L-6 LIFE PROCESSES – INTEXT ANSWERS

Page:81

1) Why is diffusion insufficient to meet the oxygen requirements of

multicellular organisms like humans?
➢ In multicellular organisms like humans, all the body cells are not in direct
contact with the surrounding environment.
➢ It is only the skin which is in direct contact with the environment.
➢ Therefore, every cell of the body will not get oxygen as per their need by the
process of diffusion, as it is a very slow process and it takes a very long time
to reach all parts of the body.
➢ Therefore diffusion is insufficient to meet the oxygen requirements of
multicellular organisms.

2) What criteria do we use to decide whether something is alive?

➢ The main criteria used to decide whether something is alive are:
➢ movement
➢ breathing and respiration
➢ nutrition
➢ excretion
➢ response to stimuli
➢ growth
➢ reproduction

3) What are outside raw materials used for by an organism?

➢ Maintenance processes are needed to prevent damage and break down of the
body and energy is needed for this which comes from outside the body
which we call nutrition.
➢ Heterotrophs use food and autotrophs use carbon dioxide, minerals and
water to prepare food, through photosynthesis.
➢ For respiration all organisms use oxygen as raw material.

4) What processes would you consider essential for maintaining life?

➢ Processes essential for maintaining life are :
(i) Nutrition
(ii) Respiration
(iii) Transportation
(iv) Excretion
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1. What are the differences between autotrophic nutrition and heterotrophic

nutrition?

Autotrophic nutrition Heterotrophic nutrition

(i) In this mode of nutrition an organism (i) In this mode of nutrition an organism

synthesises its own food. cannot synthesise its own food.

(ii) Organisms use simple inorganic materials (ii) Organisms cannot make their own food

like carbon dioxide and water and synthesise from simple inorganic matter and depend

their food in the presence of sunlight. on other organisms for their food.

(iii) All green plants and some algae undergo (iii) All animals, most bacteria and fungi

this mode of nutrition. undergo this mode of nutrition.

2. Where do plants get each of the raw materials required for photosynthesis?

(i) Carbon dioxide: Plants get carbon dioxide from the environment/atmosphere through
stomata.
(ii) Water: Plants absorb water from the soil through roots and transport it to the leaves.
(iii) Sunlight: Plants get sunlight from the sun.
(iv) Chlorophyll: It is present in chloroplast found in green leaves and green parts of
plants.

3. What is the role of the acid in our stomach?

(i) To make an acidic medium which is necessary for the activation of the pro-enzyme
pepsinogen to active pepsin.
(ii) To kill bacteria which the food may contain.
(iii) To soften the food.

4. What is the function of digestive enzymes?

 ➢ The food we eat is complex in nature, i.e., it contains complex molecules.
➢ Digestive enzymes break down these complex molecules into smaller simpler
➢ molecules, so that they can be absorbed by the body.

5. How is the small intestine designed to absorb digested food?

➢ The small intestine is designed to provide maximum surface area for absorption
of digested food and its transfer into the blood for its circulation into the body.
➢ For this the inner lining of the small intestine has numerous finger-like projections
called villi.
➢ The villi are richly supplied with blood vessels which carry the absorbed food to
each and every cell of the body.

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1. What advantage over an aquatic organism does a terrestrial organism have

with regard to obtaining oxygen for respiration?
➢ Aquatic organisms use oxygen dissolved in the surrounding water.
➢ Since air dissolved in water has a fairly low concentration of oxygen, the aquatic
organisms have much faster rate of breathing.
➢ Terrestrial organisms take oxygen from the oxygen-rich atmosphere through
respiratory organs.
➢ Hence, they have a much lesser breathing rate than aquatic organisms.

2. What are the different ways in which glucose is oxidised to provide energy in
various organisms?

(i) Anaerobic respiration: Anaerobic respiration in organisms like yeast produces ethanol
and carbon dioxide as end products, with the release of 2ATP of energy.
(ii) Aerobic respiration: In aerobic respiration the break- down of pyruvate takes place in
the presence of oxygen to give rise to three molecules of carbon dioxide and water, with
the release of 38ATP.
(iii) Lack of oxygen: Sometimes, when there is lack of oxygen especially during physical
exercise, in our muscles, pyruvate is converted into lactic acid (a 3 carbon molecule).
Formation of lactic acid leads to muscles cramp.

3. How is oxygen and carbon dioxide transported in human beings?

(i) Transport of oxygen: The respiratory pigment haemoglobin present in blood

corpuscles has a very high affinity to oxygen. This pigment takes up the oxygen from
the air in the lungs and carries it to the tissues which are deficient in oxygen before
releasing it.
(ii) Transport of carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is more soluble in water than oxygen.
Therefore, it is mostly transported from body tissues in the dissolved form in our blood
plasma to the lungs. Here it diffuses from the blood to the air in the lungs and is
exhaled.

