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Habitat Part2

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Deepa Divakaran
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14 views3 pages

Habitat Part2

Uploaded by

Deepa Divakaran
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Grassland habitat : are hot and partly dry areas where grasses are the main plants, and

trees
and shrubs are few.

- The annual rainfall varies from 50 cm to 90 cm.


- Provide home and food to herbivores and carnivores. Herbivores like Zebras, giraffes, deer
buffaloes and carnivores like lions, tigers, hyenas and foxes are found.

Desert habitat (Hot desert) : are very dry places. One-fifth of the Earth’s land surface is desert.

- The rainfall is scarce less than 25 cm.


- It can be hot or cold but very dry.
- The day time temperature reaches to 490C.
- Gerbils, Kangaroo rats, snakes, camels are desert animals
- Cactus (Opuntia), date palm, acacia are desert plants.
- Many Desert animals dig burrows to escape scorching heat of the Sun during day time.

Tundra habitat : are always covered with snow, they are very cold and dry.

- They are found around the poles.


- Vegetation is very scanty.
- Polar bears, reindeer, weasels, Artic fox, snowshoe hares and snow dogs are found here.
- Polar bear have thick layer of fat under the skin which is called blubber which protects them
from the extreme cold climate of the region.

Mountain habitat : very high hills are called mountains. Mountain habitats are those that rise
much higher than the land surrounding them.

- They are very rocky and very cold.


- Snowfall occurs in winter followed by chilly wind
- The trees are cone shaped and needle-like so that snow can just slide off.
- Snow leopard, sheep, yak and mountain goat are found on the mountains.

Aquatic habitat : The organisms living in water are called aquatic organisms
and their habitat is called aquatic habitat or water habitat.

- Oceans, seas, river, ponds, lakes, pools, etc. are aquatic habitat.
- Based on the amount of salt in water (salinity), the aquatic habitats are divided into :

Fresh water habitat and Marine habitat

Fresh water habitat Marine water habitat


- Ponds, pools, lakes, rivers and - Seas and oceans have saline water. They form
swamp form the freshwater habitat. the marine habitat.
- Lotus, Hydrilla, Vallisneria and lily - Algae like Sargassum, Fucus etc are marine
are fresh water plants plants
- Fish, ducks, tortoises and dolphins - Whales, seals, turtles, starfish are marine
are fresh water animals animals
- Plants growing in fresh water are - Plants growing near seashores in saline water
called hydrophytes conditions are called halophytes
ADAPTATIONS

The presence of specific features and habitats, which enables a plant or an animal to survive in a
particular habitat, is called adaptation. It means that the organisms found in any habitat have
adapted to survive efficiently in their particular habitat. If animals found in one habitat are taken out
of their natural habitat and moved into a different habitat, they will find it hard to survive. For eg.
Fish cant live on land; and pine trees found in boreal forests wont survive in hot tropical rainforests.

Aquatic adaptations – The living organisms found in water have certain features to cope up with
the conditions prevailing in water such as water pressure, movement of water, breathing in water
etc are called aquatic adaptations.

Adaptations in Aquatic animals:

Aquatic animals like fish have following adaptations:

- Streamlined and spindled shape body- it reduces friction with water and help aquatic animals
to swim easily.
- Gills to breathe oxygen dissolved water
- Fins to propel the fish in water and help in swimming
- Caudal fin steers the body and helps in changing the directions of fish in swimming.
- Scaly and slippery skin- the hard, waterproof scales and slime on the body surface protect
aquatic animals from other predators like dolphins and whales.

Adaptations in Aquatic plants (hydrophytes)

Floating plants Submerged plants Fixed floating plants


- Pistia, water - Hydrilla, Vallisneria - Lotus and trapa are
hyacinth and etc. remain under attached to the soil at
lemna float freely water and their the bottom of pond
on the surface of roots are and rest parts of
water. embedded in mud. surface of water.
- They have spongy - They have narrow - They have long and
and swollen leaves thin ribbon like hollow stems and
and stems which leaves with no leaves are broad and
help them to float. stomata, blend in saucer -shaped.
the flowing water of
rivers and streams
and do not obstruct
the flow of water.
Fill in the blanks:

1. One-fifth of the Earth’s land surface is desert.


2. Polar bear have thick layer of fat under the skin which is called blubber.
3. Mountain habitats are those that rise much higher than the land surrounding them.
4. The aquatic habitats are divided into Fresh water habitat and Marine habitat
5. The organisms living in salty water are called marine organisms.
6. Plants growing in fresh water are called hydrophytes.
7. Pistia, water hyacinth and lemna are floating plants.
8. Trees that have leaves throughout the year are called evergreen trees.
9. The ears of herbivores are long
10. The skin of carnivores are light brown in colour.
11. Caudal fin steers the body of the fish and helps in changing the directions of fish in
swimming.
12. Fixed floating plants have long and hollow stems and leaves are broad and saucer -shaped.
13. Floating plants have spongy and swollen leaves and stems which help them to float.
14. Hydrilla, Vallisneria etc. are submerged plants that remain under water and their roots are
embedded in mud.
15. Desert plants are also called succulents as they have juicy and fleshy stems which store
water.
16. The blending of animals with their surroundings in shape and colour is called camouflaging.
17. The leaves of tropical rainforest are large, having specialized tips called drip tips.
18. A leaf insect has green leaf-like body and stick insect resembles a dry stick or twig.
19. Boreal trees get less sunlight so they conserve energy by not shedding their leaves.
20. Hibernation is long winter sleep.

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