Nutrition in Simple Animals
Amoeba
Amoeba ingests its food with the help of pseudopodia.
The food is engulfed by forming a vacuole and is digested with the help of digestive enzymes.
The digested food is absorbed directly into the cytoplasm by the process of diffusion.
Energy is obtained from the absorbed food that helps in its growth.
The undigested food is egested out of the body of amoeba by rupturing the cell wall.
FAQs on Nutrition in Animals
1. Why is Nutrition important for animals?
Nutrition helps in proper growth and maintenance of the cells. It provides energy to carry out different life processes.
2. What are the types of Nutrition in Animals?
The different types of nutrition in animals include:
Filter Feeding: It is a process of acquiring nutrients from particles suspended in water. This method is commonly used by fish.
Deposit Feeding: It is the process of obtaining nutrients from particles suspended in the soil. Earthworms use this method to take nutrition.
Fluid Feeding: When one animal obtains nutrients by consuming other organisms’ fluids. Honey bees, mosquitos follow this mode of food intake.
Bulk Feeding: Eating whole organisms and grabbing nutrients from it.
Ram feeding and suction feeding: Consuming prey as food via the fluids around it. This mode of ingestion is usually adopted by aquatic animals such as bony fish.
3. What is the process of Nutrition intake in animals?
The process of nutrition in animals are as follows -
Ingestion
Ingestion is the process of taking in food.
Digestion
In this process, the larger food particles are broken down into smaller, water-soluble particles. There are physical or chemical for digesting food.
Absorption
The digested food is absorbed in the bloodstream through the intestinal wall.
Assimilation
The absorbed food is used for energy, growth and repair of the cells of the body.
Egestion
The undigested food is removed out of the body in the faeces. This process is known as egestion.
4. What are the different types of animals as per their Food Habits?
Animals can be divided into the following groups depending upon their food habits:
Herbivores: Animals that depend upon plants and fruits for their nutrition are called Herbivores. Cows, goats, sheep, buffaloes, etc. are herbivores.
Carnivores: Carnivores are animals that depend upon other animals for food. Lion, tigers, wolfs are some of the carnivores.
Omnivores: These include organisms that eat both plants and animals. Humans, bear, dogs, crow are omnivores.