4. How are the lungs designed in human beings to maximise the area for
exchange of gases?
➢ Within the lungs, the air passage divides into smaller and smaller tubes,
called bronchi which in turn form bronchioles.
➢ The bronchioles terminate in balloon-like structures, called alveoli.
➢ The alveoli present in the lungs provide maximum surface area for exchange of
gases.
➢ The alveoli have very thin walls and contain an extensive network of blood
vessels to facilitate exchange of gases.
➢ During the process of inhalation, the ribs moves forward and out, the diaphragm
flattens increasing the chest cavity.
➢ Due to this, the oxygen rich air is sucked into the expanded alveoli thus providing
more area for exchange of gases.

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1. What are the components of the transport system in human beings? What are
the functions of these components?

The transport system (circulatory system) in human beings mainly consists of the heart,
blood and blood vessels.

(i) Function of the heart : The heart receives deoxygenated blood from the body parts
and pumps it to the lungs for enriching it with oxygen (pulmonary circulation).

It receives purified blood from the lungs and pumps it to all systems of the body
(systemic circulation).
(ii) Functions of blood: Blood transports oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, salts, water,
hormones and nitrogenous waste like urea. It also protects the body from diseases and
regulates body temperature.
(iii) Functions of blood vessels: The blood pumped by the heart flows through the blood
vessels (arteries and capillaries) and also comes back to the heart through them (veins
and capillaries).

2. Why is it necessary to separate oxygenated and deoxygenated blood in

mammals and birds?

➢ Separation of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood allows good supply of oxygen

to the body.
➢ This system is useful in animals that have high energy requirement.
➢ Mammals and birds constantly need oxygen to obtain energy to maintain their
body temperature constant.

➢
3. What are the components of the transport system in highly
organised plants?
➢ The major components of the transport system in highly organized plants
are:
➢ XYLEM- It is a complex permanent tissue which consists of vessels,
tracheids, xylem parenchyma and xylem fibre.
➢ Phloem- - It is a complex permanent tissue which consists of sieve tubes,
companion cells, phloem parenchyma and phloem fibre ( in angiosperms)

Phloem- - It is a complex permanent tissue which consists of sieve cells,

albuminous cells, phloem parenchyma and phloem fibre (in
gymnosperms).

4. How are water and minerals transported in plants?

➢ In xylem tissue, xylem vessels, xylem parenchyma , xylem fibre and

tracheids of the roots, stems and leaves are interconnected to form a
continuous system of water-conducting channels reaching all parts of the
plant.
➢ At the roots, cells in contact with the soil actively take up ions. This creates
a difference in the concentration of these ions between the root and the soil.
➢ Water, therefore, moves into the root from the soil to eliminate this
difference.
➢ This means that there is steady movement of water into root xylem,
creating a column of water that is steadily pushed upwards.
➢ However, this pressure by itself is unlikely to be enough to move water
over the heights.
 ➢ Plants use another strategy to move water in the xylem upwards to the
highest points of the plant body.
➢ Provided that the plant has an adequate supply of water, the water which
is lost through the stomata is replaced by water from the xylem vessels in
the leaf.
➢ Evaporation of water molecules from the cells of a leaf creates a suction
which pulls water from the xylem cells of roots.
➢ The loss of water in the form of vapour from the aerial parts of the plant is
known as transpiration Thus, transpiration helps in the absorption and
upward movement of water and minerals dissolved in it from roots to the
leaves
➢ . It also helps in temperature regulation.
➢ The effect of root pressure in transport of water is more important at night.
➢ During the day when the stomata are open, the transpiration pull, suction
pull and capillary action becomes the major driving force in the movement
of water in the xylem.

5. How is food transported in plants?

Phloem conducts soluble products of photosynthesis from leaves to different parts of
the plant body.

➢ The transport of soluble products of photosynthesis is called translocation and it

occurs in the part of the vascular tissue known as phloem.
➢ Besides the products of photosynthesis, the phloem transports amino acids and
other substances. These substances are especially delivered to the storage
organs of roots, fruits and seeds and to growing plant parts.
➢ The translocation of food and other substances takes place in the sieve tubes
with the help of adjacent companion cells both in upward and downward
directions.
➢ Phloem parenchyma helps in lateral conduction of food and phloem fibre gives
mechanical support. Unlike transport in xylem which can be largely explained by
simple physical forces, the translocation in phloem is achieved by utilising
energy.
➢ Materials like sucrose is transferred into phloem tissue using energy from ATP.
➢ This increases the osmotic pressure of the tissue causing water to move into it.
This pressure moves the material in the phloem to tissues which have less
pressure.
➢ This allows the phloem to move material according to the plant’s needs.
➢ For example, in the spring, sugar stored in root or stem tissue would be
transported to the buds which need energy to grow.
Page:98
1. Describe the structure and functioning of nephrons.

