BRIGHT RIDERS SCHOOL, ABU DHABI

(2022-23)

SUBJECT: SCIENCE GRADE: VII

Chapter: Nutrition in plants (Notes)

1. How do plants get nutrition?

Ans: Although all green plants make their food by photosynthesis, they also need to get
nutrients from the soil. These nutrients are dissolved in water and are taken up by the roots
of the plant. The most important plant nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and
potassium (K).
2. What is the importance of nutrition in plants?

Ans: Plants need nutrients for the same reasons that animals need them. They need them to
germinate, grow, fight off diseases and pests and to reproduce. Like
animals, nutrients are needed in larger, smaller or trace amounts for the
plant to stay healthy.
3. Explain symbiotic relationship in rhizobium and leguminous plants.
Ans. The bacterium called Rhizobium can take atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into a
soluble form. But Rhizobium cannot make its own food. So, it lives in the roots of gram,
peas, moong, beans, and other legumes and provides them with nitrogen. In return, the
plants provide food and shelter to the bacteria. They, thus, have a symbiotic relationship.
4.All plants respire, excrete, and reproduce, but they do not digest food. Why?
Ans. Plants do not digest food as the food produced is in the form of sugar and is used by
translocation for plant growth and repairs. Plants store food in the form of starch, which on
maturation of fruit, also gets converted into simple sugars. Plants are already utilising
simplest form of carbohydrate, therefore, do not require digestion.
5. Why do you think that fungi are important in keeping the forest healthy?
Ans. Most of the fungi in the forest are saprophytic fungi, or decomposers. Fungi break
down dead things and turn it into the nutrients that are used by the plants. Fungi are
especially good at decaying wood. The fungi decompose the dead matter and logs.
Parasitic fungi feed on the energy produced by other living things. Some mushrooms
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growing near trees take nutrients from tree roots. They also help in cleaning the
environment.

6. Whether food is made in all parts of a plant or only in certain parts? Explain.
Ans: Only certain parts of plant like leaves have green pigment called chlorophyll. So
leaves are called the food factories of plants. Besides leaves, photosynthesis also takes
place in other green parts of the plant like in green stems and green branches. The desert
plants have scale or spine like leaves to reduce loss of water by transpiration. These plants
have green stems which carry out the process of photosynthesis.

7. What is a cell?
Ans: The body of living organisms are made of tiny units called cells; therefore, cells are
called the building blocks of living organism. Cells can be seen only under the
microscope. Some organisms are made of single cell they are called Unicellular.
Ex. Amoeba, Paramecium etc. While others are made of many cells and are called
multicellular. Ex. man, tree etc.

Important Note:
Refer the given link – Text book Exercise (Pg.12 to 14)
https://www.netexplanations.com/lakhmir-singh-manjit-kaur-class-7-science-
1st-chapter-nutrition-in-plants-solution/ (Textbook solutions)

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