LIFE PROCESSES

1.Why is diffusion insufficient to meet the oxygen requirements of multicellular organisms

like humans?
A. In multicellular organisms like humans, various body parts have specialized to
perform some functions. All the cells with in different parts of human body need oxygen but all
are not exposed to surrounding environment for intake of oxygen through diffusion. Therefore,
process of diffusion is insufficient to meet the oxygen requirements of multicellular organisms
like humans.

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

A. Any visible movement such as walking,breathing or growing is generally
used to decide whether something is alive or not. However a living organism also have movements
,which are not visible to naked eye. Therefore the presence of life processes is fundamental
criterion to decide whether something is alive or not.

3. What are the outside raw materials used by an organism?

A. For maintenance, growth and reproduction, a living organism needs energy, Which is produced
from outside raw materials through process of nutrition. These outside raw materials are :
1. Food : as source of supplying energy and materials.
2. Oxygen : The oxygen is acquired from outside the body, and is used for the breakdown of food
sources for cellular needs by using process of respiration
3. Water : Water plays an important role in facilitating most of the functions within a living
organism
4.What processes would you consider essential for maintaining life?
A.The processes essential for maintaining life are :
1. Nutrition
2. Respiration
3.Transport of materials
4. Excretion of waste products

5. What are the differences between autotrophic nutrition and heterotrophic

Nutrition?
Ans: Autotrophic nutrition : It involves the synthesis of complex organic molecules from simple
inorganic materials from the environment using energy . eg; green plants prepare their own food
using CO2,, ,light and water in presence of chlorophyll.
Heterotrophic nutrition : It involves the intake of complex food material prepared by other
organisms. Here organisms like human or animals do not prepare their own food but depend on
others for their food.

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

Ans: Plants get following raw materials for photosynthesis :

1. Carbon Dioxide : Plants obtain CO2 directly from atmosphere through stomata
2. Water : Plants absorb water from soil through root hairs and transport it to leaves
3. Sunlight : Chlorophyll absorbs light energy.

7. Write the three events which occur during the process of photosynthesis.

A. [i] Absorption of light energy by chlorophyll.

[ii] Conversion of light energy to chemical energy and splitting of water molecules
in to Hydrogen and Oxygen.
[iii] Reduction of Carbon dioxide to carbohydrate
The following equation summarizes the raw materials and products of photosynthetic process:
sunlight ,chlorophyll
6CO2 + 12H2O ----------------> C6H12O6 + 6H2O + 6O2
8.What is the role of the acid in our stomach?

Ans; (a)HCl creates an acid medium in the stomach and facilitates the action of pepsin,

protein digesting enzyme.

(b) It kills the microorganisms that enter along with the food.

9.What is the function of digestive enzymes?

Ans; Digestive enzymes such as amylase, lipase,pepsin , trypsin etc help to break down complex
food materials such as carbohydrates,fats,proteins to simple particles that can be easily absorbed by
the blood and thus transported to all the cells of the body.

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

Ans; The small intestine has millions of tiny finger like projections called villi which increase the
surface area for absorption.The villi are richly supplied with blood vessels which take the
absorbed food to each and every cell of the body,where it is utilised for obtaining energy,building
up new tissues and the repair of old tissues.

11.What advantage over an aquatic organism does a terrestrial organism have with regard
to obtaining oxygen for respiration?

Ans; Terrestrial organisms take up oxygen from the atmosphere whereas aquatic animals obtain
oxygen from water.Air contains more oxygen as compared to water.Since the content of oxygen in
air is high,the terrestrial animals do not need to breathe faster to get more oxygen.Therefore unlike
aquatic animals,terrestrial animals do not need adaptations for gaseous exchange.

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

Ans: At First glucose breaks down to 3 carbon -Pyruvate.Further breakdown of pyruvate takes
place in different manners in different organisms.

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

Ans;Transport of oxygen:
The respiratory pigment haemoglobin present in the RBCs take up the oxygen from the inhaled air
and transport to tissues.
Transport of carbon dioxide. Co2 is more soluble in water.Hence it is mostly transported from
body tissues in the dissolved form in our blood plasma to lungs where it diffuses from blood to the
lungs and then expelled out through nostrils.
14.How are the lungs designed in humans to maximize the area for exchange of gases ?
Ans: Lungs contain millions of alveoli which provide a surface for the exchange of gases.An
extensive network of blood vessels is present in the wall of the alveoli for efficient exchange of
gases and their distribution.By lifting ribs and flattening diaphragm,the chest cavity becomes
spacious and air is sucked into the lungs and alveoli.The oxygen diffuses into the blood and co2
from blood diffuses out to air.
15.What are the components of the transport system in human beings? What are the
functions of these components?
Ans; The components are
1.Heart- Receives deoxygenated blood from the body parts,oxygenates it and pumps all over the
body.
2.Blood- helps in the transport of 02,co2.nutrients and wastes.
3.Blood vessels [arteries,veins,capillaries]
Arteries pump blood from the heart to various organs and veins carry blood from organs back to
heart.Capillaries are the sites of exchange of gases between blood and tissues.
16.Why is it necessary to separate oxygenated and deoxygenated blood in mammals and
birds?
Ans: The mammals and birds have high energy needs to maintain their body temperature as they
are homeotherms .An efficient supply of oxygen is needed to provide high energy. For this it is
necessary to separate oxygenated and deoxygenated blood in mammals and birds
17.Draw schematic diagram of transport and exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in
humans.