Environment

Animal Habitats

All organisms need a place to live. The place that an organism inhabits is called a habitat.
A habitat provides the organisms that live there with all the things they need to stay
alive.

The frog below, for example, lives in a pond habitat. The pond provides the frog with air,
food and water it needs to stay alive. It also provides the frog with protection from other
animals and a safe place to reproduce and care for its young.

A tropical rainforest habitat

A rainforest that receives a high rainfall and grows in a tropical region is called a tropical
rain forest. These forests are found near the Equator, which is an imaginary line
encircling the globe dividing the northern and southern hemispheres. Typically, a
rainforest is wet and warm.

Since tropical rainforests receive lots of rainfall all year round, these forests are suitable
habitats for a great diversity of organisms. You can find different kinds of plants in the
rainforests. These plants provide food and shelter for all kinds of animals. It is said that
more than half of the world’s animals have the rainforest as their home. Vampire bats,
anacondas, Bengal tigers, orangutans, chimpanzees, and a lot of smaller animals
including dragonflies, tree frogs, and at least hundreds of species of ants live in different
rainforests of the world.
A pond habitat

A pond habitat contains water all year round. A great variety of plants and animals
depend on this water to stay alive. A pond habitat contains many different kinds of
plants such as the water lily, duckweed and water hyacinth.

A pond habitat also contains many different kinds of animals such as fish, frogs,
dragonflies and water boatmen. The pond provides these animals with a safe place to
reproduce and care for their young.

A field habitat

A field habitat has many different kinds of plants and animals. Common plants include
grasses such as love grass and clovers. Common animals in a field habitat include insects
such as grasshoppers, beetles, bees and butterflies.

Other animals such as worms, ants and termites can be found in the soil.
A tropical coral leaf habitat

There are many different kinds of habitats in the ocean. A tropical coral reef habitat can
be found in shallow, warm water.

Many different kinds of fish, such as clownfish, butterfly fish and eels live in a tropical
coral reef habitat. There are also larger fish such as sharks and stingrays.

Many different kinds of animals without backbones also live in a tropical coral reef.
There are lobsters, giant clams, squids and cuttlefish.

A desert habitat

Deserts are places that are very dry since they do not get much rain. They can be either
very hot places, or very cold places.

Animals that live in the desert are adapted to conserve water and keep their body
temperature at the right level. Both plants and animals have thus adapted to be able to
live in the desert. Below given are some animals and plants that are typically found in
the desert habitat.

Cactii
Brittle Bushes

Arabian Sand Gazelle

A mountain habitat is a living environment that is higher than the flat lands. There is not
much soil on mountain tops since it is mostly rock. Coniferous trees such as pines and
spruces are typically found on cold mountains. Animals that live in mountain habitats
include black bear, mountain goats, wolves and elk.

Mountains typically are cold, and at the very top of tall mountains, it gets very cold. At
the top of very high mountains such as Mount Everest, plants cannot live.

Ocean habitat
An ocean habitat is any sea or ocean. These water bodies contain salt water and there
are many plants and animals living in this salt water. The ocean habitat is the biggest
habitat on earth, as it covers about 70% of the surface of our planet. The temperatures
in the oceans vary greatly - from freezing temperatures at the poles to tropical
temperatures closer to the equator. The temperature also varies depending on how
deep the ocean is. It is generally warmer closer to the surface.

Some animals that live in the ocean, such as the zooplankton, are so small that you need
to view through a microscope to see them! There are big fish in oceans too, such as the
great white sharks and the blue whale. Tiny algae called phytoplankton and bigger algae
like seaweed and kelp also grow in the ocean and provide food and shelter for marine
animals.
 Animal Adaptations
All organisms have special characteristics that help them to live in their habitat. These
characteristics are called adaptations.

For example, the cheetah’s yellow fur with black spots helps it to hide from other
animals. Its powerful leg muscles help it to run very fast. A strong jaw and large canines
help the cheetah to kill and eat other animals. Its long tail helps it to balance and change
direction quickly when running.

Adaptations for protection

Many animals have special features to prevent them from being eaten. The porcupine
fish has a body covered with spines. When in danger, the porcupine fish bloats up to
show its spines. This makes it look bigger and scares the animal away.

Another way that animals can avoid being eaten by predators is to hide. Clownfish, for
example, lie in sea anemones. When a predator is near, they hide in the anemones for
safety. Sea anemones have tentacles that contain poison. However, clownfish are not
harmed by the poison.

Many animals move about in large groups. Some fish, for example swim together in
shoals. When danger approaches, the fish move in different directions. This confuses the
animal and makes it difficult for the animal to focus on a single fish.

Some animals such as the leafy sea dragon and the stonefish are able to hide from
predators by blending in with their surroundings. This type of adaptation is called
camouflage.

Getting food

Animals have adaptations to get the food they need to stay alive. Many animals have
special mouth parts. The woodpecker’s short strong beak helps it to feed on insects
hiding in the bark of trees. The hummingbird’s long thin beak helps it to reach the nectar
deep inside flowers.

The chameleon has a long tongue with a sticky tip. It uses its tongue to catch insects.
Some animals such as snakes and spiders have venom that can be used to paralyze or kill
other animals. The king cobra has a very strong venom. It can inject large amounts of
venom into its prey. This allows the king cobra to kill large prey very quickly.
An eagle has sharp claws that help it to catch and kill other animals. The heart and lungs
are so efficient that eagles can get enough oxygen to fly even at high altitudes in search
of food.

