Class X Science - Life Processes

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the fundamental concepts of Life Processes including nutrition, respiration, transportation, and excretion in humans, plants, and other organisms as detailed in the Class X Science curriculum.

Life Processes

The basic and essential activities performed by a living organism to sustain and maintain life, such as nutrition, respiration, transportation, and excretion.

Nutrition

The process by which a living organism obtains and utilizes food for energy, growth, and development.

Autotrophic Nutrition

A mode of nutrition in which organisms prepare their own food using simple inorganic substances like carbon dioxide and water in the presence of sunlight and chlorophyll.

Chemosynthesis

A type of autotrophic nutrition in which organisms prepare their own food by utilizing chemical energy, such as Purple sulfur bacteria.

Photosynthesis

A type of autotrophic nutrition in which organisms prepare their own food by utilizing light energy, as seen in green plants and Algae.

Heterotrophic Nutrition

A mode of nutrition in which organisms cannot prepare their own food and must depend on other plants or animals for sustenance.

Holozoic Nutrition

A type of heterotrophic nutrition where organisms take in solid food that is broken down inside the body, characteristic of Amoeba and animals.

Saprophytic Nutrition

A mode of nutrition where organisms feed on dead and decaying matter, such as Fungi.

Parasitic Nutrition

A mode of nutrition where organisms live inside or outside a host organism to derive nutrition from it, such as Cuscuta, Ticks, and leech.

Starch

The form in which plants store glucose.

Chloroplasts

Green pigmented cell organelles containing chlorophyll that serve as the site of photosynthesis.

Stomata

Tiny pores on the surface of leaves responsible for the exchange of gases ($O_2$ and $CO_2$) and transpiration.

Guard Cells

Cells that regulate the opening and closing of stomata by swelling (opening) when water enters and shrinking (closing) when water leaves.

Pseudopodia

Finger-like projections used by Amoeba for ingestion of food and locomotion.

Cilia

Hair-like structures used by Paramecium to sweep food particles into the oral groove.

Salivary Amylase

An enzyme present in saliva that breaks down starch into sugars.

Peristalsis

The rhythmic contraction of muscles in the wall of the alimentary canal that pushes food down the Oesophagus.

Gastric Juice

A secretion of the stomach containing HCl, pepsin, and mucus.

Bile Juice

A secretion from the liver stored in the gall bladder that makes food alkaline and emulsifies fats.

Emulsification

The process of breaking down large fat globules into smaller droplets to aid digestion.

Trypsin

A pancreatic enzyme responsible for the digestion of proteins in the small intestine.

Lipase

An enzyme secreted by the pancreas that helps in the breakdown of fats.

Villi

Finger-like projections on the inner wall of the small intestine that increase surface area for the absorption of food.

Respiration

A biochemical process by which organisms break down glucose in cells to release energy in the form of ATP.

Aerobic Respiration

The process of food oxidation to release energy in the presence of oxygen, resulting in $CO_2$, $H_2O$, and $38\,ATP$.

Anaerobic Respiration

Respiration occurring in the absence of oxygen, producing either ethanol and $CO_2$ (in yeast) or lactic acid (in muscle cells).

Lactic Fermentation

The incomplete breakdown of sugar into lactic acid and energy in muscle cells during a lack of oxygen, often causing cramps.

Alveoli

Tiny, balloon-like air sacs at the end of bronchioles that serve as the site of gas exchange in the lungs.

Hemoglobin

An iron-containing protein in Red Blood Cells that has a high affinity for oxygen and transports it throughout the body.

Blood

A red-colored fluid connective tissue consisting of plasma, RBCs, WBCs, and platelets.

Arteries

Thick-walled, elastic blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart at high pressure (except for the pulmonary artery).

Veins

Thin-walled blood vessels with valves that carry deoxygenated blood toward the heart (except for the pulmonary vein).

Double Circulation

A circulatory system where blood passes through the heart twice during one complete cycle through the body.

Lymph

Also called tissue fluid; a colorless fluid containing lymphocytes that drains excess fluid from tissues and transports absorbed fats.

Xylem

A plant tissue that conducts water and minerals unidirectionally from roots to leaves.

Phloem

A plant tissue that conducts food (sucrose) bidirectionally from leaves to all parts of the plant.

Translocation

The energy-requiring process of transporting prepared food through the phloem.

Excretion

The biological process of removing harmful nitrogenous metabolic wastes like urea and uric acid from the body.

Nephrons

The structural and functional units of the kidney responsible for the filtration of blood and formation of urine.

Hemodialysis

A medical treatment (artificial kidney) used to filter and clean the blood of patients suffering from kidney failure.