NCERT Solutions Class 6th Science Chapter – 6 The Living Organisms Characteristics and Habitats Notes In this Chapter We Will read about Aquatic habitat, Terrestrial habitat, Mountain, Nutrition, Cell, Cellular Structure, Autotrophs, Breathing, Desert plants, Stimulus, Movement and Phytoplanktons etc. and More much. you have provided easy notes which use in your study make progress in education.
NCERT Solutions Class 6th Science Chapter – 6 The Living Organisms Characteristics and Habitats
Chapter – 6
The Living Organisms Characteristics and Habitats
Notes
Aquatic habitat
When organisms live in water, this place of living is known as aquatic habitat.
Ponds, lakes, rivers, oceans, etc., are examples of aquatic habitats.
Water is a medium in aquatic habitats.
Terrestrial habitat
When organisms live on land, this place of living is known as terrestrial habitat.
Forests, deserts, orchards, tea gardens and mountains are examples of terrestrial habitats.
Air is the medium in terrestrial habitats.
Mountain
The mountain is a special terrestrial habitat where the temperature is very low and most of the areas are covered with snow.
The plants like grasses, mosses and lichens and animals like snow bears, foxes, waterfowl, musk deer and wolf are found commonly in this habitat.
Several kinds of plants and animals may share the same habitat.
Adaptation – The change of specific features and habits, which enables a plant or an animal to live in a particular habitat is called adaptation.
Components of a habitat
Light
• The sunlight is essential for the survival of the biotic components as the sun is the ultimate source of energy for all living things.
• The sunlight affects growth, flowering, seed germination and in many other ways in plants. Indoor plants put in the shade for a long time grow faster but become delicate and weak.
• Light also affects animals. Animals living in caves and burrows where sunlight cannot reach have very much reduced eyes e.g., Proteus. Amblyopia do not have eyes.
Nocturnal animals – Some animals like bats, cockroaches and owls are called nocturnal as they are active during the night.
Temperature
• Temperature regulates growth, movement, reproduction, morphology and other aspects of life.
• Animals living in hot areas e.g., snakes, desert rats and lizards are not able to get sufficient water. They have thick skin and do not sweat.
• Desert animals e.g., camels have long legs. Long legs help them to lift their body above the ground. Thus, they are able to avoid direct contact with the hot ground.
Water – All living organisms need water for their survival.
Aquatic plants – These have the following adaptations:
Root system is poorly developed.
Air filled cavities found inside the body make them spongy and buoyant.
Leaves in submerged plants are thin and narrow; while in floating plants, they are big and flat with waxy coating.
Desert plants – These have the following adaptations:
Well-developed root systems.
The stem is succulent and spongy which helps in the storage of water. It is also green and performs photosynthesis.
Stomata (sunken) are less in number.
Leaves are either very small or converted into spines.
Fish – It has the following adaptation:
• Tapering ends. • Slippery scales help in swimming. • Gills for respiration.
Phytoplanktons – These are floating plants, in aquatic habitats.
Zooplankton – These are small animals floating on the surface of aquatic habitats.
Interaction of biotic and abiotic components – Organisms do not live in isolation but are interdependent.
Living things – These are the objects which need water, air and nutrients for their survival.
Non-living things – These are the objects which do not need water, air and nutrients for their survival.
Cell – It is the basic structural and functional unit of the living things. The structure of a cell can be seen in the peel of an onion bulb or from the lower surface of a leaf under a magnifying glass or a microscope.
Life – It is a process seen only in living objects in the form of growth, movement, feeding or eating, sensitivity, respiration, excretion and reproduction.
Characteristics of the living things – All living things on this earth possess certain basic characteristics. These include the following:
Growth – It is defined as the permanent irreversible increase in the size and total weight of the living object.
Animals grow for a certain period.
In the case of trees, growth takes place throughout life.
Growth in plants and animals is influenced by several factors like food, climate, lifestyle, etc.
Life Span – Each animal lives for a certain period. This period is referred to as a life span.
Movement – Change in the position from one place to other is called movement.
Locomotion – The movement involving a change of place in animals is called locomotion.
Animals use wings (bird), fins (fish), and limbs (cow, horse, buffalo, man) for locomotion.
Plants generally show movements of various parts, e.g., flower buds open, roots grow away from light, and when we touch the leaves of mimosa (touch me not), they shrivel up.
Cellular Structure
Cells constitute plants and animal bodies.
Cells are organised in various ways in different organisms.
They help in carrying out various functions like nutrition, respiration, etc.
They are called the structural and functional units of all living organisms.
Nutrition – The process of taking food by organisms is generally referred to as nutrition or nourishment.
Food and water are essential for life.
Food provides energy that helps in the growth of the body and its repair.
Autotrophs – They are the living forms that can synthesize their own food by photosynthesis, e.g., green plants.
Heterotrophs – They are living organisms that cannot manufacture their own food, e.g., all animals.
Saprophytes – The living organisms which obtain their nutrition from the dead plants and animals are called saprophytes.
Parasites – The plants and animals that feed on the other living bodies are called parasites.
Respiration – Respiration is a process in which oxygen taken by an organism combines with reserved food, undergoes oxidation and releases energy.
Breathing – Taking in air and releasing it in animals is referred to as breathing. We inhale oxygen (O2) and exhale carbon dioxide (CO2).
Excretion
The removal of excretory waste from the body of a living being is called excretion.
The process of removal of wastes in plants is referred to as secretion.
Latex, resin and gum are wastes for the plant but useful for us.
Response to Stimuli – Living beings respond to changes in their surroundings.
Stimuli – The factors like food, water, light, touch, gravitational force, etc., are stimuli (stimulus) to which plants and animals respond.
Reproduction
The process of a living being producing of its own kind is called reproduction.
Life produces life.
Plants reproduce through seeds. Some plants also reproduce through vegetative parts.
Keywords
Adaptation – The change in specific features and habits which enable a plant or an animal to live in a particular habitat is called adaptation.
Aquatic habitat – When organisms live in water, their place of living is known as the aquatic habitat.
Biotic component – Living things of habitat form its biotic component.
Excretion – The removal of nitrogenous waste substances from the body of a living being is called excretion.
Growth – Increase in size and the total weight of the living organism is called growth.
Habitat – The place where an organism survives, flourishes and reproduces is called its habitat.
Living things – These are the things that need water, air and nutrients for their survival.
Reproduction – The process of a living being producing of its own kind is called reproduction.
Respiration – Respiration is a process in which air taken by an organism combines with the reserved food, undergoes oxidation and releases energy.
Stimulus – The factors like food, water, light, touch, gravitational force, etc., are stimuli to which plants and animals respond.
1. What are the characteristics of organisms in a habitat?
Ans – They need food for energy and minerals, do respiration and excretion, respond to their environment, reproduce, grow, and show movement.
2. What are the 10 characteristics of organisms?
Ans – order, sensitivity or response to the environment, reproduction, adaptation, growth and development, regulation, homeostasis, energy processing, and evolution.
3. What is called habitat?
Ans – A habitat is the natural home or environment of a plant, animal, or other organism.
4. What are 5 major habitats?
Ans – forests, grasslands, deserts, mountains, polar regions and aquatic habitat.
5. What are animals of habitat called?
Ans – All animals of a particular region or habitat are called fauna.
6. What are the three types of habitats?
Ans – Forest Habitat Dessert Habitat Aquatic Habitat
7. What is a non example of a habitat?
Ans – The place where living organisms lives are called the habitat. Chairs and tables are non-living objects.
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