BIOLOGY NUTRITION - FOOD SUPPLYING SYSTEM

Nutrition - Food Supplying System

The process of obtaining food which provides for the growth and health of the organism is known as
nutrition.
There are two modes of obtaining nutrition:
o Autotrophic nutrition
o Heterotrophic nutrition

Autotrophic Nutrition

Organisms which can produce their own food by carbon dioxide and water in the presence of
sunlight and chlorophyll are known as autotrophs, and this mode of obtaining nutrition is known as
autotrophic nutrition.
Plants are the only autotrophs.

Photosynthesis
The process by which plants prepare their own food in the presence of sunlight and chlorophyll, and
by using carbon dioxide, water and other minerals from the surrounding is known as
photosynthesis.
C. B. Van Neil in 1931 proposed a simple equation for photosynthesis.

6CO2 + 12H2O C6H12O6 + 6H2O + 6CO2

Photosynthetic equation

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Essential Components for Photosynthesis

Light Carbon dioxide and Air

It provides the required energy for driving
the reactions.
The rate of photosynthesis is directly
influenced by the amount of light obtained
by the Sun.
It provides carbon and oxygen necessary for
the formation of carbohydrates.
Plants help in restoring the components of
air by means of gaseous exchange.
Plants provide oxygen which is needed for
combustion and respiration of other
organisms.

Factors essential
for photosynthesis

Chlorophyll
It is the green coloured pigment present in
all green parts of the plant.
Chlorophyll traps sunlight and uses this
energy to make carbohydrates; that is, it
converts light energy into chemical energy.
Water
It is the source of hydrogen necessary for
the formation of carbohydrates.
It is also a good solvent for transporting
materials within the plant body.

Chloroplast
The location where photosynthesis takes place is known as chloroplast. It contains chlorophyll
molecules along with several other molecules called pigments which capture sunlight and help in
the process of photosynthesis.
The chloroplast is a membranous structure, consisting of three membranes.
The innermost, third membrane forms sac-like structures which are known as grana and which help
in trapping light.
The intermediate fluid-filled space is known as stroma, where the enzymatic reactions leading to the
formation of glucose and starch take place.
Chlorophyll contains a single atom of magnesium and is structurally similar to the haem of
haemoglobin.
Chlorophyll a is a blue-green coloured pigment and chlorophyll b a yellow-green coloured pigment
along with other 250 to 400 pigment molecules are associated with the thylakoid membrane; and
are collectively known as the light harvesting complex.

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Mechanism of Photosynthesis

a) Light-dependent reactions (Photochemical phase)

Light is important to initiate the reactions of this phase, and thus, it is known as the
photochemical phase.
Initially, the chlorophyll gets excited on exposure to sunlight and becomes activated.
The energy from the light is used in splitting the water molecule into a hydrogen (H+) and a
hydroxyl ion (OH)

H2O H+ +OH-

This reaction was discovered by Hill and is known as Hills reaction or photolysis of water.
Finally, the light reaction ends with the generation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and
nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydrogen phosphate (NADPH), which are energy-rich
compounds.
The OH ions produce water and oxygen through a series of reactions, and the H + ions move
into the light-independent phase.

b) Light-independent reactions (Biosynthesis phase)

The H+ ions formed in the photochemical phase are picked up by NADP to form NADPH
molecules.
The hydrogen from this NADPH is then used to combine with CO 2 by utilising ATP energy to
produce glucose.
RUBP Ribulose bisphosphate and other enzymes help in carrying out this reaction in
several steps.
Finally, the glucose is converted into starch.

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Heterotrophic Nutrition

Organisms which cannot produce their own food in the presence of sunlight and have to depend on
other organisms for their food are known as heterotrophs, and their mode of nutrition is known as
heterotrophic nutrition.

Nutrition in Amoeba
When amoeba senses the presence of food near it, it extends temporary finger-like projections
of its cell surface known as pseudopodia.

The pseudopodia close in on the food particle forming a structure known as a food vacuole.

Complex food in the vacuole is broken down into simpler ones, which diffuse into the
cytoplasm.

The remaining undigested material is then moved to the cell surface from where it is thrown
out.

Nutrition in amoeba

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Nutrition in Cuscuta
Dodder (genus Cuscuta) is a leafless parasitic plant belonging to the family of morning glory.
The plant does not contain chlorophyll and absorbs nutrients from the host plant through specialised
structures called haustoria.
The seed of the plant germinates, forming an anchoring root and sends up a slender stem which
grows in spirals until it finds a host plant and twines around it. The plant forms haustoria which
penetrate the host plant.
The haustoria draw water and nutrients from the host xylem and phloem, respectively.

