General Biology 2 Handouts

Vegetative Propagation & Nutrient Procurement and Processing

Bulk –Feeders- animals breakdown and swallow large amount of food.

I. Vegetative Propagation
Vegetative Propagation – is the process in which new plants are grown from the old parts of another
plants like roots, shoots, and leaves, without involving any reproductive organ.
Advantages of Vegetative Propagation
 The plants cultivated are genetically identical to their parents.
 Plants can be cultivated faster as compared to growing them from seeds.
Disadvantages of Vegetative Propagation
 Vegetative propagated plants are short -lived, small compared to seed propagated plants.
 No new varieties can be produced
 Skilled persons are required and often expensive compared to seed propagation
 More susceptible to diseases as the entire plant may get affected as there is no genetic variation
Vegetative Propagation ( Underground Stem)
 Tubers- are underground roots with fleshy foo-storing parts resemble tubers.
Ex . Potato
 Rhizomes -are bulblike power packs that grow along the soil surface. They grow horizontally
under the ground and sprout new new growth along the underground stem as they grow in any
direction.
Ex. Ginger
 Bulb – is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf base that function as food storage
organ during dormancy. They have an underground stem to which the leaves are attached .These
leaves are capable of storing foods.
Ex. Onion

Take Note:
 Bolus – food mass formed after chewing and before swallowing it
 Peristalsis – muscle contraction when swallowing food
 Salivary Gland- secretes enzymes called salivary amylase
 Salivary Amylase – enzyme that functioned as the starting point of chemical digestion of
food
  Photosynthesis- a process that occurs in plant to produce their food
II. Nutrient Procurement and Processing

Nutrition – Nutrients help living organisms develop their bodies ,grows,heal damaged body parts, and
give energy for life and activity.
Mode of Nutrition
 Autotrophic Nutrition – can produce their own food
 Heterotrophic Nutrition – cannot produce their food

Digestion – The mechanical and chemical process by which complex food substances are broken down
into simpler substances.
Parts of the Digestive System
 Mouth – produces saliva where mechanical mastication of food takes place to form bolus
 Esophagus – a muscular tube that conducts peristalsis and serves as passage way for food
 Stomach – a muscular sac that contains gastric juices that helps to break down the food
chemically
 Accessory Organs
o Liver – produces a bile that helps in the digestion of fats
o Gall bladder – helps in the storage of bile and discharging it from the cystic duct
o Pancreas – releases pancreatic juices and enzymes which helps in the digestion of proteins
and starch
 Small Intestine – a tube that contains villi which absorbs the nutrients and water from the food
 Large Intestine – a tube that absorbs water and salt from the material that has not been digested
as food, and gets rid of any waste products.
 Anus – an opening that eliminates feces inside body.
Digestive Process
 Ingestion- taking in of food materials
 Digestion – breaking down of food into smaller pieces
 Absorption – movements of nutrients,water and electrolytes from the small intestine into the
cell, then into the blood.
 Elimination- undigestive materials out of the system
Feeding Mechanism of Animals
 Substrate- Feeders - animals live on the source of their food and eat through it. Ex:
Caterpillar
 Filter- Feeders - aquatic animals strain the food particle from the water. Ex. Fishes
 Fluid- Feeders - animal suck fluid containing nutrients from another animals. Ex. Mosquito
 Bulk –Feeders - animals breakdown and swallow large amount of food. Ex. Lion