Nutrition and Respiration
Life Processes • Class 10 Science • NCERT • CBSE
Nutrition is the process of intake and utilisation of nutrients. Autotrophs (plants) make food via photosynthesis: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂. Aerobic respiration: C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + 38 ATP. Anaerobic respiration in yeast produces ethanol and CO₂; in muscles, lactic acid.
Key Formulas
6CO₂ + 6H₂O + sunlight → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ (Photosynthesis)C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + 38 ATP (Aerobic respiration)C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH + 2CO₂ + 2 ATP (Anaerobic in yeast)C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₃H₆O₃ + 2 ATP (Anaerobic in muscles)
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic respiration?
- Aerobic respiration occurs in the presence of oxygen: C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ → 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + 38 ATP. It releases much more energy and occurs in mitochondria. Anaerobic respiration occurs without oxygen and is less efficient (only 2 ATP). In yeast, it produces ethanol and CO₂. In our muscle cells during intense exercise, it produces lactic acid (which causes cramps). Aerobic respiration is the primary pathway in most organisms.
- What is the role of bile in digestion?
- Bile is produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. It is released into the small intestine when food arrives. Its main role is emulsification of fats — it breaks large fat globules into smaller droplets, increasing the surface area for lipase (fat-digesting enzyme) to act on. Bile does not itself digest fats — it only prepares them for enzymatic digestion. Bile also makes the medium alkaline (basic), which is needed for enzymes of the small intestine to work.
- What is the significance of villi in the small intestine?
- Villi are tiny finger-like projections on the inner wall of the small intestine. They are covered with microvilli (forming a brush border), further increasing surface area. Their significance: (1) Enormously increase the surface area available for absorption of digested nutrients — amino acids, glucose, fatty acids; (2) Each villus has a network of blood capillaries (for glucose and amino acids) and a lacteal (lymph vessel, for fatty acids); (3) Nutrients absorbed pass into the bloodstream and are transported to all cells.
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