STRUCTURE: Nephron is the structural and functional unit of the kidney.

➢ It is differentiated into a cup shaped structure called Bowmans capsule at one
end and a long tubular part called the renal tubule.
➢ The Bowmans capsule has a network of blood capillaries called the glomerulus.
➢ The Bowmans capsule continues as the renal tubule.
➢ The renal tubule has a proximal convoluted tubule, Loop of Henle and a distal
convoluted tubule, which finally opens into the collecting duct.
➢ Blood capillaries are seen intertwining the nephron which helps in selective
reabsorption.
FUNCTIONING:
➢ Nephron filters the blood and eliminates waste materials.
➢ Blood containing waste materials are passed to the glomerulus through the
branch of the renal artery.
➢ The Bowmans capsule collects the glomerular filtrate when blood flows through
the glomerulus.
➢ This filtrate then passes through the renal tubule.
➢ From the filtrate, substances such as glucose, amino acids, salts and a major
amount of water are selectively reabsorbed as the urine flows along the tubule.
➢ It is reabsorbed into the capillaries that surround the tubule.
➢ The amount of water reabsorbed depends on how much excess water there is in
the body and on how much of dissolved waste there is to be excreted.
➢ Many nephrons (distal tubules) open into one collecting duct.
2. What are the methods used by plants to get rid of excretory products?

(i) The plants get rid of gaseous products (oxygen, carbon dioxide)-through stomata in
leaves and lenticels in stems.
(ii) Excess water is removed through transpiration.
(iii) They get rid of stored solid and liquid waste by the shedding off leaves, peeling off
bark and felling off fruits.
(iii) They get rid of wastes by secreting them in the form of gums and resins, especially
in the old xylem.
(iv) Many plant waste products are stored in the vacuoles.
(iv) Plants also excrete some waste substances into the soil around them, through the
root hairs.

3. How is the amount of urine produced regulated?

The amount of urine is regulated by the kidneys. It depends on the quantity of excess
water present in the body and the amount of dissolved waste there is to be removed.

(i) Quantity of water : When water is abundant in the body tissues, large quantities of
dilute urine is excreted out. When water is less in quantity in the body tissues, a small
quantity of concentrate urine is excreted.
(ii) Quantity of dissolved wastes : Dissolved wastes, especially nitrogenous wastes, like
urea, uric acid and salts are excreted from the body. When there is more quantity of
dissolved wastes in the body, more quantity of water is required to excrete them.
Therefore, the amount of urine produced increases.
(iii) Hormones: The amount of urine produced is also regulated by certain hormones
which control the movement of water and Na+ ions in and out of the nephrons.

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Textbook Chapter End Questions

1. The kidneys in human beings are a part of the system for:

(i) nutrition
(ii) respiration
(iii) excretion
(iv) transportation
Answer:
(iii) Excretion

2. The xylem in plants are responsible for:

(i) transport of water
(ii) transport of food
(iii) transport of amino acids
(iv) transport of oxygen
Answer:
(i) Transport of water

3. The autotrophic mode of nutrition requires:

(i) carbon dioxide and water
(ii) chlorophyll
(iii) sunlight
(iv) all of the above
Answer:
(iv) All of the above

4. The breakdown of pyruvate to give carbon dioxide, water and energy takes
place in:
(i) cytoplasm
(ii) mitochondria
(iii) chloroplast
(iv) nucleus
Answer:
(ii) Mitochondria

5. How are fats digested in our body? Where does this process take place?

➢ Digestion of fats takes place in the small intestine.

➢ Bile juice secreted by the liver is stored in the gall bladder and is then released
into the intestine along with pancreatic juice.
➢ The bile salts present in the bile juice emulsify the large fat globules to smaller
globules which aids in digestion.
➢ The enzyme lipase present in the pancreatic juice acts on the emulsified fats
and breaks it down to fatty acids and glycerol.

6. What is the role of saliva in the digestion of food?

 (i) Saliva contains the enzyme, salivary amylase that breaks down starch
into simple

sugars.

(ii) Saliva keeps the mouth cavity clean and moistens the food that help in chewing
and breaking down the big pieces of food into smaller ones.

7. What are the necessary conditions for autotrophic nutrition and what are its by-
products?

Necessary conditions for autotrophic nutrition :

(i) Presence of chlorophyll in the living cells.
(ii) Provision of supply of water to plants.
(iii) Sufficient sunlight.
(iv) Sufficient supply of carbon dioxide.
By-product of auto trophic nutrition is oxygen.

