Before starting with Class 6 Science Chapter 6 i.e. ‘The Living Organisms Characteristics and Habitats’, I am hoping that you have completed the 5th chapter. If not, then you can go through its Notes and NCERT Exercise Solutions whose links have been provided below. ⤵️
Table of Content
Introduction
So, let’s start this chapter with something mesmerizing and beautiful.
Let’s go on a virtual tour of our country.
Before that, I have a few instructions for you all:
- Watch the video with your headphones on.
- Along with enjoyment, focus on the scenery, terrains and various plants and animals that you come across.
Now that you are back from the journey. Try to answer this one simple question.
Q: What are the different types of terrains (types of lands), animals, and plants you notice? Prepare a list.
Organisms and The Surroundings Where They Live
In the virtual tour video, we mainly noticed 4 different types of terrains.
1. Plains and Grasslands
- Grasslands & plains are mainly flatland areas.
- The land is quite fertile here.
- Temperature is normal.
- Animals like dogs, cows, buffalos, etc. are found in these areas.
- Plants like mango, sheesham, neem, etc. are found in these areas.
2. Mountains & Hills
- They are the lands that are quite higher than their surroundings.
- Mountains are higher than hills.
- The mountains are cold and windy.
- Plants like oak, pines, deodar, etc. are found in these areas
- Animals like yak, mountain goats, leopards, bears, etc. are found in these areas.
3. Deserts
- Deserts are the barren land because very little rainfall occurs here.
- Plants like cactus, aak or milkweed, etc. are found in these areas.
- Animals like camels, snakes, rats, iguanas, etc. are found in these areas.
4. Seashore and Coastal Regions
- A seashore is where land meets up with the sea.
- The coastal region is the place near the seashore where animals live and plants grow.
- Plants like coconut, banana, etc. are found in these areas.
- Animals like seals, crabs, fish, etc. are found in these areas.
Plants and animals found in all these different terrains are very different.
Habitats & Adaptations
By the way, have you ever wondered why a fish lives in water and a camel on land (desert)?
Well, the answer is quite simple a fish will not survive on land and a camel will not survive in water.
But why?
A fish will not be able to breathe on land because it breathes underwater with the help of gills whereas a camel breathes with its lungs through its nostrils on the land. So they will not get oxygen and will suffocate to death.
These specific features and habits that the organisms (plants and animals) have developed over a long period of time that enable them to live naturally and better in a place or environment are called adaptations.
Let’s delve ourself deeper into this concept by comparing the various adaptations between a fish and a camel that they have developed over a long period of time.
Adaptations in a Camel
- They are found on land mainly in desert regions.
- They use their legs for locomotion.
- Their legs are long which helps them to keep their body away from the heat of the sand.
- They breathe through their nose or nostrils.
- They excrete a small amount of urine and their excreta (dung) is semi-solid and dry.
- They do not sweat. Since camels lose a very small amount of water from their bodies, they can live for many days without water or on a limited supply of water.
Adaptations in a Fish
- They are mainly found in water.
- They mainly use their fins for locomotion.
- They breathe oxygen through their gills.
- They excrete liquid excreta.
- Their bodies are covered with slippery scales that protect them and help them to swim through water.
- They have a very streamlined body as well.
Adaptations in organisms differ depending on the place where they live.
There is this one other term we confuse adaptations with and it is
Acclimatisation includes those small changes that take place in the body of an organism over a short period of time, to overcome small problems due to changes in our surroundings.
For example, If a person from a plain area visits hills and mountains then they find it difficult to breathe at higher altitudes, but after some time their body gets used to the low oxygen at the higher altitudes and they start breathing normally.
Now that we have gotten ourselves acquainted with the concept of adaptations. Let’s explore different places where organisms live and thrive.
But before that,
Have you read this poem from your English Textbook?
What is a house?
It’s brick and stone
and wood that’s hard.
Some window glass
and perhaps a yard.
It’s eaves and chimneys
and tile floors
and stucco and roof
and lots of doors.
What is a home?
It’s loving and family
and doing for others.
It’s brothers and sisters
and fathers and mothers.
It’s unselfish acts
and kindly sharing
and showing your loved ones
you’re always caring.
By: LORRAINE M. HALLI
A terrain is like a house meaning it only consists of non-living things like water, air, caves, stones, ice, etc. depending upon the type of terrain it is.
A habitat is like a home meaning it is a a place where all the basic needs of an animal or a plant are met i.e. food, shelter, water, air, love and care, etc.
Types of Habitats
There are only two types of habitats in which organisms live.
- Terrestrial habitat
- Aquatic habitat
Terrestrial Habitats
Terrestrial habitats are the places on land where animals live.
Some of the most common terrestrial habitats are:
- Forests
- Desert
- Grassland
- Coastal region
- Mountains
Aquatic Habitats
Aquatic habitats are the places in/of water where animals live.
