Nutrition in Animals and Plants

 

Topics covered in NUTRITION Autotrophic Heterotrophic Saprophytic or Saprotrophic Parasitic Holozoic Herbivores Carnivores Omnivores Nutrition in Amoeba Ingestion DIGESTIVE SYSTEM OF HUMAN Alimentary Canal Mouth Oral Cavity Dental Formula Pharynx Oesophagous Stomach Small Intestine Large Intestine Absorption Assimilation Egestion Salivary glands Gastric glands Hydrochloric acid(HCL) Liver Pancreas Intestinal glands Mucous Photosynthesis NUTRITION IN PLANTS Photosynthetic Pigment light reaction dark reaction Opening and Closing Stomata C4 Cycle or Hatch & SlakcycleCrassulacean Acid Metabolism

NUTRITION

The process of intaking the food & utilization of food is called nutrition.

Nutrient :

The different component of food that have distinct functions like providing energy, materials for body building, maintenance & regulation of metabolism are called nutrient. For example - Proteins, Minerals, Vitamin, Carbohydrates, fats. 

TYPE OF NUTRITION

Autotrophic Nutrition :

It is a mode of nutrition in which organisms are able to build up their own organic food from inorganic raw materials with the help of energy. The organism performing autotrophic nturtion are called autotrophs. 

Heterotrophic Nutrition :

It is a mode of nutrition in which the organisms obtain readymade organic food from outside sources. The organisms that depend upon outside sources for obtaining organic nutritens are called heterotrophs. Heterotrophic nutrition is of three types - saprophytic, parasitic and holozoic. 

Saprophytic or Saprotrophic Nutrition :

It is a mode of heterotrophic nutrition in which food is obtained from organic remains like dead organisms, excreta, fallen leaves, broken twigs, food articles, etc. Organisms performing saprophytic nutrition are called saprophytes. 

Parasitic Nutrition :

It is a mode of hetrotrophic nutrition in which a living organisms flourishes by obtaining food from another living organism. The living organisms which obtains food and shelter from another organism is called parasite. The organism which provides food and shelter to a parasite is known as host. An external plant parasite is Cuscuta (Amarbel). It is a non-green plant that sends haustroria or sucking roots into host plant for obtaining food and water. 

Holozoic Nutrition :

It is a mode of heterotrophic nutrition which involves intake of solid pieces of food. Since solid food is taken in, holozoic nutrition is also called ingestive nutrition. The food may consist of another animal, plant or its parts. Depending upon the source of food, holozoic organisms are of three types – Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores. 

Herbivores :

They are holozoic organisms which feed on plants or plant parts, e.g., Cow, Buffalo, Deer, Goat, Rabbit, Grasshopper, Elephant, Squirrel, Hippopotamus. 

Carnivores :

They are animals which feed on other animals. Carnivores are also called predators they hunt, kill and feed on their preys, e.g. Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Snake, Hawk. 

Omnivores :

They are holozoic organisms which feed on both plant and animal materials, e.g. Cockroach, Ant, Pig, Crow, Rat, Bear, Dog, Humans. 

Nutrition in Amoeba :

Protozoan protests carry out holozoic nutrition through intracellular digestion. 

Ingestion :

1. Some protests can ingest food particle from any point on the surface (e.g., Amoeba) 
2. while others have fixed points for the same (e.g., Paramoecium). 
3. Protozoans like Amoeba capture food with the help of temporary finger-like processes called pseudopodia. 
4. Protozoans like (Paramoecium have small hair-like processes called cilia.) 
5. Beating of cilia creates current in water that pushes food particle through cytostome or cell mouth. 
6. The process of ingestion of solid food particle by a cell or unicellular organism is called phagocytosis.
7. As soon as Amoeba comes in contact with a food particle or prey, it throws pseudopodia all around the same. The tips of encircling pseudopodia fuse and the prey comes to lie in a vesicle or phagosome. 
8. This method of intake of food is called circumvallation. 
9. Amoeba can also ingest food by other methods like import, circumfluence and invagination. 

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM OF HUMAN :

Digestive system is a group of organs & associated digestive glands that take part in ingestion, digestive absorption of food & egestion of undigestible matter. Digestive organs from a continuous canal called alimentary canal. 

Alimentary Canal :

Alimentary Canal in man is 9 metres long & consists of the following parts 

Mouth :

Transverse slit like aperture. 

Oral Cavity :

1. It is bounded by lips & has cheeks, gums, teeth & tongue.
2. The food taken inside oral cavity is masticated i.e. mechanically broken into smaller particles before being swallowed.
3. The floor of the buccal cavity has a tongue bearing taste buds.
4. Man possesses teeth on both the jaws, there are 32 teeth of four different types, namely incisors, canines, premolars & molars. 

Dental Formula :

In humans number of teeth in upper half part are 2 incisors, 1 cannies, 2 premolars, 3 molars.

So one upper half part has total 8 teeth, full part has 16 teeth it is also same as lower part so total there are 32 teeth. So dental formula is 2123. 

Pharynx :

It is short conical region that lies after the mouth cavity. 

Oesophagous :

It is a long narrow muscular tube which leads to the stomach. No digestive glands are present. 

