Different life processes like digestion, respiration, excretion and circulation are inbuilt in the body at specific places to carry out their specific functions in a coordinated manner. The AP Class 10 Biology Chapter 7 Coordination in life processes, discusses complexities involved in each of the processes and appreciates the wonderful integration of our life processes.
Digestive System
Every process is dependent on other processes to keep the body in a good condition. Now to understand the co-dependence of systems let us look at how the digestive system coordinates with other systems.
- Feeling Hungry – One of the main reasons for feeling hungry is the physiology of blood circulation. When the glucose levels in the blood fall, we feel hungry. Hunger contractions occur in the stomach because of the hunger generating signals that reach the brain from the stomach due to the secretion of a hormone known as Ghrelin. Increase in ghrelin levels results in the sensation of hunger and forces us to consume food.
- The outcome of the hunger – The food consumed is broken down into constituent substances for digestion, assimilation and energy releasing processes.The human digestive system involves both the muscular and nervous system.
- A special nervous system exists in the gut and it consists of close to 100 billion nerves that coordinate the muscular activity, blood flow, digestion and absorption of nutrients and other activities of the food canal.
Now let us look at a few answered chapter questions, to better understand the concepts discussed in this chapter.
Class 10 Biology Chapter 7 Coordination in life processes Chapter Questions
- How are taste and smell related?
Answer:
Taste and smell are closely related. This close relationship between the two is evident in how we perceive the flavours of food. Anyone with a severe cold cannot distinguish the taste because the flavour of the food or the combination of taste and smell severely gets affected. interactions between the senses of taste and smell enhance our perceptions of the foods we eat. The interaction between the senses of taste and smell enhance our perceptions of the foods we eat.
2. During the journey of food from the mouth to stomach through the oesophagus. How do muscular system coordinate in this process?
Answer:
The journey of the food from the mouth to the stomach is complex and requires great coordination between different organs and muscles.
Following are the sequential steps of the journey of food from the mouth to the stomach:
- When a person eats, the food is pushed into the throat by the tongue.
- When the food reaches the throat, the epiglottis spreads over the windpipe to avoid choking allowing the food to seamlessly pass through the food pipe.
- Once the food enters the food pipe, the brain activates peristalsis that initiates the movement of muscle walls facilitating the passage of food.
- At the end of the food pipe, a small muscle known as the Lower Esophageal Sphincter eases and allows the food to enter into the Stomach.
3. What is the reason behind hunger or what stimulates it?
Answer: A major cause for feeling hungry lies in the physiology of blood circulation. Levels of different substances are generally maintained in the blood mainly by our digestive system. When the level of glucose in the blood fall, we get hunger pangs in the stomach. It also involves production of a series of proteins, that are hormones like Ghrelin. Ghrelin is secreted from certain cells in the wall of the stomach, when it is empty. Hunger contractions (hunger pangs) start to occur in the stomach due to hunger generating signals that reach the brain from the stomach due to the secretion of this hormone. It is believed that the Diencephalon in forebrain and vagus nerve (10th cranial nerve) plays an important role in carrying these signals to the brain. Hunger pangs continue up to 30- 45 minutes. Increase in ghrelin levels results in sensation of hunger and motivation to consume food.
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