Elements of Nutrition

Ultimate source of energy comes from sunlight. Organisms depend on elements of nutrition for their sustainability. Nutritional elements are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. Organic molecules are formed as a result of simple elements like carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Nitrogen and sulfur are prevalent in proteins, however phosphorus and nitrogen are found in nucleic acids. Some of these elements are present as part of organic molecules like cofactors and vitamins. Microelements play a major role in maintenance of metabolism. Other microelements are copper, zinc, manganese, iodine, selenium and cobalt.    

Plant nutrition

Producers of ecological system are referred as autotrophic organisms. They are capable of absorbing elements from sunlight, and environment by photosynthetic process. Plants store them as organic molecules. They absorb molecules of water and carbon dioxide from sunlight and environment and synthesis glucose by photosynthetic reactions. On further modification, biomolecules like amino acids, vitamins and lipids are synthesized. Organisms which harvest those elements from other organisms are referred as consumers.

Animal nutrition

Animals depend on producers for their food; hence they are called as heterotrophs. They serve as consumer of ecological ecosystem. Green plants synthesize biomolecules and in turn these biomolecules help in synthesis of new biomolecules. For instance plants consumed by animals are converted to amino acids in their stomach. After which amino acids are absorbed on to tissues and synthesize new proteins biomolecules. Animals digest macromolecules by slow absorption and by active transport mechanism. The nutrient accumulation in tissues are correlated to the type of nutrition that animal require.

It is obvious that animals cannot synthesize vitamins and hence they are supplemented along with dietary food as fat soluble vitamins and water soluble vitamins. Lack of macro nutritional elements, micro nutritional elements and vitamins result in serious disorders and deficiencies. Heterotrophs are further classified based on the mode of nutrition as herbivores, carnivores and saprophytes or detritivores.

Microbial nutrition

Microbial nutrition can be either autotrophic or heterotrophic modes. Autotrophic microbes are chemosynthetic and photosynthetic bacteria. Chemosynthetic bacteria utilize the organic materials. Chemosynthetic and photosynthetic organisms are producers. Some bacteria are saprophytes which live on organic matter, plants and animals. Enzymes are secreted on the surface where they grow. These enzymes are utilized by some organisms and thereby new compounds are synthesized.

Questions:

• What are elements of nutrition?
• Describe the importance of nutritional elements.
• What will happen if nutritional content is less or more?
• How to maintain balanced nutritional level in blood stream?