Life Processes Test - 14

Breathing is rhythmic. It is the intake of oxygen and expulsion of carbon dioxide. Respiration is the production of energy in the body, which includes breathing, mastication etc. Through this process, oxygen is inhaled. This inhaled oxygen is used to burn/oxidize/break down the food (glucose). This reaction produces energy which is used to carry out various activities going in our body. Our body needs continuous supply of energy to carry out these activities.  So, respiration is a continuous process which makes us able to meet energy demands of our body. If respiration comes to halt the person will die.

Unlike plants, which use carbon dioxide and light as sources of carbon and energy, respectively, fungi meet these two requirements by assimilating preformed organic matter; carbohydrates are generally the preferred carbon source. As fungi grow on land and obtain their nutrients from dead organic matter, Thatswhy, Mode of nutrition in fungi is saprotrophic.

The plastid is a major double-membrane organelle found in the meristematic tissues especially inside parenchyma cells of the plants or leaves, and the Parenchyma is present inside the central leaf or mesophyll.

The chlorophyll after absorbing photons from light becomes activated. Then this activated chlorophyll helps in photolysis or breaking down of water into H⁺ and OH^-. Then these reactions occur,
4 OH^- → 4 OH + 4 e^-
4 OH  → 2 H₂O + O₂  (or hydrolysis of water) 

So oxygen is produced from water.

Saliva contains the enzyme amylase, also called ptyalin, which is capable of breaking down starch into simpler sugars such as maltose and dextrin that can be further broken down in the small intestine. Only about 30% starch digestion takes place in the mouth cavity.

6 CO₂ + 12 H₂O + light ----> C₆H₁₂O₆ (Glucose) + 6 H₂O + 6 O₂   (In presence of sunlight and chlorophyll)

In photosynthesis, CO₂ is reduced to glucose using electrons gained from the oxidation of water.

When water gets split into ions (H⁺ and OH^-) then hydrogen added to associated electrons of CO₂ to form a carbohydrate. So by gaining electrons, the CO₂ is reduced. The 6 O₂ at the end of the reaction are from water, water lost electrons in the process so it is oxidized.

Vestigial organs can be defined as an organ that once was useful in an animal's evolutionary past, but that now is useless or very close to useless. As vermiform appendix plays no significant function in humans, so it is considered as a vestigial organ.

Aerobic cell respiration (glycolysis + the Krebs cycle + respiratory electron transport) produces 36 ATP/glucose consumed. Aerobic cell respiration is roughly 18 times more efficient than anaerobic cell respiration. Your cells require a lot of energy and are dependent on the high efficiency of aerobic respiration.

The first step of photosynthesis is the excitation of electrons of chlorophyll. The energy from the sun, raises an energy level in the chlorophyll molecule, causing electrons to leave the molecule and travel along the electron transport chain (ETC) in a series of oxidation and reductions.

Pancreas is both an endocrine and an exocrine gland, in that it functions to produce endocrinic hormones released into the circulatory system (such as insulin, and glucagon), to control glucose metabolism, and also to secrete digestive/exocrinic pancreatic juice (such as trypsin), which is secreted eventually via the pancreatic duct