8. What are the differences between aerobic and anaerobic respiration? Name
some organisms that use the anaerobic mode of respiration.

Some organisms which use anaerobic mode of respiration are yeast, anaerobic
bacteria etc.

Aerobic respiration Anaerobic respiration

1. It takes place in the presence of
1. It takes place in the absence of oxygen.
oxygen.
2. Complete breakdown of food occurs in 2. Partial breakdown of food occurs in
aerobic respiration. anaerobic respiration.

3. The end products in anaerobic respiration

3. The end products in aerobic
may be ethanol and carbon dioxide (as in
respiration are carbon dioxide, water and
yeast) or lactic acid (as in animal muscles) with
38 ATP of energy.
2 ATP of energy.
4. Takes place in the cytoplasm and
4. Takes place in the cytoplasm.
mitochondria.
 9. How are the alveoli designed to maximise the exchange of gases?
➢ Surface of the lungs are fine and delicate which helps in easy expansion
and relaxation.
➢ The millions of alveoli provide large surface area for exchange of gases.
➢ The walls of the alveoli contain an extensive network of capillaries, which
provides an efficient surface for exchange of gases.
➢ There is residual volume that provides sufficient time for oxygen to be absorbed
and carbon dioxide to be released.
➢ During the process of inhalation, the ribs moves forward and out, the diaphragm
flattens increasing the chest cavity.
➢ Due to this, the oxygen rich air is sucked into the expanded alveoli thus providing
more area for exchange of gases.

10. What would be the consequences of a deficiency of haemoglobin in our

bodies?

➢ Due to the deficiency of haemoglobin in blood, they become anaemic.

➢ Its oxygen carrying capacity decreases.
➢ As a result the production of energy by oxidation will become slower.
➢ Therefore, one could fall sick and would feel fatigue most of the time.

11. Describe double circulation in human beings. Why is it necessary?

➢ In the human body, blood enters the heart twice and is also pumped out twice, ie.
blood needs to flow through the heart twice to complete one circulation ( one
systemic and one pulmonary circulation).
➢ PULMONARY circulation-The deoxygenated blood from the body is brought to
the right atrium through vena cava from where it is sent to the right ventricle.
➢ From the right ventricle, blood is pumped to the lungs for oxygenation through
pulmonary artery.
➢ SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION-The oxygenated blood from the lungs again enters
the left atrium of the heart through pulmonary veins.
➢ From the left atrium it is send to the left ventricle, from where this oxygenated
blood is pumped into the aorta, from where blood flows to the different parts of
the body through the arteries.
➢ In this way the blood flows through the heart twice, that’s why it is called ‘double
circulation’.
➢ Necessity of double circulation: The right side and the left side of the human
heart are useful to keep deoxygenated and oxygenated blood from mixing.
➢ This type of separation of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood ensures a highly
efficient supply of oxygen to the body.
➢ This is useful in case of humans who constantly need energy to maintain their
body temperature.
 12. What are the differences between the transport of materials in xylem and
phloem?

Xylem Phloem

1. Phloem conducts prepared food materials from

1. Xylem conducts water and dissolved minerals
leaves to other parts of the plant in dissolved
from roots to leaves and other parts.
form.
2. In xylem, the transport of materials take place 2. In phloem, transport of materials take place
through vessels and tracheids, which are dead through sieve tubes with the help of companion
tissues. cells, which are living cells.
3. In xylem the upward movement of water and 3. In translocation, materials are transferred into
dissolved minerals is mainly achieved by the phloem tissue using energy from ATP. This
transpirational pull. It is caused due to the suction increases the osmotic pressure that moves the
created by the transpiration of water molecules materials in the phloem to tissues which have less
from the cells of a leaf, through the stomata. pressure.

13. Compare the functioning of alveoli in the lungs and nephrons in the kidneys
with respect to their structure and functioning.

Alveoli Nephron
1. Nephrons are the functional units of
1. Alveoli are the functional units of lungs.
kidneys.
2. A mature lung has about 30 crore
2. A kidney has about 10 lakh nephrons.
alveoli.

3. Alveoli are balloon structures. 3. Nephrons are long tubular structures.

4. The alveoli are one cell thick and are 4. It consists of a Bowmans capsule,
richly supplied with blood capillaries. glomerulus, renal tubule and collecting duct.
5. Alveoli are the site of gaseous exchange 5. Nephrons are the basic filtration units of a
in lungs. kidney.
6. Exchange of oxygen and carbondioxide
6. Each nephron filters the blood and
takes place between the blood flowing
separates the nitrogenous waste in the form
through the capillaries which surround the
of urine.
alveoli and the gases present within the
alveoli.