Some of the most common aquatic habitats are:
- Oceans and Seas
- Rivers
- Ponds
- Lakes
- Swamps
- Puddles
All the living organisms and their interactions among themselves and with different components of a habitat form an ecosystem.
Organisms (both plants and animals) form up the biotic components of an ecosystem.
Whereas, non-living things like water, air, stones, land, sky, soil, etc. form the abiotic component of an ecosystem.
Effect of Abiotic Factors on the Seed Germination
The turning of a seed into a sprout is known as seed germination.
We will understand the effect of abiotic factors like temperature, air, water and light on seed germination by a small activity.
Activity to Understand the Effect of Abiotic Factors on Seed Germination
- Take 25 healthy moong seeds.
- Divide them into 5 different groups with each group containing 5 seeds and name them ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ and ‘E’.
- Now put group ‘A’ seeds into a bowl and keep them in a dry place.
- Put group ‘B’ seeds into a bowl and fill it to the top completely submerging (drowning) the seeds and keeping them somewhere safe.
- Put group ‘C’ seeds into a bowl, soak them with wet cotton and keep them in a sunny room.
- Put group ‘D’ seeds into a bowl, soak them with wet cotton and keep them in a dark room.
- Put group ‘E’ seeds into a bowl, soak them with wet cotton and keep them in a refrigerator.
- Observe your seeds after 5 days.
Observations & Inferences (Can be different*)
- Group ‘A’ seeds will not germinate.
- Some of group ‘B’ seeds will germinate.
- Germination of seeds will be best in group ‘C’ seeds.
- Group ‘D’ seeds will germinate but their sproutal growth will be very low.
- Hardly any seed will germinate from Group ‘E’.
A Journey Through Different Habitats
In this part of the chapter, we will travel through various habitats and will get ourselves familiarised with the common flora (plants) and fauna (animals) that are found in these habitats along with their adaptations.
Exploring Some Terrestrial Habitats
We are going to explore three different terrestrial habitats i.e. deserts, mountains and grasslands.
1. Deserts
Desert Animals
- Other than camels some other animals like rats and snakes are also found in deserts.
- They don’t have long legs like camel, so to prevent themselves from the heat of the day, they live in deep burrows and only come out during the night time.
Desert Plants
- Plants like cactus, aak, etc. are found in deserts.
- They either don’t have leaves or their leaves have transformed into thorns or there is a waxy deposition on their leaves to prevent the transpirational loss because water is already scarce in deserts.
- In cactus, the leaf-like structure is actually its stem and it performs photosynthesis.
- Most desert plants have a very strong root system that runs very deep underground for water.
2. Mountains
These habitats are normally very cold and windy and in some areas, snowfall may take place in winter.
Mountain Animals
- Animals have thick skin or fur to protect them from cold.
- Yaks have long hairs to keep them warm.
- The snow leopard has thick fur on its body to protect it from cold.
- Mountain goats have strong hooves for running up the rocky slopes of the mountains.
Mountain Plants
- Trees are mainly cone-shaped and have sloping branches.
- The leaves of some of these trees are needle-like which helps the rainwater and snow to easily slide off.
3. Grasslands
As the name suggests grasslands are the lands covered in grass.
Lion (The Predator)
- A lion can live in a grassland or a forest.
- They are light brown in colour and their colour helps them to hide efficiently in grass while hunting for a deer.
- Lions have their eyes in front of their face allowing them to have an accurate idea about the location of the prey.
- They have long claws in their front legs that are retractable.
- They can run really fast.
Deer (The Prey)
- They have strong teeth for chewing the hard part of the trees.
- They have long ears so that they can hear the predator’s movements in their surroundings.
- Their eyes are present on the side of their head allowing them to look in all directions for predators.
- Their legs are quite strong as well, they can run really fast.
Exploring Some Aquatic Habitats
We are going to explore three different aquatic habitats i.e. oceans, ponds and lakes in this section.
1. Oceans
These habitats are mainly composed of salty water.
Ocean Animals
- Most of the animals have a streamlined body.
- Some animals like squids and octopuses don’t have streamlined bodies and they live near the seabed (at the bottom of the sea). But when they move in water they make their body shape streamlined.
- Most of the sea animals have gills to breathe underwater.
- But some animals like dolphins and whales don’t have gills instead, they breathe through nostrils or blowholes that are located in the upper part of the head.
- They breathe oxygen from the air when they swim near the surface of the ocean. They can stay in water for long durations without breathing.
2. Ponds and Lakes
These habitats may be composed of salty water or fresh water (soft water).
Plants Found in Ponds and Lakes
- Some aquatic plants float on water and some have their roots fixed in the soil at the bottom.
- Some aquatic plants are submerged (completely underwater) and some aquatic plants may grow out of the surface (stems grow up to the surface of the water while the leaves and flowers, float on the surface of the water).
- Roots are reduced in size and their main function is to hold the plant in one place.
