Cherubs…the glory of learning

Nutrients in Plants
Summary

Nutrition
Nutrition is the mode of intake of food by the organism and its utilisation by the body. All
organisms need food to perform their life processes. Food comprises of different
nutrients which include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Food
provides us energy to grow, repair the damaged parts in our body. Living organisms
include microorganisms, plants and animals.

Plants obtain their nutrition by various modes. The mode of nutrition in plants can be
autotrophic mode or heterotrophic mode. Plants can be classified into autotrophs and
heterotrophs.

 Autotrophic plants can synthesise their own food by the process of

photosynthesis. 
 Heterotrophic plants cannot synthesise food on their own but depend on other
organisms for their nutrition. Heterotrophic plants can be further classified into
parasites, saprophytes and symbiotic plants. 

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Autotrophic mode of nutrition - Photosynthesis

It is an autotrophic mode of nutrition. Photosynthesis is a process by which green plants
can synthesise glucose from raw materials like carbon dioxide and water in the presence
of sunlight and chlorophyll. Photosynthesis involves the conversion of solar energy into
chemical energy to synthesise starch.

Requirements for photosynthesis

 Facts about photosynthesis

All chlorophyll-containing plants, including algae, and some plants with red, brown or
other dominant pigments, make their food by photosynthesis.

 Leaves are considered as food factories of a plant.

 Roots absorb water and minerals from the soil and are transported to different
parts of the plant.
 Stomata present in the lower epidermis of the leaf take in carbon dioxide from the
air.
 Leaves have special structures called as chloroplasts. Chloroplasts possess
chlorophyll, a green colour pigment present in the leaf captures energy from
sunlight. Sun is the ultimate source of sunlight for all the living organisms on
earth.
 Plants synthesise glucose using carbon dioxide and water in the presence of
sunlight.
 Oxygen and water are released as by-products through the stomata during
daytime.
 The food synthesised is transported to other parts of the plant for utilisation and
storage.
 Glucose is a carbohydrate. Glucose synthesised by the process of
photosynthesis is converted into complex compounds like starch and cellulose.
Starch is stored in different parts of the plant.
 Plants also prepare proteins with the help of nitrogen which is obtained from the
soil.  

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 Thus, the minerals dissolved in water are used to convert sugar synthesised into
carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
 These food components stored are the source of energy for other heterotrophic
plants and animals.

Activity 1
Aim: To prove the essentiality of  green colour pigment chlorophyll for photosynthesis.
Procedure: Following steps are performed in a sequential order.
Step-1: Take a beaker with boiling water and drop a leaf into it. Let it boil for 2 minutes.
Step-2: Take the leaf out of the beaker and place it in a test tube with alcohol. Place this

test tube in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Alcohol decolourises the leaf by removing
chlorophyll from it by the process of bleaching.
Step-3: Remove the leaf from alcohol and wash it with warm water. Place it on a tile for

further test.
Step-4: Add 2 drops of iodine on to the leaf. The portions which contained chlorophyll turn

into bluish-black colour. The portions which did not contain chlorophyll and did not
participate in photosynthesis remain the same.
Inference: From the experiment we can infer that green parts of the leaves synthesised
starch and non-green parts did not perform photosynthesis to form starch.

Activity 2

Aim:  To explain the essentiality of light in photosynthesis

Procedure: Following steps are performed in a sequential order.

Step-1: A leaf is selected on a plant and is covered with black paper.

Step-2: Plant is destarched by keeping it in atmost darkness for 3 days. Pick a leaf and test it to

confirm that the plant is starch free. i.e. It did not perform photosynthesis in the darkness.

Step-3: Expose the same plant to sunlight for a day.  

Step-4: Test the leaf covered with black paper using iodine. It does not turn blue-black as it has not

synthesised starch. Starch synthesis did not happen as it is not exposed to sunlight.    

Inference: Photosynthesis did not occur in the leaf covered with black paper confirming the

essentiality of light for the synthesis of starch.

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Activity 3

Aim: To prove the requirement of carbon dioxide for photosynthesis

Procedure: Following steps are performed in a sequential order.

Step-1: A potted plant is taken and placed in complete darkness for few hours.

