Animal Life | 3rd Science Term 3 Unit 2 | Questions and Answers

Animal Life

3rd Science : Term 3 Unit 2

EVALUATION

I. Choose and write the correct answer.

1. Mosquito sucks its food. Which of the animals given below suck their food?

a) Cockroach

b) Parrot

c) Butterfly

Answer : c) Butterfly

2. Bear sometimes eats pumpkin and sometimes eats fish. So, it is an _____.

a) Carnivore

b) Omnivore

c) Herbivore

Answer : b) Omnivore

3. A bird that has beak which helps it to crack open shells and eat the seed inside is

a) Sparrow

b) Owl

c) Kingfisher

Answer : a) Sparrow

4. Flesh eating animals have well developed __________.

a) Molars

b) Tusks

c) Canines

Answer : c) Canines

5. Elephant is a__________ .

a) Herbivore

b) Carnivore

c) Omnivore

Answer : a) Herbivore

6. Choose the carnivore.

a) Deer

b) Lion

c) Giraffe

Answer : b) Lion

7. In a food chain, a _________ can be placed immediately before a snake.

a) Eagle

b) Frog

c) Grass

Answer : b) Frog

8. Select the animal that has similar eating habit like a bear.

a) Camel

b) Deer

c) Hen

Answer : c) Hen

9. Find the odd one based on the habitat.

a) Deer

b) Fish

c) Fox

Answer : b) Fish

10. Which of the following has different eating habits compared to the others?

a) Elephant

b) Cow

c) Dog

Answer : c) Dog

II. Fill in the blanks.

1. A small habitat is leaf ( forest / leaf ).

2. Butterflies suck nectar ( nectar / water ) from flowers.

3. Chisel beak is present in woodpecker ( sparrow / woodpecker ).

4. The parrot eats nuts ( rats / nuts ).

5. A food chain always begins with plants ( plants / animals ).

III. Answer the following questions.

1. Land and water are common habitats. What is a habitat?

The living place of an animal or a plant is called habitat.

2. Give two examples for each.

a. Terrestrial Animal: Lion , Cat

b. Aquatic Animal : Fish, Crab

3. Why animals move from place to place?

Animals move from place to place in search of food.

4. Nectar is the food of butterfly. Then, what is the food of earthworm?

Organic waste in the soil is the food of earthworm.

5. Differentiate a herbivore from a carnivore.

Herbivores
1. They eat only plants
2. They have sharp, straight edge flat called incisors
3. Eg: Deer, Cow

Carnivores
1. They eat only flesh of other animals.
2. They have sharp, pointed teeth called canines
3. Eg: Tiger, Lion

6. Is human an omnivore or carnivore?

Human is an omnivore.

7. Give an example of a food chain.

Leaves → Caterpillar → Hen → Hawk

8. Choose the correct food chain from the following.

a. Leaves → Bird→ Insect

b. Insect→ Leaves →Bird

c. Leave→ Insect → Bird

Answer : c. Leave→ Insect → Bird

IV. Project

Collect and paste the pictures of plant eating animals and flesh eating animals.

Warm-up

Identify and write the names of the animals by using the keywords given.

Let Us Connect

Link the animals that live in water and live on land.

Pig, Mussel, Deer, Starfish, Dog, Whale, Frog, Tiger, Monkey, Crab, Camel, Horse, Seahorse, Lion, Elephant, Cow

Let Us Help

There is a zoo near your town. Due to some reasons, they have to take the animals back to their habitat. Where will they take each of the following animals?

(Tiger, Crab, Turkey, Giraffe, Cat, Fish, Bear, Donkey, Camel, Crow, Zebra, Duck, Elephant, Tortoise, Pig, Peacock, Lion)

Plains: Turkey, Elephant, Cat, Donkey, Camel, Crow, Pig, Peacock

Forests: Tiger, Elephant, Giraffe, Bear, Zebra, Lion

Ponds: Crab, Fish, Duck, Tortoise

Let Us Find

A. Circle the odd one based on habitat.

a. Lion, Elephant, Monkey, Whale

b. Shark, Dog, Jelly fish, Star fish

B. Write the names of the animal with the help of the clues given.

(Penguin, Whale, Octopus, Duck)

1. Octopus has eight arms. It lives in the ocean.

2. Penguin cannot fly, but it swims very well.

3. Whale is the largest animal in the sea.

4. Duck is a common water bird.

Let Us Do

Colour the animals that live in water.

