IMPORTANT DIAGRAMS

BIOLOGY
SSC 2015

Life Processes
Cross section of leaf

Nutrition in animals :a) Nutrition in amoeba :Amoeba is a unicellular animal living in water. It takes in food by
forming finger like projections called pseudopodia and forms a food
vacuole. Inside the food vacuole the food is digested and absorbed.
The undigested food is then sent out through the surface of the cell.

Human digestive system

Breakdown of glucose by various pathways :presence

of oxygen
CO2 + H2O + Energy
(in mitochondria)
presence
of oxygen
Glucose
Pyruvate
in cytoplasm
+
Energy

absence
of oxygen
Lactic acid + Energy
(in muscle
cells)
absence
of oxygen
Ethanol + CO2 + Energy
(in yeast)

Human respiratory system

Mechanism of breathing :When we breathe in air, the muscles of the diaphragm contracts and
moves downward and the chest cavity expands and air enters into the
lungs.
When we breathe out air, the muscles of the diaphragm relaxes and
moves upward and the chest cavity contracts and air goes out of the
lungs.

Working of the heart (Circulation of blood) :-

Human excretory system

Structure of Nephron

Control and coordination

Nerve cell
Nerve endings
(

HUMAN BRAIN

Reflex arc :The pathway of a reflex action is called reflex arc. In a

reflex arc the stimulus is received by the receptors (sense
organs) and it passes through the sensory nerves to the
spinal cord. From the spinal cord the information passes
through the motor nerves to the effectors (muscles/glands)
for the response.
Stimulus
Receptors
(Sense organ)

Sensory nerves
Spinal cord

Effectors
(Muscles/Glands)
Response

Motor nerves

REFLEX ARC

ENDOCRINE GLANDS IN HUMAN BEINGS

How do organisms reproduce

Fission :- is an asexual reproduction by which a unicellular
organism divides and forms two or more new individuals.
Fission is of two types. They are binary fission and multiple
fission.
i) Binary fission :- In this method an organism divides and
forms two individuals. First the nucleus divides and forms
two nuclei. Then the cytoplasm divides and forms two
daughter cells. Eg:- Amoeba, Paramaecium etc.
ii) Multiple fission :- In this method one organism divides
into many daughter cells. Eg.Plasmodium (Malarial parasite).

Budding :In this method a bud like projection is formed on the

body of the organism. The bud then develops into a new
individual. It then separates from the parent and forms an
independent individual. Eg:- Hydra, Yeast etc.

Regeneration :In this method a part of the body if the organism if cut or
broken can develop into a new individual. Eg :- Hydra,
Planaria, Star fish etc.

Fragmentation :In this method the body of a simple multicellular

organism breaks up into smaller pieces on maturation and
each fragment develops into new individuals.
Eg :- Spirogyra.

Spore formation :In this method structures called sporangia produce tiny
cells called spores. When the spores come in contact with a
moist surface, it develops into new individuals.
Eg :- Rhizopus , Mucor, Penicillium etc.

Vegetative propagation :In this method new plants are produced from the vegetative parts of
the plant like root, stem or leaf. Eg:- from roots dhalia, sweet potato,
from stem potato, ginger, from leaf bryophyllum, begonia.
Plants produced by vegetative propagation produce flowers and
fruits earlier than those produced from seeds. It also helps in the
propagation of plants which do not produce seeds like rose, jasmine
banana etc.
Vegetative propagation can also be done artificially by cutting,
layering, grafting etc.

Sexual reproduction in flowering plants :a) Reproductive parts of a flower :The stamen and pistil are the reproductive parts of the
flower. Stamen is the male reproductive part. It produces
pollen grains in the anther which contains the male germ
cell (male gamete). Pistil is the female reproductive part. It
produces ovules in the ovary which contain the female
germ cell (female gamete).

b) Pollination :The transfer of pollen grains from the anther to the stigma
of a flower is called pollination. It takes place by wind, water
or insects. If the pollen grains are transferred from the
anther to the stigma of the same flower it is self pollination
and if it is transferred from the anther of one flower to the
stigma of another flower it is cross pollination. Pollination
takes place by insects, wind, water etc.

Cross pollination
Self pollination

c) Fertilisation :-

After the pollen grain is

transferred to the stigma it
produces a pollen tube which
passes through the style and
enters the ovary and ovule. In
the ovule the male germ cell
(male gamete) fuses with the
female germ cell (female
gamete) to form a zygote. This
process is called fertilisation.
After fertilisation the zygote
divides several times and forms
the embryo which then develops
into the seed and the ovary
develops into the fruit.

Heridity and evolution

a) When plants having one pair of character (Eg :- tall and short plant)
was crossed (Monohybrid cross) :Mendel selected pea plants having one pair of character a tall pea plant and a short pea
plant. He selected pure tall (TT) and pure short (tt) pea plants and cross pollinated them.
He obtained all tall plants (Tt) in the first generation (F1 ). When the first generation plants
were self pollinated, he obtained tall and dwarf plants in the ratio 3:1 in the second
generation. (F2)
The ratio of pure tall (TT), hybrid tall (Tt) and pure dwarf (tt) was in the ratio 1:2:1 The
trait that is expressed in the F1 generation is called the dominant trait and the trait that is
supressed in the F1 is called the recessive trait.

b) When plants having two pairs of characters (Eg:- shape

and colour of seeds) were crossed (Dihybrid cross) :Mendel selected pea plants having two pairs of characters shape and colour
of seed. He selected plants having round yellow seeds (RRYY) and wrinkled
green seeds (rryy) and cross pollinated them. He obtained all plants with round
yellow seeds (RrYy) in the F1 generation. When these plants were self pollinated
in the F2 generation out of 16 plants, 9 had round yellow (RrYy), 3 had round
green (Rryy), 3 had wrinkled yellow (rrYy) and 1 had wrinkled green (rryy) seed. In
the ratio 9:3:3:1.

