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BIOLOGY
SSC 2015
Life Processes
Cross section of leaf
Nutrition in animals :a) Nutrition in amoeba :Amoeba is a unicellular animal living in water. It takes in food by
forming finger like projections called pseudopodia and forms a food
vacuole. Inside the food vacuole the food is digested and absorbed.
The undigested food is then sent out through the surface of the cell.
absence
of oxygen
Lactic acid + Energy
(in muscle
cells)
absence
of oxygen
Ethanol + CO2 + Energy
(in yeast)
Mechanism of breathing :When we breathe in air, the muscles of the diaphragm contracts and
moves downward and the chest cavity expands and air enters into the
lungs.
When we breathe out air, the muscles of the diaphragm relaxes and
moves upward and the chest cavity contracts and air goes out of the
lungs.
Nerve cell
Nerve endings
(
HUMAN BRAIN
Sensory nerves
Spinal cord
Effectors
(Muscles/Glands)
Response
Motor nerves
REFLEX ARC
Regeneration :In this method a part of the body if the organism if cut or
broken can develop into a new individual. Eg :- Hydra,
Planaria, Star fish etc.
Spore formation :In this method structures called sporangia produce tiny
cells called spores. When the spores come in contact with a
moist surface, it develops into new individuals.
Eg :- Rhizopus , Mucor, Penicillium etc.
Vegetative propagation :In this method new plants are produced from the vegetative parts of
the plant like root, stem or leaf. Eg:- from roots dhalia, sweet potato,
from stem potato, ginger, from leaf bryophyllum, begonia.
Plants produced by vegetative propagation produce flowers and
fruits earlier than those produced from seeds. It also helps in the
propagation of plants which do not produce seeds like rose, jasmine
banana etc.
Vegetative propagation can also be done artificially by cutting,
layering, grafting etc.
Sexual reproduction in flowering plants :a) Reproductive parts of a flower :The stamen and pistil are the reproductive parts of the
flower. Stamen is the male reproductive part. It produces
pollen grains in the anther which contains the male germ
cell (male gamete). Pistil is the female reproductive part. It
produces ovules in the ovary which contain the female
germ cell (female gamete).
b) Pollination :The transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma
of a flower is called pollination. It takes place by wind, water
or insects. If the pollen grains are transferred from the
anther to the stigma of the same flower it is self pollination
and if it is transferred from the anther of one flower to the
stigma of another flower it is cross pollination. Pollination
takes place by insects, wind, water etc.
Cross pollination
Self pollination
c) Fertilisation :-
Sex determination in human beings :Human beings have 23 pairs of chromosomes in the nucleus of the
cell. Out of this two chromosomes are sex chromosomes X and Y. The
female has two X chromosomes (XX) and male has one X and one Y
chromosome (XY). The sperms and eggs have one set of sex
chromosomes. Some sperms have X chromosome and some have Y
chromosome. All eggs have X chromosome.
If a sperm having X chromosome fuses with an egg having X
chromosome the child will be a girl. If a sperm having Y chromosome
fuses with an egg having X chromosome the child will be a boy.
Evolution by stages :Complex organisms and its organs developed from simpler organisms gradually
over generations.
i) Evolution of eyes :- The eyes of planaria are just eye spots to detect light. It
developed gradually into a complex organ in higher animals.
ii) Evolution of feathers :- Feathers were first developed in dinosaurs and used
for protection from cold. Later birds used them for flying.
iii) Evolution by artificial selection :- Humans cultivated wild cabbage for over
2000 years and produced different vegetables from it by artificial selection.
Eg :- Cabbage by selecting short distance between the leaves.
Cauliflower by selecting sterile flowers.
Kale by selecting large leaves
Kholrabi by selecting the swollen stem
Broccoli by arresting flower growth
Our environment
A food chain :- is the flow of food energy from one organism to the next and
to the next and so on. They usually start with a producer (plants) and end with a
carnivore. In a food chain an organism gets food from one group of organisms.
eaten by
Eg:- Grass
(producer)
eaten by
Deer
Lion
(primary consumer)
(secondary consumer)
eaten by
Grass
(producer)
Insects
(primary consumer)
eaten by
Grass
eaten by
Frog
Snake
(secondary consumer)
eaten by
Moth
eaten by
(tertiary consumer)
eaten by
Frog
eaten by
Snake
Hawk
b) Food web :Food web is a group of several interconnected food chains. In a food
web an organism gets food from more than one group of organisms.
Trophic levels :Each step in a food chain where transfer of food energy takes place is called
trophic level.
The first trophic level consists of producers.
The second trophic level consists of primary consumers.
The third trophic level consists of secondary consumers.
The fourth trophic level consists of tertiary consumers.
Since the transfer of food energy decreases at every trophic level, the
number of trophic levels are limited and do not exceed four or five.
Energy flow in trophic levels:Green plants (producers) absorb about 1% of solar energy falling on
the leaves and stores it as food energy during photosynthesis.
During the transfer of food energy from one trophic level to the next,
90% of the energy is lost to the environment and only 10% is
transferred to the next trophic level. So there is a decrease in the
amount of food energy transferred at every trophic level by 10%. This is
known as the 10% law.
Biological magnification (Biomagnification):Harmful chemicals like insecticides and pesticides which are used to
protect crops from insects and pests are absorbed by plants and enter
the food chain. Since these chemicals are non biodegradable, they get
accumulated at every trophic level and their concentration increases.
Since human beings occupy the highest trophic level, the concentration
of these harmful chemicals is maximum in our bodies.
The increase in concentration of harmful chemicals in the bodies of
organisms at higher trophic levels is called biological magnification.
Managing the garbage we produce :The household waste is called garbage. Some of the garbage is
biodegradable and some are non biodegradable. Garbage causes
pollution of air, water and soil. So it should be disposed properly.
Some of the methods of garbage disposal are :i) Land fills
ii) Recycling
iii) Production of biogas and manure
iv) Preparation of compost
v) Incineration
vi) Sewage treatment