Holozoic nutrition (Gr. holo means-whole ; zoikos means-of animals) is a method of nutrition that involves the ingestion of liquid or solid organic material, digestion, absorption and assimilation of it to utilize it. It includes taking in the complex substances and converting them into simpler forms. Example, proteins can be broken into amino acids. This method suggests phagocytosis where the cell membrane completely surrounds a food particle.
Most of the free living animals including humans exhibit this type of nutrition. In this mode of nutrition, the food may be a small bacterium, a plant or an animal. Here,the food is first taken into the body through an opening called a mouth (ingestion), then it is converted into a simple and soluble form by various enzymes (digestion); simplified products thus formed are then absorbed (absorption); conversion of nutrient into the fluid or solid substance of the body (Assimilation); and finally the undigested part of food is removed from the body (egestion). This type of nutrition occurs mainly in single celled organisms such as Amoeba. It even occurs in Humans as well, as in humans, the digestion is done through Alimentary Canal, which includes all the five processes of Holozoic Nutrition.
This type of nutrition is under the heterophic nutrition which is a nutrition that the organism cannot make food themselves, and need to intake organic matter from their surrounding. The main idea is the organism need to feed on others.All animals and human carry out this mode of nutrition.
Famous quotes containing the word nutrition:
“Men have their own questions, and they differ from those of mothers. New mothers are more interested in nutrition and vulnerability to illness while fathers tend to ask about when they can take their babies out of the house or how much sleep babies really need.”
—Kyle D. Pruett (20th century)