Nutrition in Cuscuta plant

Nutrition in Humans
The human digestive system is complex in nature and involves several different organs.
It is collectively called the alimentary canal and extends from the mouth to the anus.

Passage of food in the alimentary canal

o Food is crushed and cut in the mouth by the teeth and is mixed with saliva which is secreted by
three salivary glands (one below the tongue and two at the side of the jaw) to make it wet and
slippery; this process is known as mastication.
o Saliva contains amylase which breaks down complex carbohydrates, and the tongue helps in
pushing the food to the next part of the alimentary canal.
o The soft food then passes through the oesophagus in wave-like movement known as peristaltic
movement.
o In the stomach, the food mixes with gastric juices and HCl. The food is broken down to simple
substances by numerous enzymes. This digested product is now called chime.
o From the stomach, the food moves into the small intestines by ring-like muscles called pyloric
sphincters which allow only little food to pass through at a time.
o In the small intestines, the carbohydrates, proteins and fats are broken down by juices secreted
by the pancreas, liver and the small intestine.
o Fat is converted into small globule-like forms by bile juices from the liver. This process is known
as emulsification.
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o Pancreatic juices contain trypsin, an enzyme which breaks down proteins, and lipase, an
enzyme which breaks down fats.
o The later part of the small intestines is alkaline in nature and helps in the digestion of
carbohydrates.
o The broken down food is then absorbed by small projections present on the inside walls of the
intestines called villi. Villi are surrounded by blood and lymph vessels which absorb the food and
transport it to the rest of the body.
o Finally, the food moves into the large intestines where most of the water is removed from the
food and is then passed out of the body through the anus.

Flowchart for movement of food in the human digestive system

Deficiency Disease due to Malnutrition

Deficiency disease Nutrient Resources Symptoms

Meat, fish, pulses, Swollen body parts,
cereals poor muscle
Kwashiorkor Protein development, fluffy
face, difficulty in eating,
diarrhoea, dry skin
Meat, fish, pulses, Lean and weak body,
cereals, milk, wheat swelling limbs, loss of
Marasmus Protein and Calories
muscle development,
diarrhoea
All food items, junk food Excess body weight, fat
Obesity Excess nutrients
accumulation in body
Cereals, vegetables, Vomiting, fits, loss of
Beri beri Thiamine (vitamin B1) milk, meat, fish appetite, difficulty in
breathing, paralysis
Milk, eggs, liver, green Mouth cracks at
leafy vegetables corners, red and sour
Glossitis Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
tongue, photophobia,
scaly skin
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Kidney, liver, meat, egg, Dermatitis, diarrhoea,

Pellagra Niacin (vitamin B3) fish loss of
memory, scaly skin
Meat, fish, pulses, Hyper irritability, nausea,
Anaemia Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) cereals vomiting, fits

Cyanocobalamin Synthesised by bacteria Lean and weak, less

Pernicious anaemia present in the intestines appetite
(vitamin B12)
Liver, meat, eggs, milk, Diarrhoea, loss of
leafy vegetables leucocytes,
Anaemia Folic acid intestinal mucus problems

Sweet potato, ground Walking problem, sprain

Burning feet Pantothenic acid nut, vegetables, liver,
kidney
Pulses, nuts, Fatigue, mental
vegetables, milk depression,
Nerve disorders Biotin muscle pains

Green leafy vegetables, Delay in healing of

citrus fruits, sprouts wounds,
Ascorbic acid (vitamin
fractures of bones
Scurvy C)

Leafy vegetables, Night blindness,

carrot, tomato, xerophthalmia, cornea
Eye, skin disease Retinol (vitamin A) failure, scaly skin
pumpkin, papaya,
mango, meat, fish
Liver, egg, butter, cod Improper formation of
liver, shark liver oil, bones, knock knees,
Rickets Calciferol (vitamin D)
morning sunlight swollen wrists, delayed
dentition, weak bones
Fruits, vegetables, Sterility in males,
Fertility disorders Tocoferol (vitamin E) sprouts, meat, abortion in females
sunflower oil
Phylloquinone Green leafy vegetables, Delay in blood clotting,
Blood clotting over bleeding
(vitamin K) milk

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