Life Processes: Nutrition

Life Processes

Nutrition

• Involves the intake of nutrients, their digestion, absorption, and utilization by the body
• Types of nutrition:
  • Autotrophic: organisms that produce their own food (e.g. plants)
  • Heterotrophic: organisms that obtain food from other sources (e.g. animals)
• Modes of nutrition:
  • Holozoic: solid food particles are ingested (e.g. animals)
  • Saprotrophic: obtaining nutrients from dead and decaying organic matter (e.g. fungi)
  • Parasitic: obtaining nutrients from another living organism (e.g. parasites)

Respiration

• Process of generating energy from the food we eat
• Involves the breakdown of glucose to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
• Types of respiration:
  • Aerobic: occurs in the presence of oxygen (e.g. cellular respiration)
  • Anaerobic: occurs in the absence of oxygen (e.g. fermentation)

Transportation

• Movement of substances within an organism
• Types of transportation:
  • Blood circulation: transportation of oxygen, nutrients, and waste products through the bloodstream
  • Lymphatic system: transportation of fluids, nutrients, and waste products through the lymphatic vessels
  • Transpiration: transportation of water and minerals through the xylem in plants

Excretion

• Removal of waste products from the body
• Types of excretion:
  • Kidney excretion: removal of waste products through the kidneys (e.g. urine)
  • Skin excretion: removal of waste products through the skin (e.g. sweat)
  • Respiratory excretion: removal of waste products through the lungs (e.g. carbon dioxide)

Regulation and Control

• Maintenance of homeostasis: the ability of an organism to maintain a stable internal environment
• Types of regulation and control:
  • Nervous system: control and coordination of body functions through the nervous system
  • Endocrine system: control and coordination of body functions through hormones
  • Feedback mechanisms: regulation of body functions through negative feedback loops

Growth and Development

• Increase in size and complexity of an organism
• Types of growth and development:
  • Physical growth: increase in size and weight of an organism
  • Differentiation: development of specialized cells and tissues
  • Morphogenesis: development of shape and form of an organism

Reproduction

• Production of offspring by an organism
• Types of reproduction:
  • Sexual reproduction: production of offspring through the fusion of gametes (e.g. sperm and egg)
  • Asexual reproduction: production of offspring without the fusion of gametes (e.g. budding, binary fission)

Life Processes

Nutrition

• Autotrophic nutrition involves producing own food through photosynthesis, characteristic of plants
• Heterotrophic nutrition involves obtaining food from other sources, characteristic of animals
• Holozoic nutrition involves ingesting solid food particles, characteristic of animals
• Saprotrophic nutrition involves obtaining nutrients from dead and decaying organic matter, characteristic of fungi
• Parasitic nutrition involves obtaining nutrients from another living organism, characteristic of parasites

Respiration

• Aerobic respiration occurs in the presence of oxygen and produces ATP
• Anaerobic respiration occurs in the absence of oxygen and produces lactic acid or ethanol
• Cellular respiration is the process of generating energy from glucose in the presence of oxygen

Transportation

• Blood circulation transports oxygen, nutrients, and waste products through the bloodstream
• Lymphatic system transports fluids, nutrients, and waste products through lymphatic vessels
• Transpiration transports water and minerals through the xylem in plants

Excretion

• Kidney excretion involves removing waste products through the kidneys, resulting in urine
• Skin excretion involves removing waste products through the skin, resulting in sweat
• Respiratory excretion involves removing waste products through the lungs, resulting in carbon dioxide

Regulation and Control

• Homeostasis is the ability of an organism to maintain a stable internal environment
• Nervous system controls and coordinates body functions through nerve impulses
• Endocrine system controls and coordinates body functions through hormones
• Feedback mechanisms regulate body functions through negative feedback loops

Growth and Development

• Physical growth involves an increase in size and weight of an organism
• Differentiation involves the development of specialized cells and tissues
• Morphogenesis involves the development of shape and form of an organism

Reproduction

• Sexual reproduction involves the production of offspring through the fusion of gametes (sperm and egg)
• Asexual reproduction involves the production of offspring without the fusion of gametes, characteristic of budding and binary fission

This quiz covers the basics of nutrition, including types of nutrition such as autotrophic and heterotrophic, and modes of nutrition like holozoic, saprotrophic, and parasitic.