Life Processes Cheat Sheet

Key Definitions

• Life Processes: Basic functions that define living organisms, including nutrition, respiration, transportation, excretion, and reproduction. ✅

• Metabolism: Sum of all biochemical reactions in an organism. ✅

Important Concepts

Nutrition

• Autotrophic Nutrition: Organisms produce their own food (e.g., plants via photosynthesis). ✅

• Heterotrophic Nutrition: Organisms depend on others for food (e.g., animals). ✅

Respiration

• Aerobic Respiration: Requires oxygen to produce energy. ✅

• Anaerobic Respiration: Occurs without oxygen, producing less energy. ✅

Transportation

• Circulatory System: Transports nutrients and oxygen to cells and removes waste. ✅

• Xylem and Phloem: Plant tissues for water and nutrient transport. ✅

Excretion

• Excretory System: Removes waste products from the body (e.g., kidneys in humans). ✅

Reproduction

• Asexual Reproduction: Involves a single parent (e.g., binary fission in bacteria). ✅

• Sexual Reproduction: Involves two parents and genetic variation (e.g., humans). ✅

Key Formulas

• Photosynthesis:

• Cellular Respiration:

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Common Mistake: Confusing aerobic and anaerobic respiration; remember aerobic requires oxygen.

Memory Tricks

Tip: "N.R.T.E.R." — Nutrition, Respiration, Transport, Excretion, Reproduction

Key Diagrams

   Photosynthesis
       CO2 + H2O
          |
          V
      Glucose + O2

   Cellular Respiration
      Glucose + O2
          |
          V
       CO2 + H2O + Energy