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Living Things - Animal nutrition and diets

Grade 3IGCSE

Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.

🔑Concepts

Animals are consumers, meaning they cannot make their own food and must eat plants or other animals to survive.

Food provides energy for life processes, such as movement, and materials for growth and repair.

Herbivores are animals that eat only plants, such as cows and rabbits.

Carnivores are animals that eat only meat/other animals, such as lions and sharks.

Omnivores are animals that eat both plants and meat, such as humans and bears.

A balanced diet consists of the correct proportions of Nutrients, including Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, Vitamins, Minerals, Fibre, and H2OH_2O.

Carbohydrates provide immediate energy, while Proteins are used for growth and repairing body tissues.

Fats are used as an energy store and for insulation to keep the body warm.

📐Formulae

Total Diet=Carbohydrates+Proteins+Fats+Vitamins+Minerals+Fibre+H2OTotal\ Diet = Carbohydrates + Proteins + Fats + Vitamins + Minerals + Fibre + H_2O

Energy (kJ)Food IntakeEnergy\ (kJ) \propto Food\ Intake

GrowthProtein+MineralsGrowth \approx Protein + Minerals

💡Examples

Problem 1:

A giraffe spends most of its day eating leaves from acacia trees. Classify its diet type.

Solution:

Herbivore

Explanation:

Because the giraffe consumes only plant matter (leaves), it is classified as a herbivore.

Problem 2:

Which nutrient would a Grade 3 athlete need most for building strong muscles?

Solution:

Protein

Explanation:

Proteins are the essential nutrients required for the growth (GG) and repair of muscle tissues.

Problem 3:

Why is H2OH_2O considered an essential part of an animal's diet?

Solution:

Hydration and transport.

Explanation:

Water (H2OH_2O) is necessary to dissolve nutrients and transport them around the body, as well as to keep the body cool.