Quick answer: Life Processes is the longest Class 10 biology chapter and gives 6–8 marks, with at least one diagram (heart, nephron, or stomata). These notes are organised the way questions are asked.
Nutrition
- Autotrophic: photosynthesis 6CO₂ + 12H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ + 6H₂O; steps: light absorption by chlorophyll, water splitting, CO₂ reduction. Stomata open/close by guard cells.
- Heterotrophic: holozoic (humans), saprophytic (fungi), parasitic (Cuscuta). Amoeba: pseudopodia; Paramecium: cilia.
- Human digestion: mouth (salivary amylase) → oesophagus (peristalsis) → stomach (HCl, pepsin, mucus) → small intestine (bile emulsifies fat; pancreatic juice: trypsin, amylase, lipase; villi absorb) → large intestine (water).
Respiration
- Glucose → pyruvate (in cytoplasm) → aerobic: CO₂ + H₂O + lots of energy (mitochondria); anaerobic (yeast): ethanol + CO₂; muscle cramps: lactic acid.
- Human breathing: nostrils → pharynx → larynx → trachea → bronchi → bronchioles → alveoli (large surface area). Haemoglobin carries O₂; CO₂ mostly dissolved in plasma.
- Plants exchange gases through stomata and lenticels.
Transportation
- Heart: 4 chambers; right side deoxygenated, left oxygenated. Double circulation: blood passes through the heart twice per cycle — prevents mixing, keeps high O₂ supply (mammals, birds).
- Arteries thick-walled (high pressure); veins with valves; capillaries one cell thick. Blood pressure normal 120/80 mm Hg. Platelets clot blood; lymph returns fluid.
- Plants: xylem carries water (transpiration pull), phloem carries food (translocation, needs ATP).
Excretion
- Nephron: Bowman’s capsule + glomerulus (filtration) → tubule (selective reabsorption of glucose, salts, water) → collecting duct → urine. Kidney failure → dialysis.
- Plants: excess water by transpiration, waste stored in leaves that fall, resins and gums in old xylem.
Board favourites
- Why is double circulation needed in mammals?
- Difference between aerobic and anaerobic respiration.
- Draw and label the human heart / nephron / stomata.
Common mistakes
- Writing that glucose breaks into pyruvate in the mitochondria (it is in the cytoplasm)
- Labelling arteries and veins on the wrong side of the heart
- Saying plants respire only at night
Related: Carbon and Its Compounds.
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Frequently asked questions
Are these Life Processes Class 10 Notes notes enough for the exam?
They cover every formula, definition and question type that appears in school and board papers for this chapter. Use them with the NCERT examples, exercise questions and the last five years' papers to be fully prepared.
How should I revise Life Processes Class 10 Notes?
Revise the notes after 1 day, 7 days and 30 days. Solve five questions each time instead of only reading, and keep an error list of the steps you get wrong.
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