Step-2: Take potassium hydroxide in a conical flask rubber stoppered with a cork. Insert one leaf ( still

attached to parent plant) into through a hole in the rubber cork. Potassium hydroxide absorbs all the

left-over carbon dioxide from the flask.

Step-3: Entire arrangement is exposed to sunlightfor 6 hours.

Step-4: The leaf placed in the conical flask with potassium hydroxide solution is tested with iodine

solution. This does not turn into bluish-black colour.    

Inference:  The leaf trapped inside the conical flask did not perform photosynthesis as it did not

receive any carbon dioxide.

Heterotrophic mode of nutrition

Heterotrophic plants do not possess chlorophyll. Therefore, they cannot produce their
own food using the process of photosynthesis. Heterotrophic plants obtain food from
other plants by following either a parasitic, saprophytic or symbiotic mode.

a) Parasitic mode: 
The organisms which exhibit parasitic mode of nutrition are called as parasites.
Parasites obtain their nourishment from other living organisms. In parasitic mode of
nutrition, plants depend on other plants or animals for their nourishment. Such plants are
called as parasites and the ones on which parasites depend are called as hosts. 

 e.g.Mistletoe is another parasitic plant which depends on other organisms for its
nourishment.
 e.g.Cuscuta is a parasitic plant which develops special roots called haustoria.
Haustoria penetrate deep into host plant tissues and just absorb the nutrients
from them.

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b) Insectivorous mode:
These are the plants with special leaves that are modified into special structures. These
structures have the ability to trap the organisms.

 e.g. Nepenthes is otherwise called as pitcher plant has its leaves modified into
pitchers closed with leaves. These have a network of fibres which entangle the
trapped organism and later digest it by secreting some hydrolysing enzymes to
digest them.
 e.g. Venus fly trap feeds on small animals and insects to obtain their
nourishment. These plants especially obtain the nitrogen they require from
insects and small animals.

c) Saprophytic mode:  
The plants which exhibit saprotrophic mode of nutrition are called as saprotrophs.
Saprotrophs are the plants that obtain their nutrition from dead and decaying organic
matter. Saprotrophs secrete digestive juices onto dead and decaying matter to dissolve
it and then absorb nutrients from it.

 e.g. Indian pipe which is found on dead and rotting material, inhabits fungus in its
roots. These extend their mycelium and secrete enzymes to digest the decaying
matter.
 e.g. Coral roots are another type of plants exhibiting saprophytic nutrition.

d) Symbiotic mode: 
Symbiosis is the phenomenon by which two organisms maintain relationship with each
other to be mutually benefitted. In symbiotic mode, organisms develop a special
relationship with certain other organisms to obtain nourishment. Organisms involved in
this type of relationship are called as symbionts.

 e.g. Rhizobium bacteria and Leguminous plants are symbionts exhibiting

symbiosis. Plants cannot utilise atmospheric nitrogen directly. Hence, leguminous

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plants establish a symbiotic relationship with bacteria like Rhizobium. Both the
organisms of symbiotic relationship are mutually benefited. Leguminous plant
provides shelter and nourishment for the bacteria and in turn bacteria fix
atmospheric nitrogen to the plant.
 e.g. Digestion in ruminants is a good example of symbiosis. A large sac-like
structure called the caecum lies between the small and large intestines. The
symbiotic bacteria present in the caecum help in complete digestion of cellulose.
Microorganisms present in the stomach of ruminants help in digesting cellulose
and in turn obtain shelter and nourishment form the animal. A symbiotic
relationship exists between microorganisms and the ruminants. 
 e.g. Lichens form a very good example of symbiotic relationship. Lichens are
formed by the symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi sharing a single
colony. Fungus provides water, nutrients and shelter in the form of network
formed by mycelium. Algae synthesises the food for entire colony by the process
of photosynthesis.  

Differences between a parasite and a saprotroph

                 PARASITE                   SAPROTROPH

An organism that depends on

An organism that obtains its
other organisms for its food and
nourishment from dead and decaying.
nourishment.

It develops special organs like It is capable of secreting some

suckers, hooks or haustoria to enzymes which can digest complex
obtain nourishment from the host. molecules of into simpler forms.

e.g. Cuscuta, Nephenthes etc. e.g. Fungi, Bacteria