Living Things and Their Environment

Environment And Its Types

Environment

When we talk about our environment, we mean every thing around us which can affect our lives. It includes air, water, sunlight, plants and animals. Plants and animals are its living components. Air, sunlight, soil and water are its non-living components

Types of Environment

Living organisms have their specific environment. They live in their own environment and get all the needs of life from it. There are various type of environments such as oceans, forests, deserts, ponds, urban and rural environment. Organisms show adaptations according to their particular environment. This means that these organisms possess certain features that help them in living successfully and comfortably in that environment.

Living Things and Their Environment

Adaptation Of Animals
Effects of Organisms upon one another

Many kinds of organisms live together in an environment. They influence the lives of one another. Sometimes one organism harms the other. On the other hand, they may be mutually beneficial. We can say that they are essential for one another. All the living things are well adapted to their environment. The bodies of water animals suit them well to move in water without much resistance. The boat-shaped body of a fish helps it swim in water easily. On contrary, the land animals like dogs, goats, lions and monkeys, etc. have bodies suitable to live on land (Figure 4.1).

The animals living on land breathe through lungs while the animals living in water like fish, breathe through gills.

The bodies of the birds are smaller in size with hollow bones. The muscles of their trunk and wings are very strong which help them in flying. The animals like toads, frogs and salamanders that live in water as well as on land are called amphibians (Figure 4.2).

In water, they respire through skin and on land, they respire by lungs.

Living Things and Their Environment

Eating Habits of Animals

Living things in an environment need different amounts of food to meet their energy needs. Green plants make their own food. They make more food than they need. Animals cannot make their own food. They eat different kinds of food. Animals that eat only plants are called herbivores. Caterpillar, goat, rabbit, horse and elephant are herbivores (Figure 4.3). Can you name some more herbivores?

Some animals eat other animals. They are called carnivores. Lion, tigers and eagles are carnivores (Figure 4.4). Can you name some more carnivores?

Some animals eat both plants and animals. They are called omnivores. Bears, monkeys and human beings are examples of omnivores (Figure 4.5).

Look carefully at the pictures (Figure 4.6) and write name of each animal in the correct group.

Living Things and Their Environment

Producers, Consumers and Decomposers

 Producers

Plants prepare food for themselves and for all other organisms. That is why they are called producers. Plants produce various types of food which include fats, carbohydrates and proteins. All vegetation including herbs, shrubs and trees are producers. Algae are another example of producers. Algae float on water surface and are a major source of food for water animals

Consumers

Animals cannot prepare their food themselves. Some get their food from plants. All such animals which depend on plants directly or indirectly for their food are called consumers (Figure 4.7)

Decomposers

You have studied about bacteria and fungi (Figure 4.8). What type of food is consumed by these organisms? They decompose (break down) the dead bodies of animals and plants into simple components and mix them in the soil for reuse by the plants for preparing food. They are thus, called decomposers. During this activity, they get their food

Living Things and Their Environment

FOOD CHAIN

Organisms also depend upon one another for food. An animal feeds on plants or animals and is itself eaten by some other animal. A third animal consumes the second animal and so on. For example, a rat eats seeds of plants. The rat is eaten by a snake and the snake is hunted by an owl (Figure 4.9).

This relationship or series of eating and being eaten among organisms is called a food chain.