development
Structural component of the cell wall and cell membrane; counter-
Calcium
ion in the vacuole
Water splitting system for photosystem II; stomatal opening
Chlorine regulation
Co-factor for metalloproteins and enzymes; photosynthetic
Copper electron transport; cell wall metabolism and hormone signaling;
oxidative stress response
Regulatory component of proteins and metabolites in roots and
Iron
leaves

Magnesium Chlorophyll synthesis; cofactor in activation of ATPase

Photo destruction of chlorophyll and chloroplast structure;

Manganese enzyme activator; precursor of amino acid, hormone (auxins) and
lignin
Enzyme activation (e.g., nitrate reductase, catalase, and
Molybdenum
ribonuclease); chlorophyll synthesis
Endosperm development and dehydrogenase activity; urease
Nickel
activation for urea breakdown; root nodule growth
General plant growth of roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits;
Nitrogen
chlorophyll synthesis
Energy transferring process for photosynthesis and respiration
Phosphorus (ADP-ATP synthesis); structural component of phospholipids,
nucleic acids, coenzymes, and nucleotides
Cell extension and stomatal regulation; enzyme activation (kinase,
Potassium starch synthase, and nitrate reductase); photosynthetic activity
(e.g., CO2 fixation and pH regulation)
Assimilation of oxidation-reduction reactions; participates in
Sulfur
various enzymatic processes

Author: MENDELSSOHN L. AJESTA II

Station: Carmen National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte
Email Add: [email protected] or [email protected] 3
 Enzymatic function and reactivity; stem elongation; protein and
Zinc starch synthesis
(Essential element for some but not all higher plant species)

Routes for the absorption of water and minerals across plant roots:
Symplast route – refers to the continuous arrangement of protoplasts of a plant which are
interconnected by plasmodesmata.
Apoplast route – refers to the non-protoplasmic components of a plant, including the cell wall
and the intracellular spaces. Water and minerals from the soil have to be compelled to reach the
conducting tissues of plants, specifically the vascular tissue. The two routes mentioned show
how this will happen.

Specialized absorptive structures:

Root hairs – slender extensions of specialized epidermal cells that greatly increase the surface
area available for absorption.
Root nodules – localized swellings in roots of certain plants where bacterial cells exist
symbiotically with the plant. The bacteria help the plant fix nitrogen and in turn, the bacteria
can utilize some organic compounds provided by the plant.
Mycorrhizae (singular, mycorrhiza) – a symbiotic interaction between a young root and a
fungus. The fungus obtains sugars and nitrogen-containing compounds from root cells while the
plant can get some scarce minerals that the fungus can absorb from the soil.

Nutritional adaptation by plants

• Symbiosis of plants and soil microbes.

Diatomic nitrogen is abundant in the
atmosphere and soil, but plants are unable to
use it because they do not have the necessary
enzyme, nitrogenase, to convert it into a form
that they can use to make proteins. Soil
bacteria, or rhizobia, are able to perform
biological nitrogen fixation in
which atmospheric nitrogen gas (N2) is
converted into the ammonia (NH3) that plants
are able to use to synthesize proteins. Both the
plants and the bacteria benefit from the process of
nitrogen fixation; the plant obtains the Figure 2. Nutritional adaptation by plants nitrogen it
needs to synthesize proteins, while
©slideplayer.com
the bacteria obtain carbon from the plant and a secure
environment to inhabit within the plant roots.

• Symbiosis of plants and fungi. Because nutrients are often depleted in the soil, most plants
form symbiotic relationships called mycorrhizae with fungi that integrate into the plant’s root.
The relationship between plants and fungi is symbiotic because the plant obtains phosphate and
other minerals through the fungus, while the fungus obtains sugars from the plant root. The
long extensions of the fungus, called hyphae, help increase the surface area of the plant root
system so that it can extend beyond the area of nutrient depletion.
Symbiotic relationships are important because they are a major driving force of evolution. Since
cooperation among species allows them to survive better than they would as individuals.
Author: MENDELSSOHN L. AJESTA II
Station: Carmen National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte
Email Add: [email protected] or [email protected] 4
• Parasitism. Some plants are parasites, which acquire all or some of their nutrients from another
host plant and are therefore, entirely dependent upon it for their survival. Saprophytes acquire
nutrients from dead matter, with the help of enzymes they convert complex organic compounds
into simpler forms from which the plant can absorb nutrients. A symbiont experiences a
mutually beneficial arrangement with a plant thus, both partners contribute necessary nutrients
to the other.

• Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another
organism, its prey.

Animal Nutrition. In the course of evolution, animals have formed ways to obtain, process, and
digest food as heterotrophs. Some organisms were able to establish symbiosis to perform this
function. Animal nutrition focuses on the dietary nutrients needs of animals, those in agriculture,
food production, zoos, aquariums, and wildlife management. Among are the major classes of
nutrients: carbohydrate, fats, fiber, minerals, proteins, vitamins, and water.

• Carbohydrates - are energy-giving food.

- provide energy in the form of calories that the body
needs to be able to work, and to support other
functions. However, carbohydrates are needed in
large amounts by the body which up to 65% of our
energy comes from carbohydrates.
They are the body’s main source of fuel probably
because they are easily converted into energy. This
energy is usually in the form of glucose, which all
body tissues and cells in our readily use.

• Fats are triglycerides, made of assorted fatty acid

monomers bound to glycerol backbone. Some
fatty acids, but not all, are essential in the diet: they Figure 3. Classes of Nutrients
cannot be synthesized in the body. Fats
and oils are ©https://gardenerspath.com concentrated sources of energy that is why they are essential
nutrients for young children who need a lot of energy-rich food. Fats can also make meals tastier
and satisfying. Fat is found in meat, chicken, milk products, butters, creams, avocado, cooking
oils and fats, cheese, fish and ground nuts.

• Fiber is a mixture of different carbohydrates which primarily not digested like other nutrients
but pass through the gut nearly unchanged. These are the food rich in fiber are vegetables like
cabbage, carrots, cassava; fruits like banana and avocado; peas and beans; whole-grain cereals
like wheat flour and refined maize or sorghum. Fiber should be included in the diet for the
following reasons:
1. fiber makes food bulky or bigger — help a person who is overweight to eat less food;
2. fiber makes the feces soft and bulky; this can help prevent constipation; and
3. fiber slows the absorption of nutrients, so it helps nutrients to enter the blood stream
slowly. Thus, fiber is important for patients with diabetes mellitus.

• Proteins should be included in our diets for growth (especially important for children, teens, and
pregnant women) and to improve immune functions. They also play important role in making
essential hormones and enzymes, in tissue repair, preserving lean muscle mass, and supplying
energy in times when carbohydrates are not available. It is important pregnant women to need
Author: MENDELSSOHN L. AJESTA II
Station: Carmen National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte
Email Add: [email protected] or [email protected] 5
 protein to build their bodies and that of the babies and placentas, to make extra blood, and for
fat storage. Moreover, breastfeeding mothers need protein to make breast milk. The main sources
of proteins are meats, chicken, eggs, breast milk, beans, ground nuts, fish, cheese and milk. All
animal foods contain more protein than plants because they usually better sources of body
building foods.

• Minerals or dietary minerals are the chemical elements essential by living organisms, other
than the four elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen that are present in nearly all
organic molecules. The term "mineral" is archaic since the intent is to describe simply the less
common elements in the diet. Bulk minerals are essential in relative quantity, some are
structural, but usually play a role as electrolytes.
• Vitamins are groups of related substances present in small amounts in foodstuffs and are
important for the body to function normally. Vitamins are also called protective food. They are
grouped together because, as their name implies, they are a vital factor in the diet. Vitamins are
classified into two groups: Fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E and K) are soluble in fats and
fat solvents. They are insoluble in water and are utilized only if there is enough fat in the body.
Water soluble vitamins (e.g. vitamins B and C, and folic acid) are soluble in water and cannot
be stored in the body. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of micronutrients that should
be included in our diets. These two food groups contain vital sources of vitamins and minerals.

