Life processes | Important terms and definitions | Class-X

TERMS DEFINITIONS
Nutrition Process of taking in and utilizing various types of foods by organisms,
for obtaining energy necessary for growth and development.
Autotrophs Organisms who can synthesize their own organic food from simple
inorganic sources.
Organisms that cannot prepare its own food and depends upon other for
Heterotrophs
its nutritional requirements.
These are the biological catalyst that speed up various biochemical
Enzymes
reactions.
Biological molecule made up of sugar or glucose, required for the
Carbohydrates
production of energy.
Chlorophyll Pigments found in green plants essential for the process of
photosynthesis. They are located inside the thylakoid of the chloroplast.
Starch These are storage form of glucose in plants.
Glycogen These are storage form of glucose in animals.
It refers to the process of synthesis of food by autotrophic organisms by
Photosynthesis utilizing carbon dioxide and water in the presence of chlorophyll that
absorbs the sunlight.
Chloroplasts Green color plastids that contain the chlorophyll pigments.
Stomata Structures( Small Pores in plants that help in the process of exchange of
gases and transpiration.
Guard cells These are kidney-shaped cells that make up the stomatal aperture.
Parasitic mode of It refers to the mode of nutrition where the organism obtains its
nutrition nutrition from living plants or animals without killing them.
Mode of nutrition where the organism obtains its nutrition from dead
Saprophytic mode of and decaying organic matter.
nutrition The organism secret certain enzymes to digest the decaying organic
matter into simpler products and later absorb them.
In this kind of nutrition, the organism feed exclusively on solid organic
Holozoic mode of
materials. The food is later broken down into simple molecules inside
nutrition
the body of the organism.
These are temporary finger-like projections of the cell surface seen in
Pseudopodia
an unicellular organism like Amoeba to obtain food.
Peristaltic The rhythmic contraction and relaxation of the esophagus/food pipe
movements while the bolus/chewed food is moving from the mouth to the stomach.
Oesophagus Also known as food pipe, that connects the mouth and stomach.
These are glands located in various portions of the stomach. These
Gastric glands
glands release mucus, HCl, and pepsinogen.
Pepsinogen The inactive form of the enzyme pepsin.
Enzyme released in the stomach that requires an acidic condition for its
Pepsin
action on proteins.
Structure that regulates the movement of chyme/partially digested food
Sphincter muscle
from the stomach to the small intestine.
Trypsin Proteolytic enzyme released into the small intestine by the pancreas and
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 Life processes | Important terms and definitions | Class-X
requires an alkaline medium for its action.
Trypsinogen Inactive form of the enzyme trypsin.
The bile is released into the duodenum by pancreas that contains bile
Bile pigments (bilirubin and bili-verdin), bile salts, cholesterol, and
phospholipids but no enzymes
It helps in emulsification of fat molecules or breaking down of the large
Bile salts fat molecules into smaller fat molecules in the small intestine, making it
easier for the enzyme lipase to act on it.
Enzyme released by the intestinal epithelial cells, that acts on the fats
Lipase
and break it down into fatty acids and glycerol.
The numerous finger-like projections that are present on the inner side
of the small intestine and help in increasing the surface are for the
Villi absorption of digested food materials.
They are richly supplied with blood vessels that can take the absorbed
food to each and every cell of the body.
Respiration Process by which food materials are oxidized in cells to release energy.
Fermentation is an anaerobic (non-oxygen-requiring) pathway for
breaking down glucose.
Fermentations In muscles, lack of oxygen during intense exercise leads to lactate
fermentation which ends up with lactic acid and some amount of energy
as the product.
The process of formation of pyruvate from glucose in the cytoplasm
Glycolysis
through a series of reactions involving several enzymes.
The energy currency of cells. Adenosine Tri Phosphate. The energy is
ATP( Adenosine Tri- stored in the phosphate bonds.
Phosphate) Breakdown of one of the terminal phosphate bond leads to the release
of 30.5 KJ/mol of energy.
The alveoli are tiny air sacs within the lungs where the exchange of
Alveoli
oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.
Haemoglobin It is the respiratory pigment present in the RBC, giving it the
( Haem- Iron & characteristics red color, help in the transport of oxygen in the body.
Globins-Particles)
Plasma is a straw coloured, viscous fluid that holds the cells of the
Blood Plasma
blood.
Blood Serum It is the blood plasma without the clotting factors.
Blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the tissue
Artery
sites.
Blood vessels that carry the deoxygenated blood from the tissues back
Vein
to the heart.
Largest vein in the body. It is of two types- the Superior vena cava
Vena cava (brings blood from the upper body parts) and the Inferior/Posterior vena
cava (collects blood from the lower body parts).
