CBSE Class 10 Science Notes Chapter 5 Life Processes

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GeeksforGeeks August 28, 2022

Last Updated : 18 Apr, 2023

The process that all living organisms perform to maintain their life is called life
processes. Living creatures must keep repairing and sustaining their structures. Different
maintenance functions are required to regulate the proper functioning of a body. Thus, the
process which maintains the body’s functions and is necessary for survival are called life
processes. Let’s have an overview of all these life-maintaining processes which describe
the qualities of organisms, whether alive or not.

Life Process in Animals

Life Process in Animals

If the cell is working or in its rest state still cell does all the essential activities. All those
activities that the cell does for proper functioning are known as Life Processes. The
basic life processes common to all living organisms are nutrition, respiration,
transportation, and excretion. Unicellular cells complete all these processes in one cell
whereas in multicellular organisms a well-developed system is evolved.

What is Nutrition?

Nutrition is the process of an organism acquiring the food which is needed for its
nourishment and for the sustenance.

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Nutrients are defined as the substances required for proper growth and maintenance of
the living body, i.e., the materials, which provide energy to organisms. All living organisms
do not obtain food by the same method, e.g., plants and some bacteria have the green
pigment chlorophyll to help synthesize food through the process called photosynthesis.
Likewise, animals, fungi, and other bacteria depend on plants and other organisms for
food. Based on this, there are two main types of nutrition, i.e, autotrophic and
heterotrophic.

Autotrophic Nutrition

The mode of nutrition in which organisms synthesize their food from simple
inorganic substances like carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight is
called autotrophic nutrition.

For example green plants and some bacteria. This mode of nutrition is called the
autotrophic mode of nutrition.

Plants synthesize their for via using light energy, they are known as
photoautotrophs.
Bacteria synthesize their food by using chemical energy, they are known as
chemoautotrophs.

Photosynthesis

It is a complex process by which green parts of the plant synthesize organic food. This
food is prepared by green plants from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of
sunlight and chlorophyll. It involves the given reaction:

6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6+ 6O2

The following events occur during the process of 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.

Site of photosynthesis: Chloroplasts

The organelles in the cells of the green plant which contain chlorophyll are called
chloroplasts.
Chloroplasts are the site of photosynthesis, as they contain chlorophyll pigment.
Stomata are the tiny pores present on the surface of the leaves. Massive amounts
of gaseous exchange take place in the leaves through these pores for the purpose
of photosynthesis.

Stomata

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Stomata are the open pores present on the lower epidermis of the leaf surface. Stomata
are covered with guard cells. Guard cells help in closing and opening of stomata. As the
water concentration increase in the guard cell, it results in the opening of the stomata.

Heterotrophic Nutrition

Organisms cannot prepare their food on their own. These organisms are termed
heterotrophs.

For example human beings, animals, non-green plants, etc. Heterotrophs obtain energy
from organic molecules already produced by autotrophs.

Three main types of Heterotrophic modes of nutrition are:

1. Holozoic nutrition is a type of heterotrophic nutrition that is characterized by the

internalization (ingestion) and internal processing of liquids or solid food
particles.e.g. Amoeba, cow, dog, etc.
2. Saprotrophic nutrition is the mode of nutrition in which organisms feed on dead
and decaying matter. Example fungi.
3. Parasitic nutrition is nutrition in which an organism derives its food from the body
of another living organism called its host without killing it. Example: Plasmodium
and roundworms obtain food through parasitic nutrition.

Nutrition in Amoeba

Nutrition in an Amoeba occurs through a process called phagocytosis, where the entire
organism pretty much engulfs the food it plans on eating up. The mode of nutrition in
amoeba is known as holozoic nutrition. It involves the ingestion, digestion, and egestion
of food material.

Nutrition in Paramoecium

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Paramoecium takes food via a Holozoic mode of nutrition. Cilia are present over the body
which helps to engulf the food particle. The food vacuole contains all the food particle
which moves around the cytoplasm known as cyclosis. Digested food particle nutrients
are absorbed in the cytoplasm. Waste food is then excreted from the body via tiny pores
or cytopyge.

