Plants and Animals in Different Surroundings
Class 6 Science · Chapter 2: Diversity in the Living World · NCERT Curiosity section 2.3
Learn
Farhan's cousin lives in a desert town, and Nisha's aunt lives high in the snowy mountains. The plants and animals in these places look very different! Each living thing has a habitat: the place where it naturally lives and finds food, water and shelter.
Desert: camels have long legs and wide feet that don't sink in sand, and can go many days without water. Cactus plants store water in thick stems and have spines instead of broad leaves, so they lose less water.
Mountains: yaks have long, thick hair to keep warm. Pine and deodar trees are cone-shaped with needle-like leaves, so snow slides off. Water: fish have fins to swim and gills to breathe; lotus leaves float to reach sunlight.
Features that help a living thing survive in its habitat are called adaptations. India has a huge variety of habitats, from the Himalayas to the seas, and so a huge biodiversity: the variety of all plants and animals in a place.
When forests are cut or rivers get dirty, habitats are lost and some living things become rare. National parks, wildlife sanctuaries and sacred groves (forest patches protected by villages) keep habitats safe. We can help too: plant trees, save water and never litter.
Explore: match each living thing to its home.
- Sort each one into its habitat.
Remember
- A habitat is where a living thing naturally lives. Features that help it survive there are adaptations.
- Biodiversity is the variety of life in a place. Parks, sanctuaries and sacred groves protect it.
Quick check
Why does a cactus have spines instead of broad leaves?
- To lose less water in the dry desert
- To catch fish
- To keep warm in snow
- Because it lives in water
Answer
To lose less water in the dry desert. Broad leaves lose a lot of water. Spines help the cactus save water: an adaptation.
Think about it
If a camel were moved to a snowy mountain, what problems might it face? Which of its features would not help there?
One answer
It would feel very cold, since it lacks the long thick hair of a yak, and its wide feet are made for soft sand, not ice. Its ability to go without water would not help much where water is plentiful. Its adaptations suit the desert, not the mountains.
Practice
Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.