Aorta Largest artery in the body.
Capillaries These are the smallest of blood vessels. They distribute oxygenated
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 Life processes | Important terms and definitions | Class-X
blood from arteries to the tissues of the body and to collect
deoxygenated blood from the tissues back into the veins.
Blood vessels that carry deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs
Pulmonary artery
for gaseous exchange.
Blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart
Pulmonary vein
after gaseous exchange.
In a single cardiac cycle the blood enters the heart twice. Consists of
Double circulation two circuits of blood passing through heart – pulmonary circulation and
systemic circulation.
Pulmonary In this circulation the deoxygenated blood is pumped from the heart to
circulation the lungs, oxygenated blood returns to the heart from the lungs.
Here the oxygenated blood is pumped from the heart to all the organs
Systemic circulation and the deoxygenated blood is collected from the organs back to the
heart.
Sphygmomanometer It is an instrument used to measure the blood pressure.
Also known as high blood pressure where the blood pressure in the
Hypertension
arteries is high.
Platelets Component in the blood responsible for the blood clotting/coagulation.
Lymph is the fluid that circulates throughout the lymphatic system.
Its composition is similar to plasma but is colorless and contains lesser
Lymph protein.
It carries the digested and absorbed fats from intestine and drains the
excess fluid from extracellular space back into the blood.
Transpiration The loss of water from the leaf surface in the form of water vapors.
Transport of soluble products of photosynthesis via phloem tissues
Translocation
( specially by Sieve Tubes and Companion Cells).
Water and minerals absorbed by root hairs and its transport to the
Transportation of
leaves for photosynthesis via xylem tissues ( specially by Tracheids and
water and minerals in
Xylem vessels in flowering plants and only by Xylem vessels in non-
plants
flowering plants)
Ureters Tube like structure that connects the kidney and the urinary bladder.
Tube like structure that runs down from the lower end of urinary
Urethra
bladder to conduct urine to the exterior.
Basic filtration unit( structural and functional unit of the kidneys).
Nephrons
Consists of the Bowmen’s Capsule and renal tubules.
It is a cup-like sack at the beginning of the tubular component of a
Bowman’s Capsule nephron that performs the first step in the filtration of blood to form
urine.
It consists of a tuft of small blood vessels called capillaries surrounded
by Bowman’s Capsule within the kidney.It is connected with Afferent
and Efferent Arterioles (Diameter of Afferent arteriole is greater than
Glomerulus
the Efferent arteriole) at two ends.Afferent arteriole which is a branch
of renal artery provides blood to the Glomerulus and Efferent arteriole
carry blood away from Glomerulus.
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 Life processes | Important terms and definitions | Class-X
The proximal portion of the renal tubule which is present in the form of
many coils is called as Proximal Convoluted Tubule (PCT). Glucose,
amino acids, Vitamin-c , Potassium, calcium, sodium chloride, 75% of
water, etc, are the substances reabsorbed into peritubular network from
PCT( Proximal Proximal Convoluted Tubule (PCT) . The cells present in the Proximal
Convoluted Tubule) Convoluted Tubule (PCT) have brush border which is capable of
absorption. Proximal Convoluted Tubule (PCT) receives primary urine
from glomerulus. PCT regulates excretion of urine by absorbing excess
water from primary urine. A small amount of tubular secretion also
takes place in the Proximal Convoluted Tubule (PCT).
A U-shaped or Hair pin like structure has descending limb followed by
Loop of Henle an ascending limb located just below the PCT which ends at DCT. The
Loop of Henle lies in the Medulla of the kidney.
The distal portion of the renal tubule which is present in the form of
many coils is called as Distal Convoluted Tubule (DCT). Urea, uric
DCT( Distal acid, creatinine, sodium, potassium, hydrogen ions are secreted into
Convoluted Tubule) Distal Convoluted Tubule (DCT). The Distal Convoluted Tubule (DCT)
opens into a collecting tube.Aldosterone hormone secreted by Pituitary
gland promotes re-absorption of water and salts(Na+) at DCT.
The last part of a long, twisting tube that collects urine from the
nephrons (cellular structures in the kidney that filter blood and form
urine) and moves it into the renal pelvis and ureters. Also called rena l
Collecting Duct also called duct of Bellini. As the collecting tubules travel
through the medulla, the concentration of sodium causes water to be
CD( Collecting Duct)
extracted through the tubule walls into the medulla. The water diffuses
out between the collecting wall cells until the concentration of sodium
is equal in the tubes and outside them. Removal of water from the
solution in the tubes serves to concentrate the urine content and
conserve body water.

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