- Stems of these plants are light, hollow and long.
- Leaves of aquatic plants are narrow and thin ribbon-like so that they can bend in flowing water.
- Broad leaves are highly divided and form net-like leaves so that water can easily flow through them.
Animals Found in Ponds and Lakes
- Animals like small fishes, frogs, etc. live in ponds.
- Frogs are amphibians meaning they can live both on land and underwater.
- They have strong hind (back) legs that help them jump and catch their prey.
- They have webbed feet that help them to swim in water.
Characteristics of Organisms
Before proceeding further into the topic I have a small task for you all to do.
Prepare a list of objects, animals and plants that you can observe in your home.
- Some of the common objects that maybe present in your home can be a table, a chair, a lightbulb, walls, pens, pencils, flowerpots, books, notebooks, a phone, earphones, etc.
- Some of the common animals that maybe present in your home can be you (human beings), dogs, cats, buffalos, cows, lizards, snakes, butterflies, mosquitoes, etc.
- Some of the common plants that maybe present in your home can be money plants, neem, mulberry, mango, tulsi, etc.
So, which of these are living?
We know objects like walls, pens, pencils, books, etc. are not living whereas animals and plants are living.
But, what makes something or someone living?
Characteristics of Living Organism
When we are talking about the characteristics of living organisms then we are talking about those special traits that are possessed by the majority of living beings with a few exceptions and some of these characteristics can be possessed by some non-living things as well but NOT ALL OF THEM.
1. Living Organisms Need Food or Energy
Food gives us the energy to work and function properly and without it, we all will die.
So all living beings need food or energy.
Exceptions: Cars and other appliances also need energy to work.
2. Living Organism Grow (in Size)
We all have seen plants growing from a seed to hundreds of feet tall.
We have also grown with time as well. We were little when we were children and now we are taller.
Exceptions Clouds can also grow in size, and mountains and sand dunes also grow in size as well. Some people and some animals don’t grow in size.
3. Living Organism Breathe and Respire
Breathing means the inhaling and exhaling of the gases or the exchange of gases by an organism. e.g. we breathe through our nostrils, earthworms breathe through their skins and fishes through their gills, etc.
Whereas respiration means the conversion of food into energy with the help of the gas(es) that were breathed in by the living organism.
Plants exchange gases through very tiny pores in their leaves known as stomatas.
Plant seeds also respire even when they haven’t germinated yet. You can test this by putting your hands in a sack filled with rice or wheat grains and you will find that they are a bit warmer inside, well that heat is produced due to respiration by the dormant seeds.
All living organisms respire.
4. Living Organisms Respond to Stimuli
What if your friend suddenly puts ice cube on your neck? What will your response be?
Of course, you will suddenly move your neck in a jerk to remove the ice.
Well, these kind of changes in our surroundings that makes us respond to them are called stimuli.
There is a vast array of stimuli-response shown by the animals and plants. Like, you start to salivate just by thinking of your favourite food, Mimosa pudica or touch-me-not (chhui mui) plant leaves fold when someone touches them, Plants stem and branches grow towards the sunlight etc.
5. Living Organism Excretes
As we have learned all living organisms need food for their survival and not all the food that is eaten is completely used. So, the part of the food that was not used by an organism’s body is excreted out.
The process of getting rid of wastes by organisms is known as excretion.
Plants also excrete. They either store their waste or excrete them out as secretions e.g. gum and plant latex are actually plant wastes.
All living organisms excrete.
6. Living Organisms Reproduces
Reproduction is a process by which living organisms (parents) produce living organisms (children) like themselves.
For example, human beings give birth to children, birds lay eggs, and plants produce seeds.
(parents and their child)
Other than seeds plants can reproduce through other parts like roots, stems, leaves etc.
e.g. a cutting from a rose plant when planted in soil or water can grow into another rose plant, etc.
Exceptions: infertile beings like mules can’t reproduce.
7. Living Organisms Show Movements
Most living organisms show movements of some sort, some can locomote like animals including humans and some can’t locomote like plants.
But plants also show various kinds of movements like the blooming of flowers, the movement of roots underground towards water, the movement of plant stem towards sunlight etc.
Exceptions: some non-living things like cars and other vehicles can also move from one place to another.
8. Living Organisms Die
All living organisms die one day when all their bodily processes stop.
Some living organisms may have a lifespan of just a few hours to thousands of years but ultimately every living entity dies.
Conclusion
So, what is life then?
There are various perspectives to look upon life but the comprehensive one is that ‘Life is Beautiful‘. Being born on this planet in the whole known universe that has suitable conditions to bear life. Being able to breathe, think, cry, laugh, run, smile, love, create, dream, aspire, change, appreciate nature and its beauty, etc. makes it worth it.
We should embrace this life and make it a meaningful one.
Bonus Video:
References & Credits
- Class 6 Science NCERT Textbook
- Image by Aritha from Pixabay
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