# NCERT Class 7 Science Chapter 9 Life Processes in Animals: Summary, Key Concepts, Notes, and Diagrams | SwaVid

This chapter is fundamental to understanding how animals, including humans, sustain life. It explores the essential processes that enable organisms to o...

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# Life Processes in Animals

## Concepts in this chapter

## The ideas this chapter keeps returning to

## Where this chapter usually trips people up

## Find the gaps before this chapter finds them for you.

## Related chapters

### Nutrition in Animals

Chapter 9 · Class 7 Science

This chapter is fundamental to understanding how animals, including humans, sustain life. It explores the essential processes that enable organisms to obtain energy, grow, and remove waste, providing a comprehensive view of the intricate biological mechanisms at play.

Your study route

Key topics

Nutrition is the process by which an organism obtains food and utilizes it to get energy, for growth, repair, and maintenance of the body. It involves several steps: ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation, and egestion.

Example

Amoeba uses pseudopodia to engulf food, forming a food vacuole for digestion. Hydra uses tentacles to capture prey. Humans ingest food through the mouth, which then undergoes a series of digestive steps.

Watch out

Confusing nutrition (the whole process of obtaining and using food) with digestion (the breakdown of food).

Nutrition is the process by which an organism obtains food and utilizes it to get energy, for growth, repair, and maintenance of the body. It involves several steps: ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation, and egestion.

Tap the card for an example

Example

Amoeba uses pseudopodia to engulf food, forming a food vacuole for digestion. Hydra uses tentacles to capture prey. Humans ingest food through the mouth, which then undergoes a series of digestive steps.

Why it matters

All living organisms require energy to perform various life activities. Nutrition provides this energy and the building blocks for growth and repair.

Watch out

Confusing nutrition (the whole process of obtaining and using food) with digestion (the breakdown of food).

Ask at home

Ask your child to explain the five steps of nutrition and give an example of how a simple animal like Amoeba performs ingestion.

This chapter introduces the fundamental "life processes" essential for the survival of animals. It delves into how animals obtain and utilize food through nutrition, breaking it down via digestion into simpler forms that can be absorbed and used for energy and growth. The process of respiration is explored, detailing how oxygen is taken in and carbon dioxide is released, alongside the crucial energy production from digested food. The chapter also explains circulation, the vital transport system that moves essential substances like nutrients, oxygen, and hormones, while simultaneously carrying away waste products throughout the body. Finally, excretion is covered, highlighting how animals remove harmful metabolic wastes to maintain a healthy internal environment. Understanding these interconnected processes provides a comprehensive insight into the complex and efficient functioning of animal bodies, from simple organisms like Amoeba to complex ones like humans.

Chapter summary

This chapter introduces the fundamental "life processes" essential for the survival of animals. It delves into how animals obtain and utilize food through nutrition, breaking it down via digestion into simpler forms that can be absorbed and used for energy and growth. The process of respiration is explored, detailing how oxygen is taken in and carbon dioxide is released, alongside the crucial energy production from digested food. The chapter also explains circulation, the vital transport system that moves essential substances like nutrients, oxygen, and hormones, while simultaneously carrying away waste products throughout the body. Finally, excretion is covered, highlighting how animals remove harmful metabolic wastes to maintain a healthy internal environment. Understanding these interconnected processes provides a comprehensive insight into the complex and efficient functioning of animal bodies, from simple organisms like Amoeba to complex ones like humans.

What you should learn

Keep these close

Life processes are fundamental activities like nutrition, respiration, circulation, and excretion, essential for an organism&#x27;s survival.

Nutrition involves ingestion, digestion, absorption, assimilation, and egestion of food.

Digestion is the breakdown of complex food into simpler, absorbable forms.

The human digestive system includes the alimentary canal (mouth to anus) and associated glands (salivary glands, liver, pancreas).

Respiration is the process of releasing energy from digested food, involving oxygen intake and carbon dioxide release.