Surviving in the cold

Some plants and animals have adaptations that help them to live in very cold
environments. Some plants survive the winter by shedding their leaves. The leaves grow
back in the warmer months of spring and summer.

The polar bear is adapted to live in extreme cold. It is covered by fur, even on the bottom
of their paws. Moreover, the bear’s full white coat provides camouflage in the snow and
ice. But under the fur of the polar bear, they have black skin, which helps them to soak
in the warming rays of the sun.

How are penguins adapted to the cold? The penguins of Antarctica survive the cold by
sharing body heat. Parents huddle together with their chicks to keep warm. Even adult
penguins huddle together to keep warm. Furthermore, their tightly packed feathers and
thick pad of fat provide protection from the cold.

Surviving the heights

The farther up a mountain one climbs, the colder it gets. The animals living there are
well-adapted to the cold. For example, the red panda in Asia’s Himalaya regions grows a
thick coat. Sometimes the fur coat is for protection. Snowshoe hares in the mountains of
North America have snow-white coats that help them camouflage to hide from
predators.

Grizzly bears and hoary marmots hibernate, which means that they hide out in dens and
rest, to survive the cold winters of the mountains of North America. They do this to
conserve energy when food is hard to find.

Animals in water

Animals living in water (aquatic habitat) have adapted by developing new structures as
well as modifying existing structures. They have their bodies streamlined to help
minimize water resistance. Fishes have gills as respiratory organs. Air-breathing animals
such as whales and dolphins living in water have nostrils located near the top of the
head so that it is easy to go to the surface to inhale air just by exposing the top of the
head over water. Fishes have scales that make their body slippery so as to escape from
enemies, and also to protect the soft internal organs. Some aquatic animals such as
turtles have developed fin-like organs called paddles for swimming.

Plant Systems
The two main systems in plants are the root system and the shoot system. Each system
helps the plant in different ways. The root system usually refers to the organs that grow
below the soil, whilst the shoot system refers to the organs that grow above the ground.
A plant needs these two systems to work alongside each other in order to be alive and
healthy. For example, the root system allows the plant to take water and nutrients from
the soil, but the shoot system allows these to move to other parts of the plant like the
leaves. Let us look at these two systems in detail.

The root system

The root system has two parts – the roots and root hairs. The roots of a plant usually
grow downwards into the soil. The root system helps the plant in two main ways:

 It helps to hold the plant in the soil.

 It helps to take in water and minerals from the soil and carry them to other parts
of the plant.

Though the majority of plants have their roots underground, some plants have roots
that develop from the shoot above the soil.

Types of roots

The tap root and the fibrous root are the two main types of roots in plants. Some plants
such as grass and the African Violet have roots that branch out in all directions. They are
called fibrous roots. Other plants, such as carrots and dandelions, have one main root
with smaller side roots. They are called tap roots.

The shoot system

The shoot system has four parts – the stem, leaves, flowers and fruits. The stem of a
plant usually grows upwards.

Stem

The stem joins the roots to the upper parts of the plant. It holds up the leaves so they
can absorb sunlight. It also carries water and minerals from the roots to all parts of the
plant. Moreover, it carries food from the leaves to all parts of the plant. The stem is able
to do this because inside the stem are tubes that carry water and food to the other parts
of the plant. Stems of plants can be a few millimetres long or hundreds of metres long.
Their diameter differs depending on the plant variety.
Leaves

Most leaves are green in colour. They come in different shapes and sizes. Green leaves
make food for the plant using water, carbon dioxide and energy from sunlight. This
process is called photosynthesis. Most leaves are green in colour because of the
presence of a pigment called chlorophyll.

Leaves have functions other than making food for the plant. It is through the leaves that
the plant loses water. In this way, the plant is able to regulate its temperature and
absorb more water from the bottom of the root. Though the leaf is part of the shoot
system it works only if the root system carries out its role.

Flowers

Flowers come in many different shapes, sizes and colours. Although they look different,
they have similar parts. The stamen, the male part of the flower, has a filament and an
anther. The anther makes pollen which is used in reproduction. The female part of the
flower, the pistil, has a stigma, a style, an ovary and ovules. The ovules become seeds.

Plant reproductive organs, the stamen and the pistil, are both present in the flowers of
plants. The majority of plants have both male and female sexual organs in the same
flower, but some plants have some flowers that are completely female and other flowers
that are completely male.

Fruits and seeds

When flowering plants reproduce, the petals dry up and drop off. The ovary changes into
a fruit. The ovules become the seeds. Fruits come in a range of different shapes, sizes
and colours. Many fruits have the same basic parts. They have a stalk, sepals, a fruit wall
and seeds.

Some fruits contain only one seed. They are called one-seeded fruits. Other fruits
contain many seeds. They are called multi-seeded fruits. Examples of one-seeded fruits
include mangoes and avocadoes. Examples of multi-seeded fruits include papaya and
beans.

Fruits can be fleshy or dry. Fleshy fruits have soft and juicy fruit walls. They usually
contain a lot of water. Dry fruits have dry fruit walls and do not contain much water.
Some types of fruit such as papayas, oranges and mangosteens can be eaten by people.
These fruits are called edible fruits. Other types of fruits that cannot be eaten by people
are called inedible fruits.