• Water. As you may remember that a 50 kg adult contains about 31L of water and a one-yearold,
10 kg child contains nearly 8L of water. People can live without solid food intake for a few weeks,
but we cannot live without water for more than a few days. An adult needs about 2–3L of water
each day. Water is essential for life. The following reasons why we need water:

1. for the body to produce cells and fluids such as tears, digestive juices, and breast milk;
2. for the body to produce sweat for cooling;
3. for essential body processes — most take place in water;
4. for keeping the lining of the mouth, intestine, eyelids, and lungs wet and healthy; and
5. for the production of urine that carries waste from the body.

Feeding Mechanisms of Animals

Substrate-feeders – these are animals that live in or on their food source. Examples:
earthworms that feed through the soil where they live; caterpillars that eat through the leaves
where they live on.
Filter-feeders – these are aquatic animals that draw in water and strain small organisms and
food particles present in the medium. Examples: whales and coelenterates.
Fluid-feeders – these are suck fluids containing nutrients from a living host. Examples:
mosquitoes, leeches, head lice.
Bulk-feeders – organisms that eat large chunks of food and have adaptations like jaws, teeth,
tentacles, claws, pincers, etc. that help in securing the food and tearing it to pieces. Examples:
snakes, cats, man.

Food processing in the human digestive system

A. The Oral Cavity, Pharynx, and Esophagus. Oral Cavity – where food is initially chewed into
shreds by the teeth, and mixed with saliva by the tongue. The saliva is secreted into the mouth
by three pairs of salivary glands located above the upper jaw and below the lower jaw. Pharynx
–the region in the back of the throat that serves as the entrance to the esophagus that connects
to the stomach and trachea (windpipe) that serves as an airway to the lungs that block
Author: MENDELSSOHN L. AJESTA II
Station: Carmen National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte
Email Add: [email protected] or [email protected] 6
 breathing mechanism as food leaves the pharynx, a flap-like valve (the epiglottis) and the
vocal cords close off the trachea. The esophagus – connects the pharynx with the stomach, no
digestion takes place within the esophagus but the contractions within its muscular wall propel
the food past a sphincter, into the stomach. Peristaltic contractions or peristalsis are rhythmic
waves contraction of the smooth muscle wall of the esophagus are called. It’s about 25 cm (10
in.) long.

The Stomach is a muscular stretchable sac just below the

diaphragm.

3 important functions.
1. It mixes and stores ingested food.
2. It secretes gastric juice that helps dissolve and degrade
the food particularly proteins.
3. It regulates the passage of food that we eat into the small
intestine.
The combination of HCl and acid-stable proteases are known
as gastric juice. The churning action of the stomach
together with the potent acidity of the gastric juice converts
food into a thick, liquid mixture called chyme.

C. Small Intestine is approximately 6 meters long, it’s

Figure 4. Digestive System
composed of three regions: the duodenum, jejunum, and
ileum, where most enzymatic hydrolysis of the ©https://gardenerspath.com
macromolecules from food
occurs. In the duodenum, the complete digestion of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins occurs,
about the first 25 cm. of the small intestine. The rest of the small intestine is devoted to
absorbing water and the products of digestion into the bloodstream wherein absorption of the
end products of digestion takes place in the ileum, the surface area by which villi and microvilli
increased.

D. The Accessory Digestive Organs liver – secretes bile for emulsifying fats
gallbladder – stores bile produced by the liver pancreas – secretes enzymes that break
down all major food molecules, secretes buffers against HCl from the stomach, and secretes
the hormone insulin for control of glucose metabolism

E. The Large Intestine or Colon is much shorter than the small intestine, about 1 meter, and
concentrates and stores undigested matter by absorbing mineral ions and water. A small
amount of fluid, sodium and vitamin K are absorbed via its walls. It does not coil up and
does not have villi, unlike the small intestine and has only one-thirtieth of the absorptive
surface area of the small intestine. Most of the bacteria live and thrive within the large
intestine that helps process undigested material into the final excretory product, feces.

F. The Rectum and Anus.

The Rectum is a short extension of the large intestine and the final segment of the digestive
tract. It is where the compacted undigested food from the colon is pushed via peristaltic
contractions. The distention of the rectum triggers the expulsion of feces. The anus is the
terminal opening of the digestive tract through which feces are expelled.
Author: MENDELSSOHN L. AJESTA II
Station: Carmen National High School
Division: Agusan del Norte
Email Add: [email protected] or [email protected] 7