Different animals have varied respiratory organs: skin (earthworm), gills (fish), spiracles/tracheal tubes (insects), lungs (humans).

The human respiratory system facilitates gaseous exchange through organs like the nasal passage, trachea, bronchi, and lungs.

Circulation is the transport of substances (nutrients, oxygen, waste) throughout the body.

The human circulatory system comprises the heart, blood, and a network of blood vessels (arteries, veins, capillaries).

Blood is a fluid connective tissue transporting gases, nutrients, hormones, and waste products.

Excretion is the removal of metabolic waste products from the body.

The human excretory system, primarily kidneys, filters blood to form urine, which is then expelled.

Common confusions

It is easy to think

All animals digest food in the same way.

The clearer idea

Digestion methods vary significantly across the animal kingdom, from simple intracellular digestion in single-celled organisms like Amoeba to complex extracellular digestion in multicellular animals with specialized digestive systems.

It is easy to think

Breathing and respiration are the same process.

The clearer idea

Breathing is the physical process of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. Respiration (cellular respiration) is the biochemical process occurring inside cells, where glucose is broken down to release energy using oxygen.

It is easy to think

Arteries always carry oxygenated blood and veins always carry deoxygenated blood.

The clearer idea

This is generally true for systemic circulation, but the pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs, and the pulmonary vein carries oxygenated blood from the lungs back to the heart.

It is easy to think

Only kidneys are involved in removing waste from the body.

The clearer idea

While kidneys are the primary excretory organs for nitrogenous waste, other organs also play a role: lungs remove carbon dioxide, skin removes excess salts and water as sweat, and the liver processes various toxins.

It is easy to think

Digestion of food is completed in the stomach.

The clearer idea

Digestion begins in the mouth, continues in the stomach, but the majority of chemical digestion and nutrient absorption occurs in the small intestine. The stomach primarily churns food and begins protein digestion.

Before you push ahead

Most stuck chapters trace back to one earlier idea. Check the prerequisites first, or let SwaVid adapt this chapter to the way your child learns.

Keep exploring Class 7

Source

- Define and identify the major life processes essential for animal survival.
- Describe the process of nutrition and digestion in various animals, including the human digestive system.
- Explain the mechanism of respiration in different animals and the structure and function of the human respiratory system.
- Illustrate the components and functions of the circulatory system in humans, including the heart, blood, and blood vessels.
- Explain the process of excretion and identify the excretory organs in humans and their roles.
- Appreciate the interconnectedness of different life processes and their importance for an animal&#x27;s overall health and survival.
- Define and identify the major life processes essential for animal survival.
- Describe the process of nutrition and digestion in various animals, including the human digestive system.
- Explain the mechanism of respiration in different animals and the structure and function of the human respiratory system.
- Illustrate the components and functions of the circulatory system in humans, including the heart, blood, and blood vessels.
- Explain the process of excretion and identify the excretory organs in humans and their roles.
- Appreciate the interconnectedness of different life processes and their importance for an animal&#x27;s overall health and survival.
- NCERT Class 7 Science textbook: Curiosity : Chapter 9: Life Processes in Animals

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- [Next chapter 10 . Life Processes in Plants](https://swavid.com/science/class/7/chapter/life-processes-in-plants)
- [All Class 7 chapters](https://swavid.com/science/class/7)
- [8 Measurement of Time and Motion Understanding Motion · Types of Motion Open chapter](https://swavid.com/science/class/7/chapter/measurement-of-time-and-motion)
- [10 Life Processes in Plants Photosynthesis: The Food-Making Process · Respiration in Plants Open chapter](https://swavid.com/science/class/7/chapter/life-processes-in-plants)
- [7 Heat Transfer in Nature Understanding Heat and Temperature · Conduction: Heat Transfer in Solids Open chapter](https://swavid.com/science/class/7/chapter/heat-transfer-in-nature)
- [NCERT Class 7 Science textbook: Curiosity](https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php)