Plant and Animal Nutrition Quiz

Plant Nutrition

• Plants need water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight to produce carbohydrates (glucose).

Parasitism

• Some plants are insectivorous, using specialized leaves to attract and trap insects for digestion.
• Venus flytrap is an example.

Nutritional Adoption in Animals

• Animals are heterotrophs, meaning they obtain nutrients by consuming other organisms.
• Dietary categories include herbivores (plant eaters), carnivores (meat eaters), omnivores (both), and detritivores (decomposers).

Intracellular vs. Extracellular Digestion

• Intracellular digestion: Single-celled organisms (like protists) digest food inside their cells.
• Extracellular digestion: In multicellular organisms, food particles are broken down outside cells before being absorbed.

Substrate Feeders

• Single-celled organisms process food inside their cells.

Bulk Feeders

• Eat large food chunks, using adaptations such as jaws, teeth, tentacles, or claws for intake and processing.
• Examples: snakes and cats.

Five Stages of Animal Food Processing

• Mechanical Processing/Ingestion (chewing, swallowing)
• Secretion of Enzymes (digestive aids)
• Enzymatic Hydrolysis (chemical breakdown)
• Absorption (nutrient uptake)
• Elimination (waste removal)

Nutrition's Role in Organism's Life

• Nutrients enable organisms to fight disease and produce resistance against illness.
• Nutrients build and repair cells, sustain bodily functions (including breathing), and enable reproduction.

Types of Organisms Based on Nutrition

• Autotrophs (self-feeders): Organisms that produce their own food using sunlight or chemicals.
• Examples: plants and chemosynthetic bacteria
• Heterotrophs: Organisms that cannot produce their own food and obtain it from other organisms.
• Examples: animals and fungi

Plant Oxygen Needs

• Plants obtain oxygen from air spaces in soil. Proper cultivation is necessary for adequate oxygen supply.

Macronutrients and Micronutrients for Plants

• Plants primarily need 0.5% macronutrients (carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, etc.) and trace amounts of micronutrients (chlorine, iron, etc.).
• Deficiencies in these nutrients can lead to stunted growth or discoloration.

Symbiotic Relationships in Plants and Soil Microbes

• Symbiotic interactions between nitrogen-fixing bacteria and legume plants are crucial for nutrient acquisition.

Symbiosis of Plants and Fungi

• Mycorrhizal fungi extend the root system, enhancing nutrient (especially phosphorus) uptake.
• Transfer of nutrients like zinc and copper from the fungi to the plants enhances their wellbeing.

Oxygen Use in Plants

• Oxygen is crucial for cellular respiration, releasing energy from sugars (carbohydrates) for plant growth and bodily processes.

Filter Feeders

• Aquatic animals that filter small particles from water for nutrition.
• Examples: whales and certain cnidarians.