Nutrition in Human Beings

In human beings, the process of intake of essential nutrients in the form of food takes
place through an entire system known as the digestive system. The human digestive
system constitutes a long tubular structure called the alimentary canal and various
digestive glands.

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Alimentary Canal

Mouth: It is the first part of the digestive system from where the food enters the
alimentary canal. It is mainly composed of two major parts: Tongue and Teeth.
Pharynx: It is a small funnel-shaped chamber located below the oral cavity.
Oesophagus: It is a thin and long muscular tube that leads into the stomach.
Stomach: The stomach is a large organ that expands when food enters it.
Small intestine: It is the longest part of the alimentary canal. It is the site of the
complete digestion of food into different components.
Large intestine: Although shorter, it is a large intestine because it is wider in
diameter than the small intestine.
Rectum: It is the last and broad chamber-like structure.
Anus: It is the end point of the alimentary canal.

Various glands are associated with the alimentary canals such as salivary glands, gastric
glands, liver, intestinal glands, and pancreas.

Physiology of Digestion
The food we eat contains various components like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins,
minerals, etc. Various steps involved in the digestion of these nutrients are given below:

1. Ingestion: It is the process of intake of food by mouth.

2. Digestion: The process of breaking down large organic molecules into smaller
molecules is called digestion.
3. Absorption: It is the process by which digested food passes from the alimentary
canal into the blood.
4. Assimilation: It is the distribution of digested food particles to various cells of the
body.
5. Egestion: It is the removal of undigested food materials.

Respiration
It is defined as the process of the biochemical oxidation of nutrients at the cellular level. It
occurs in the presence of specific enzymes at optimum temperatures in the cells to
release energy for various metabolic activities.

The process in a complete way can be written in the form of an equation:

Food + oxygen → Carbon dioxide + Water + Energy

Types of Respiration
There are two types of respiration: Aerobic and Anaerobic respiration.

Aerobic respiration: It is the process in which a large amount of energy is released in

the presence of oxygen (air) from the breakdown of food substances. The equation of
Aerobic respiration is given below:

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Anaerobic respiration: It is the process in which a small amount of energy is released in
the absence of oxygen (air) from the breakdown of food substances. It takes place in
yeast, bacteria, and in human muscles.

On the basis of products form, it is of two types:

Alcoholic Fermentation: An incomplete breakdown of sugar into ethanol and carbon

dioxide to release energy is called as alcoholic fermentation.

Lactic Acid Fermentation: It is the process of the incomplete breakdown of sugar into
lactic acid and energy in some bacteria, is called Lactic acid fermentation.

Stages of Respiration
Generally, respiration consists of the following two basic stages:

External Respiration: It is of two types, as follows

Breathing: It is the process by which air rich in oxygen is taken inside the
body of an organism and CO2-concentrated air expelled from the body.
Gaseous Exchange: It involves the diffusion of O2 from the lungs to blood
and CO2 from the lungs to the blood.
Internal Respiration: It refers to the gaseous exchange between the arterial blood
and the body cells.

Also Read: Respiration in Plants

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 Exchange of Gases in Plants Exchange of Gases in Animals

In plants exchange of gases occurs Animals have evolved different organs for the
through stomata and large intercellular uptake and out of gases. These organs work
spaces present throughout the plant together and constitute the respiratory system
body. of an organism.

In leaves, gaseous exchange takes The aquatic organisms utilize oxygen

place by diffusion of oxygen through dissolved in water for respiration where the
stomata into the cells of the leaf. amount of dissolved oxygen is fairly low then
the amount of air oxygen.

The exchange of gases in the roots of Terrestrial organisms use atmospheric oxygen
a plant takes place by the process of for respiration. This oxygen is absorbed by
diffusion from the air present in different organs in different animals.
between soil particles.

In woody plants, gaseous exchange Amoeba and planaria have cell membranes
occurs through the small pores found as their respiratory surface. Birds, lizards, and
on stems called lenticels. terrestrial organisms have lungs for
respiration.