Sex determination in human beings :Human beings have 23 pairs of chromosomes in the nucleus of the
cell. Out of this two chromosomes are sex chromosomes X and Y. The
female has two X chromosomes (XX) and male has one X and one Y
chromosome (XY). The sperms and eggs have one set of sex
chromosomes. Some sperms have X chromosome and some have Y
chromosome. All eggs have X chromosome.
If a sperm having X chromosome fuses with an egg having X
chromosome the child will be a girl. If a sperm having Y chromosome
fuses with an egg having X chromosome the child will be a boy.

Homologous organs :- are organs which are similar in structure but

different in functions.
Eg :- The fore limbs of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals have
similar structures but different functions. Frog (amphibian) uses its fore
limb to raise the front of the body. Lizard (reptile) uses its fore limb for
walking and running. Birds fore limbs are modified as wings for flying.
Mammals use the fore limbs for grasping, walking, running, swimming,
flying etc. This shows evolutionary relationship.

Analogous organs :- are organs which are different in structures but

similar in functions.
Eg :- The wings of butterfly, bird and bat have different structures but
similar functions. This shows evolutionary relationship.

c) Fossils :- are the remains of organisms which lived long ago.

From the study of fossils we can know their structures and the time
period in which they lived. The fossils of complex and recent
organisms are found closer to the surface of the earth and the fossils
of simpler organisms are found deeper inside the earth. The age of
fossils can be determined by Radio Carbon Dating. The study of fossils
show evolution of simpler forms into complex forms and their
evolutionary relationship.

Tree trunk fossil

Fish fossil (Knightia)

Evolution by stages :Complex organisms and its organs developed from simpler organisms gradually
over generations.
i) Evolution of eyes :- The eyes of planaria are just eye spots to detect light. It
developed gradually into a complex organ in higher animals.
ii) Evolution of feathers :- Feathers were first developed in dinosaurs and used
for protection from cold. Later birds used them for flying.

iii) Evolution by artificial selection :- Humans cultivated wild cabbage for over
2000 years and produced different vegetables from it by artificial selection.
Eg :- Cabbage by selecting short distance between the leaves.
Cauliflower by selecting sterile flowers.
Kale by selecting large leaves
Kholrabi by selecting the swollen stem
Broccoli by arresting flower growth

Our environment
A food chain :- is the flow of food energy from one organism to the next and
to the next and so on. They usually start with a producer (plants) and end with a
carnivore. In a food chain an organism gets food from one group of organisms.
eaten by

Eg:- Grass
(producer)

eaten by

Deer

Lion

(primary consumer)

(secondary consumer)

eaten by

Grass
(producer)

Insects
(primary consumer)

eaten by

Grass

eaten by

Frog

(producer) (primary consumer)

Snake

(secondary consumer)

eaten by

Moth

eaten by

(tertiary consumer)

eaten by

Frog

eaten by

Snake

Hawk

(secondary consumer) (tertiary consumer) (quarternary consumer)

b) Food web :Food web is a group of several interconnected food chains. In a food
web an organism gets food from more than one group of organisms.

Trophic levels :Each step in a food chain where transfer of food energy takes place is called
trophic level.
The first trophic level consists of producers.
The second trophic level consists of primary consumers.
The third trophic level consists of secondary consumers.
The fourth trophic level consists of tertiary consumers.
Since the transfer of food energy decreases at every trophic level, the
number of trophic levels are limited and do not exceed four or five.

Energy flow in trophic levels:Green plants (producers) absorb about 1% of solar energy falling on
the leaves and stores it as food energy during photosynthesis.
During the transfer of food energy from one trophic level to the next,
90% of the energy is lost to the environment and only 10% is
transferred to the next trophic level. So there is a decrease in the
amount of food energy transferred at every trophic level by 10%. This is
known as the 10% law.

Biological magnification (Biomagnification):Harmful chemicals like insecticides and pesticides which are used to
protect crops from insects and pests are absorbed by plants and enter
the food chain. Since these chemicals are non biodegradable, they get
accumulated at every trophic level and their concentration increases.
Since human beings occupy the highest trophic level, the concentration
of these harmful chemicals is maximum in our bodies.
The increase in concentration of harmful chemicals in the bodies of
organisms at higher trophic levels is called biological magnification.

Managing the garbage we produce :The household waste is called garbage. Some of the garbage is
biodegradable and some are non biodegradable. Garbage causes
pollution of air, water and soil. So it should be disposed properly.
Some of the methods of garbage disposal are :i) Land fills
ii) Recycling
iii) Production of biogas and manure
iv) Preparation of compost
v) Incineration
vi) Sewage treatment