Stomach :

It lies below the diaphragm on the left side of abdominal cavity is J-shaped. 

Small Intestine :

1. It is convoluted tube and differentiated into 3 regions.
2. Duodenum which is the first part of small intestine & is curved C-shaped.
3. Jejunum, comparatively longer & more coiled.
4. Ileum, which is the last part of small intestine whose inner surface is folded to form villi, which absorbs the products of digestion. 

Large Intestine :

1. It is much shorter & wider than small intestine & is differentiated into three regions.
2. Caecum which is small rounded blind sac from which vermiform appendix arises.
3. Colon is the inverted U-shaped tube
4. The rectum opens to exterior through anus.
5. No digestion takes place in large intestine, only absorption of water takes place.
6. In herbivores like horse, rabbit digestion of cellulose takes place in caecum. 

Absorption :

In the small intestine (ileum) absorption of all digested materials takes place. 

Assimilation :

It is the process of utilisation of absorbed food for various body functions. The absorbed nutrients are utilised to resynthesise complex molecules like carbohydrates, protein & fats inside the cells, man cannot digest cellulose. 

Egestion :

1. It is the process of elimination of undigested food formed in the cells, or in the lumen of large intestine (colon & rectum) through the anus.
2. Voluntary cotraction of abdominal muscles help in egestion of faeces. 

• Salivary glands secrets Saliva at Buccal cavity, which has Salivary amylase enzyme, which convert starch into maltose. 

• Gastric glands secrets Gastric Juice in Stomach, which have Pepsin and Renin enzymes, which convert Proteins into Peptones & proteoses, Casein of milk into Paracasein. 

• Hydrochloric acid(HCL) from stomach convert Pepsinogen into Pepsin. 

• Liver secrets bile, at duodenum it converts fats into Emulsification of fats. 
• Pancreas secrets pancreatic juice which has Amylase Trypsin Lipase enzymes at duodenum those convert Starch & Glycogen Proteins Emulsified fats into Maltose & Isomaltose Peptones & peptides Fatty acids & glycerol. 

• Intestinal glands secrets Intestinal Juice which have Erepsin Maltase Sucrase Lactase Lipase enzymes at Samall intestine those convert Peptones & Peptides Maltose Sucrose Lactose Triglycerides into Amino acids Glucose Glucose & fructose Glucose & galactose Monoglycerides & fatty acid. 

• Mucous from large intestine Lubricates  faecal matter. 

NUTRITION IN PLANTS :

Photosynthesis :

Photosynthesis is the primary mode of food production in green plant. '' The process by which green plants synthesize food from simple substances carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight is called Photosynthesis''

6CO2 + 12H2O -> C6H12O6 + 6H2O + 6O2 

Photosynthetic Pigment :

The light energy must be absorbed by a suitable pigment i.e. chlorophyll (green pigment).

Chlorophyll is green colour pigment.

Mechanism of Photosynthesis :

Photosynthesis is divided into two main steps

(A) light reaction

(B) dark reaction 

Light reaction : 

1. It is also called Hill Reaction.
2. It occurs in grana of thylakoids.
3. It is named as light reaction as it occurs only in presence of light. 

Involves in: 

1. Absorption of light by chlorophyll.
2. Photolysis of water.
3. Reduction of CO2 to Carbohydrates.
4. ADP changes to ATP & inorganic phosphate.
5. Releases oxygen into atmosphere. 

Opening and Closing Stomata :

The opening and closing of stomata depend upon the turgid or flaccid state of the guard cells. When guard cells are in turgid state the stomatal aperture opens and when guard cells are in flaccid state the stomatal aperture closes. The inner wall of guard cells (towards pore) is thick and outer wall (towards other epidermal cells) is thin. When the turgor pressure of the guard cells is increased the outer thinner wall of the guard cell is pushed out (towards the periphery) due to which a tension is created on the inner thicker wall thus pulling the inner thicker wall towards the periphery thus leading to the opening of stomatal aperture. On the contrary when the guard cells are in a flaccid state the outer thinner wall of guard cells returns to original position (moves towards pore) due to which tension on the inner wall is released which also returns to its original position and stomatal aperture gets closed again. 

Dark Reaction :

This reaction is not dependent on light. It is also known as calvin – Benson Cycle or C3 cycle as first stable product is phosphogliceric acid (PGA) a 3 carbon compound. 

C4 Cycle or Hatch & Slakcycle :

1. 4-C compound i.e. oxaloacetic acid (OAA).
2. This cycle is found in many other tropical & subtropical monocots eg : Maize, Sorghum , Wheat, Oat, Pearl, millet etc.
3. In dicots also many such plants are known eg : Amaranthus, Chenopodium, Atriplex, Euphorbia etc. In some families of dicots Compositae, Portulaceae, Nyctaginaceae. 

Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) :

1. Certain plants, especially succulents which grow under extremely xeric (dry) condition, fix atmospheric CO2 in dark.
2. Since the process was first observed in the plants belonging to family crassulaceae (eg. Bryophyllum, kalanchoe etc.) It was termed crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM).
3. The most characteristic feature of these plants is that their stomata remain open at night (in dark) but closed during the day (in light).
4. Thus, CAM is a kind of adaptation in succulents to carry out photosynthesis without much loss of water.