All the parts of a plant perform An animal performs respiration as a single

respiration individually. unit.

Respiration occurs at a much slower Respiration occurs at a faster rate.

rate.

Human Respiratory System

Like other animals, the respiratory system in human beings serves to provide fresh
oxygen to all body cells and removes harmful carbon dioxide from the body.

For more information read: Human Respiratory System

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The parts of the human respiratory system are as follows:

Nostrils: Air is taken into the body through the nostrils.

Nasal passage: It is mainly the conducting zone for air.
Pharynx: Nasal chamber opens into the pharynx. It passes it to the larynx.
Larynx: is located in the neck region and in front of the trachea.
Trachea: The air passes from the pharynx and gets into the trachea.
Bronchi: The trachea divides into two smaller tubes called Bronchi.
Bronchioles: Bronchi are subdivided into two smaller tubes called Bronchioles.
Alveoli: These are balloon-like structures located inside the lungs.
Ribs: There are 12 pairs of bones that form a cage in the thoracic region.
Lungs: These are the primary organs for respiration.

Transportation
During metabolism, a cell produces some useful and some waste products. The
substances that are useful, need to be transported to the other cells, while harmful
substances are to be eliminated. This is done by the process of transportation.

Circulatory System

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 Transportation in Human beings Transportation in plants

The transport system of human beings Plants lack a regular transport system. The
also called the circulatory system, conduction of some materials to short
comprises a blood-vascular system distances occurs through diffusion.
and a lymphatic system.

The blood-vascular system has three For longer distances, a need for a proper
components- blood, blood vessels, and transportation system arises. Two pathways
the heart. have developed in plants which comprise
Xylem and phloem tissues.

The lymphatic system includes lymph, Two pathways have developed in plants
lymph vessels, and lymph nodes. which comprise Xylem and phloem tissues.

Blood supplies nutrients and oxygen to Xylem transports water and minerals
all living cells. obtained from soil and Phloem transports
food.

The heart is a muscular organ that The loss of water in the form of vapors from
plays the role of a pump. the aerial parts of the plant is called
transpiration.

Excretion
Excretion is the process by which organisms remove harmful metabolic wastes from the
body. The mode of excretion is completely different in unicellular and multicellular
organisms.

Excretion in Unicellular Organisms

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Amoeba or other unicellular organisms excrete their waste material from the cell surface
via diffusion. Amoeba or paramecium excrete waste via contractile vacuoles. The
contractile vacuole fuse with the cell membrane and the waste material is exerted out.

Human Excretion System

Excretion in Plants

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 Excretion in Human beings Excretion in plants

The main function of the human Plants also excrete various waste products
excretory system is to remove during their life processes.
nitrogenous wastes such as urea from
the body.

It includes a pair of kidneys, a pair of The waste products are excreted by plants
ureters, a urinary bladder, and a urethra. in completely different forms than those of
animals.

The main organ of the human excretory Plants release gaseous waste products
system is the kidney. Its main function is such as carbon dioxide and water vapor at
to remove excess water and nitrogenous night and oxygen in the daytime through
wastes from the blood in the form of stomata in leaves and lenticels found in the
urine. stem.

Each kidney contains a large number of Plants get rid of excess water produced as
tiny filtration units called nephrons. waste during respiration by the process of
transpiration.

Kidney failures can be managed by Some plants store waste substances in the
artificial kidneys. It is a device used to cellular vacuoles and in tissues with dead
remove nitrogenous waste products from cells, e.g., in the heartwood.
the blood through dialysis.

Also Read: Excretion in Plants

FAQs on Life Processes

Q1: What do you understand by life processes?

Answer:

All those processes which are essential for the survival and maintenance of the
organism. All such processes are known as Life Processes.

Q2: What is the role of saliva in the digestion of food?

Answer:

Digestive enzymes are present in the saliva. These enzymes start breaking the
food from the complex into a simple form.

Q3: Which organ plays the main role in excretion in humans?

Answer:

The main organ of the human excretory system is the kidney.

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