Control and Coordination Short Notes can feel confusing for many Class 10 students. Too many terms, diagrams, and processes—everything can seem overwhelming right before exams.
But don’t worry. With the right short notes, you can understand the chapter quickly and remember it for a long time. These notes will help you revise faster, score better, and feel confident during tests.
At the same time, always remember that the NCERT textbook is your main guide. All questions in the exam come from NCERT, so these notes are designed to simplify the book—not replace it. Use them along with your NCERT for maximum results.
Introduction
1. Movement & Life
We often think movement = alive.
Plant movement: Due to growth (e.g., seedling pushes through soil).
If growth stops → movement stops.
Animal & some plant movements: Not due to growth.
Examples: cat running, children on swings, buffaloes chewing cud.
2. Why Link Movement to Life?
Movement = response to environmental change.
Cat runs → sees a mouse.
Plants grow → toward sunshine.
Children swing → for fun.
Buffaloes chew cud → to digest tough food better.
Movement = using environment to one’s advantage.
Protective responses:
Eyes close in bright light.
Hand pulls back from hot object.
3. Controlled Movement
All movements in response to environment are carefully controlled.
Type of movement depends on the triggering event.
Example: whispering (not shouting) to talk in class.
Requires:
Recognition of environmental event.
Correct response (appropriate movement).
4. Control & Coordination Systems
Living organisms need systems for control and coordination.
In multicellular organisms:
Specialised tissues handle control and coordination.
Follows general body organisation principles.
Key Terms – Meaning
Term
Meaning
Movement
Response to environment; may or may not be due to growth
Growth-related movement
Movement caused by growth (e.g., seedling emerging)
Non-growth movement
Movement not linked to growth (e.g., running, chewing cud)
Environment
Surroundings that cause a change detected by organism
Response
Movement made after detecting an environmental change
Control and coordination
System that ensures the right movement for each environmental change
Specialised tissues
Body tissues dedicated to control and coordination in multicellular organisms
Animals – Nervous System
Control and Coordination Short Notes
1. Control & Coordination in Animals
Provided by nervous tissue and muscular tissue.
Needed for urgent responses (e.g., touching a hot object).
2. Detecting Environmental Changes
Specialised tips of nerve cells detect information.
These receptors are in sense organs:
Inner ear → hearing/balance
Nose → smell
Tongue → taste
Receptor Type
Detects
Gustatory receptors
Taste
Olfactory receptors
Smell
3. Nerve Impulse Pathway
Information acquired at dendritic tip of neuron.
Triggers chemical reaction → creates electrical impulse.
Impulse travels:
Dendrite → cell body → axon → axon end.
At axon end:
Chemicals released into synapse (gap).
These chemicals start new electrical impulse in next neuron’s dendrite.
Final synapse sends impulse to:
Muscle cells (for movement)
Gland cells (for secretion)
4. Structure & Function of Neuron
Part of Neuron
Function
Dendritic tip
Where information is acquired
Dendrite → Cell body → Axon
Path through which electrical impulse travels
Axon end (synapse)
Where impulse is converted into chemical signal for onward transmission
A sudden, automatic response to an environmental change.
Done without thinking or conscious control.
Examples:
Jumping away from a bus
Pulling hand from a flame
Mouth watering when very hungry
2. Why Not Use the Brain for Every Response?
Thinking is slow:
Involves complex interactions of many neurons.
Brain (in skull) receives signals → processes → sends response.
Takes time → risk of injury (e.g., getting burnt).
3. The Reflex Arc – Fast Response System
Solution: Connect input (sensory) nerve directly to output (motor) nerve without full brain involvement.
This shortcut = reflex arc.
Location: Formed in the spinal cord (where nerves from body bundle before reaching brain).
Input still reaches brain, but response happens faster via spinal cord.
Reflex arcs evolved because brain’s thinking is too slow for urgent situations. Even in animals with complex brains, reflex arcs remain efficient for quick reactions.
4. Sequence in a Reflex Action (e.g., Touching Flame)
Receptor in skin detects heat.
Sensory (input) nerve carries impulse to spinal cord.
In spinal cord, impulse passed via reflex arc to motor (output) nerve.
Motor nerve signals muscle to move hand away.
Simultaneously, signal also sent to brain (but response already occurred).
5. Apply to Bright Light Example
When bright light is focussed on eyes:
Receptors in eyes detect light.
Sensory nerve sends signal to spinal cord/brain pathway.
Reflex arc triggers motor response: eyelids close or pupils constrict.
Action happens quickly, without conscious thought.
Key Terms – Meaning
Term
Meaning
Reflex action
Automatic, unplanned response to a stimulus
Reflex arc
Simple nerve connection (in spinal cord) linking sensory input to motor output for fast response
Spinal cord
Bundle of nerves where reflex arcs are formed; acts before brain processes signal
Sensory nerve
Carries input signal (e.g., heat, light) from receptor to spinal cord
Motor nerve
Carries output signal from spinal cord to muscle/gland for action
Thinking tissue
Dense network of neurons in the brain (forward end of skull) that processes information slowly
Human Brain
Control and Coordination Short Notes
1. Central Nervous System (CNS)
Composed of: Brain + Spinal cord
Function: Receives and integrates information from all body parts
Not just for reflexes – enables thinking and voluntary actions
2. Voluntary vs. Involuntary Actions
Type
Description
Examples
Voluntary
Based on conscious decision; brain sends messages to muscles
Blood diverted from skin & digestive system → to skeletal muscles
Due to contraction of muscles around small arteries
Breathing rate increases → via diaphragm & rib muscles
Result: Body readies quickly for action (fight or run)
3. Hormones & Controlled Growth
Animals do not grow directionally (like plants toward light)
But growth is carefully controlled:
Fingers grow on hands, not on face
Body design maintained during childhood growth
4. Key Animal Hormones & Functions
Hormone
Gland
Function
Disorder if Imbalanced
Thyroxin
Thyroid
Regulates carb, protein, fat metabolism for balanced growth
Goitre (swollen neck) if iodine deficient
Growth hormone
Pituitary
Controls body growth & development
Dwarfism if deficient in childhood
Testosterone
Testes (males)
Causes puberty changes in males (e.g., voice, body hair)
—
Oestrogen
Ovaries (females)
Causes puberty changes in females (e.g., breast development)
—
Insulin
Pancreas
Regulates blood sugar levels
Diabetes if insufficient → high blood sugar
Iodine in diet → needed for thyroxin synthesis → prevents goitre.
5. Hormone Regulation: Feedback Mechanism
Precise amounts of hormones are crucial
Feedback controls timing & quantity
Example:
High blood sugar → detected by pancreas → more insulin released
Blood sugar drops → insulin secretion reduced
Key Terms – Meaning
Term
Meaning
Endocrine system
System using hormones for control & coordination
Adrenaline
Hormone for emergency response; increases heart rate, breathing, blood flow to muscles
Thyroxin
Hormone regulating metabolism; requires iodine for synthesis
Goitre
Swollen neck due to iodine deficiency affecting thyroid
Growth hormone
Pituitary hormone that regulates body growth
Dwarfism
Condition from childhood growth hormone deficiency
Insulin
Pancreatic hormone that lowers blood sugar
Feedback mechanism
Process that regulates hormone amount based on body’s needs (e.g., insulin ↔ blood sugar)
Conclusion: Control and Coordination Short Notes
In short,
these Control and Coordination Short Notes will help you revise faster, understand concepts better, and stay stress-free before exams. Use them as a quick booster, but always keep your NCERT textbook beside you for final accuracy.
With smart revision and the right guidance, scoring high in this chapter becomes much easier.
