Chapter 6: The Living Organisms and Their Surroundings

The place where organisms live is called the habitat. Habitat means a dwelling place (a home). The habitat provides food, water, air, shelter and other needs to organisms.

Adaptations of a cactus are as follows:

• The leaf is replaced by the spine to reduce transpiration
• Stems carry out photosynthesis
• A thick waxy layer surrounds the leaf to retain water
• The roots of a cactus are deeply rooted inside the soil to absorb water

(a) The presence of specific features, which enable a plant or an animal to live in a particular habitat, is called adaptation.

(b) The habitats of the plants and animals that live on land are called terrestrial habitats.

(c) The habitats of plants and animals that live in water are called aquatic habitats.

(d) Soil, water and air are the abiotic factors of a habitat.

(e) Changes in our surroundings that make us respond to them are called stimuli.

Plough, sewing machine, radio and boat are nonliving things

Example: car

Features

• It can move like living beings
• It needs energy to do work

Butter, Leather, wool, cooking oil, apple and rubber were once part of a living thing.

Common characteristics of living things are as follows:

i) Respiration

ii) Food intake

iii) Respond to stimuli

iv) Excretion

v) Movement

vi) Reproduction

vii) Grow and die

Speed is important for survival in the grasslands for animals to avoid predation from their predators. For example, a tiger eats deer; to survive, the deer has to run faster than the tiger.

• Organisms and the surroundings where they live
• Habitat and adaptation
• A journey through different habitats
• Some aquatic habitats
• Characteristics of organisms
• Living organisms and excretion

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