C06_Science_11.

Habitats of Organisms

1. What do you mean by the environment?

Everything which surrounds a living organism is called its environment. It includes all the factors
affecting the growth, development and survival of the particular organism.

2. What are the abiotic components of the environment?

An abiotic environment is made of soil, water, air, light as well as climatic factors such as
temperature, rainfall, humidity and wind speed.

3. What are the biotic components of the environment?

All living things including plants, animals and microorganisms are the biological or biotic
environment.

4. What are producers?

Producers are organisms that can make their own food. They are also called autotrophs since they
make their own food.

5. What are heterotrophs?

Living organisms which cannot prepare their own food and have to depend on the autotrophs are
called heterotrophs. For example, all animals depend on plants for their food either directly or
indirectly.

6. Distinguish between producers, primary consumers and secondary consumers.

Plants make their own food and are called producers. All animals depend on plants for food, as
they cannot make their own food. So, they are called consumers. Animals such as cow and goat eat
plants as their food and are called primary consumers. Animals such as lion and wolf eat other
animals such as cow and goat (primary consumers) as food and are thus called the secondary
consumers.

7. What are scavengers?

Animals that consume the dead bodies of other animals are called scavengers.
For example: jackals, crows and vultures.

8. What are decomposers?

Decomposers are organisms that help to break down or decompose dead materials. For example:
bacteria and fungi.

9. How are decomposers useful to us?

When plant or animals die, part of their body is eaten by scavengers like vultures, crows and so on.
The uneaten parts are acted upon by microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria known as
decomposers. The decomposers break down or decompose the dead materials into nutrients and
help to return the nutrients to the soil. These nutrients are absorbed by plants again to make food.

10. What is a habitat?

The area/environment where an organism lives is called its habitat.

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11. Name the two types of aquatic habitats?
The two kinds of aquatic habitats are the marine and the freshwater habitats.

12. What are marine organisms?

The organisms living in the marine habitats (oceans, coral reefs and estuaries) are known as marine
organisms. For example: whales, dolphins, octopuses, sea turtles etc.

13. What are freshwater organisms?

The organisms living in the freshwater habitats (rivers, ponds, lakes, streams) are known as
freshwater organisms. For example: water hyacinth, water bugs, fish, frogs etc.

14. What are hydrophytes?

Hydrophytes are plants which live water. These plants can either be submerged in water (hydrilla)
or floating (lotus) on the surface of the water.

15. List the adaptations seen in aquatic plants.

Aquatic plants: Plants that grow in water are called hydrophytes. They either float on water (For
example, lotus and water lily) or live under water (For example, hydrilla). They show the following
adaptations:
a. They have specialized roots to take in oxygen and keep them in place.
b. They have hollow stems with air sacs to help flotation.
c. Plants like lotus and lily have large flat floating leaves with a waxy surface making them
waterproof. The stomata are present on the upper surface enabling exchange of gases.
d. The hydrilla has thin, narrow leaves which do not get torn by the flowing water

16. List the adaptations seen in aquatic animals.

Animals living in or near water are called aquatic animals. They show the following adaptations for
moving and breathing in water.
a. Fish have a streamlined body covered with scales that help them to move in water. The fins and
tail help in movement. The air bladders help them float in water.
b. Whales and dolphins use flippers and their tail for swimming.
c. Frogs and many water birds have webbed feet to swim in the water.
d. Fish have gills, which they use to take in dissolved oxygen
e. Whales and dolphins have lungs and breathe through a blowhole on top of the head. They come
to the surface of the water to breathe.
f. Frogs have moist skin to breathe in water.

17. How is a camel adapted to live in its habitat?

A camel is adapted to live in hot and dry conditions.
a. It can drink more than 100 litres of water. This water is stored in the body and thus it can go
without water for several days.
b. It can store fat in the hump, which serves as a food store. Hence, it can go without food for a
long time.
c. The body of a camel can tolerate high temperature.
d. Its feet have leathery soles for walking in the soft sand.

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 e. As a protection from sandstorms, it can close its nostrils and has thick long eye lashes to protect
the eyes from sands.

18. What are xerophytes?

Deserts plants such as cacti, acacia and mesquite bushes are adapted to live in hot and dry deserts.
These plants are known as xerophytes. (Xero-dry; phytes-plants)

19. Describe the adaptations of plants in the desert habitat.

a. Most plants have long roots that either spread out far, or penetrate deep into the soil in search of
water.
b. Many plant such as cacti are called succulents since they have fleshy stems to store food and
water.
c. In cacti, the leaves are reduced to spines to prevent loss of water. Photosynthesis occurs in the
green stem.
d. To reduce water loss, some plants have either fewer stomata, or stomata that are open only at
night when it is cooler.

20. How do air bladders help fish?

Air bladders help the fish to float in the water.

21. How do some desert toads protect themselves from the heat?
Some desert toads seal themselves in burrows and sleep for eight to nine months until a heavy rain
occurs.

22. What are nocturnal animals?

Animals that are active only in the night are referred to as nocturnal animals.

23. How are the spots of a jaguar useful?

Jaguars have spots on their bodies. This makes it hard for their prey to see them among the
speckled shadows of the rainforest.

24. What are aquatic animals? How is a fish adapted to live in water?
Animals that live in water are called aquatic animals.
Fish have the following adaptation to live in water-
a. Special organs called gills to breathe in water.
b. Streamlined bodies with scales that make it easier for them to move in water.
c. Fins and a tail to help them to swim.
d. Air bladders to help them float in water.

25. Describe the adaptations seen in animals that live on mountains.

Animals living on mountains:
a. have thick fur on their body like snow leopard or long hair like yak to protect themselves from
cold.
b. have strong hooves to walk on the rocky slopes (musk deer)
c. are adapted to breed and raise their young ones quickly in the summer.
d. migrate or hibernate to escape from the harsh conditions.

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26. Write about the adaptations shown by tundra animals.
Most of the animals that live in tundra have thick fur to protect themselves from the cold. Penguins
have feathers and thick layer of fat under the skin called blubber to keep themselves warm. Polar
bears have thick fur and stored fat to keep warm. The arctic fox has a white coat in winter and
brown coat in summer. This helps them to escape from enemies. Many birds migrate to warmer
areas during winter.

27. What are the features of tropical rainforests?

a. The vegetation is dense because of the warm climate and heavy rainfall.
b. Tall trees with heavy foliage allow very little light to reach the lower levels.
c. Tropical rainforests support a greater number and variety of animals than any other habitat.
d. The leaves on the trees have grooves and special tips called drip tips to allow water to drip
easily. Therefore, water does not collect on the leaves.
e. Plants growing at the lower levels do not get much light so their leaves are large to help them
absorb as much sunlight as possible.

28. Write a short note on the kinds of adaptations seen in animals in grassland.
Grasslands do not provide too many options to hide from a predator because grassland habitats
have tall grasses with few trees. So animals like deer and antelopes have the ability to run fast to
escape from predators. Their eyes are on either side of their heads enabling them look all around for
the predators. They have strong teeth to chew plants and long ears to hear the movement of
predators. Animals like lions have adaptations to help them hunt better. They are light brown in
colour and hence can camouflage in the dry grass. Their strong claws can be withdrawn inside their
toes helping them stalk their prey without making a sound. Their eyes are in front of their faces,
helping them to correctly judge the location of the prey.

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