Question

List two types of nutrition.

Answer 1

Nutrition is a vital life process that involves the intake of food and its utilization by organisms for energy, growth, and maintenance of life functions. Based on the method of food intake and utilization, nutrition is classified into two main types:

1. Autotrophic Nutrition:
In autotrophic nutrition, organisms prepare their own food using simple inorganic substances like carbon dioxide and water, usually in the presence of sunlight. This process is known as photosynthesis. Organisms that follow this mode of nutrition are called autotrophs. They have chlorophyll to trap solar energy and convert it into chemical energy stored in food.
Examples of autotrophs include green plants, algae, and some bacteria like cyanobacteria.

2. Heterotrophic Nutrition:
In heterotrophic nutrition, organisms depend on other organisms for their food, as they cannot make their own. They consume complex organic substances and break them down into simpler forms for energy and growth. Heterotrophic nutrition is further divided into three types: holozoic (ingesting solid food), parasitic (living off a host), and saprophytic (feeding on dead and decaying matter).
Examples of heterotrophs include humans, animals, fungi, and many types of bacteria.

These two types of nutrition are essential for maintaining the flow of energy and nutrients in ecosystems.

Answer 2

When we eat food, it is first broken down into simpler forms like glucose during digestion. This glucose then enters the cells of our body, where it undergoes aerobic respiration to release energy. Aerobic respiration is a process that occurs in the presence of oxygen and takes place mainly in the mitochondria of cells.

During aerobic respiration, glucose reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, water, and a large amount of energy in the form of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), which is used by the body to perform various functions such as movement, growth, repair, and maintaining body temperature.

The overall chemical equation for aerobic respiration is:
\[ \text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6 + 6\text{O}_2 \rightarrow 6\text{CO}_2 + 6\text{H}_2\text{O} + \text{Energy (ATP)} \]

Thus, the food we eat is converted into energy through a series of biochemical reactions, making aerobic respiration a crucial life process for survival and activity.

Answer 3

Transpiration is the process by which water is lost from the aerial parts of a plant, especially through tiny openings on the underside of leaves called stomata. It mostly occurs in the form of water vapor and is a natural part of the plant’s water regulation system.

Transpiration plays several important roles in plants:

1. Helps in the upward movement of water:
It creates a suction force (transpirational pull) that helps draw water and minerals from the roots to the leaves through the xylem vessels. This movement is essential for photosynthesis and other metabolic activities.

2. Cools the plant:
As water evaporates from the leaf surface, it helps in regulating the temperature of the plant and prevents overheating, especially during hot days.

3. Maintains the flow of water and minerals:
It keeps the water and dissolved nutrients continuously moving from the soil to different parts of the plant, ensuring proper growth and development.

4. Maintains cell turgidity:
It helps in maintaining the water balance and turgidity (firmness) of cells, which is essential for the structural support of leaves and other plant parts.

Therefore, transpiration is not just a water loss process but also an essential physiological function that supports several important activities in a plant’s life.