Let Us Connect

Match the animals with their living place.

Let Us Connect

Match these animals with their homes.

Write the foods of given animals using the following words.

(Carrot, Deer, Milk, Grass, Grains)

Think and share

Why should animals get food?

Animals cannot make their own food. They depend on plants or other plant-eating animals for their food. They move in search of food.

Let us discuss the following and complete the sentence.

( earthworm, butterfly, mosquito, spider, elephant, lion, hen )

I am a lion.
I am the king of the forest. I eat animals like deer, zebra and giraffe by hunting them.

I am a female mosquito.
I suck blood from animals. But males of my family feed on plant juices.

I am a hen.
I eat cereals, small insects, earthworms etc.

I am a butterfly.
I suck nectar from flowers.

I am a spider.
I eat small insects that fall in my web

I am an elephant.
I feed on coconut leaves, plants, sugarcane, banana etc. I use my trunk to take my food.

I am an earthworm.
I ingest soil with organic wastes and microbes.

Let Us Connect

Help the animals to find their food. Use different colour for each animal.

Let Us Do

Complete the worksheet using the following hints.

(Tiger, Lizard, Deer, Dove, Honeybee, Butterfly, Goat, Fox, Squirrel, Woodpecker )

1. Grain eating animals : Dove, Squirrel

2. Plant eating animals : Deer , Goat

3. Flesh eating animals : Tiger, Fox

4. Honey eating animals : Honeybee, Butterfly

5. Insect eating animals : Woodpecker, Lizard

Let us think

Elephant is a herbivore. But its front teeth are not flat. How can we call them?

Answer: Tusks

Think and Answer

You tell your friend that you are an omnivore. But he tells that he is an herbivore. It is right or wrong? How?

Answer: Yes, it is right. Because he eats only vegetarian meals

Let Us Connect

Observe the pictures and draw a line to connect them to the appropriate jars.

Let Us Find

Circle the foods that the animal will eat. You can choose more than one, if applicable.

Let Us Find

From the given diagram, identify which animal group is represented by ‘B’ and write three examples of it.

A: Eats only plants : Deer

B: Eats both plants and flesh: Crow

C: Eats only flesh: Lion

Let Us Play

Play in pairs. Think of a wild animal. Give three hints to your friend about the animal and let him or her guess its name. Take turns.

Watch and Learn

Look at flowering plants near your school or home. Watch the butterflies which visit those plants. Do they come at all times in a day? Do they sit still or fly from flower to flower?

Answer: No, they don’t sit still. They fly from flower to flower.

Think and Answer

Have you ever wondered why birds have beaks of different shapes and sizes?

Answer: Yes, I have wondered why different birds have different types of beaks. It is a fact that beaks are adapted to the food habits of birds.

Let Us Draw

1. Draw the beaks of birds which perform the following functions.

2. Draw and colour a parrot.

Let Us Find

Observe the picture and name the animals in it.

1. Lion

2. Giraffe

3. Zebra

4. Elephant

5. Tiger

6. Fish

Try to Answer

1. Select the food chain that can exist in nature.

A. Grass → Wheat → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake

B. Grass → Rabbit → Fox → Lion

✔ C. Wheat → Grasshopper → Snake→ Frog

---

2. Form any two food chains using the following.

(Grass, Tiger, Deer, Dolphin, Fish, Insect, Snail, Plant, Kingfisher)

Food chain 1: Grass → Deer → Tiger

Food chain 2: Insect → Fish → Kingfisher

Let Us Complete

Complete the food web.

Tags : Animal Life | Term 3 Chapter 2 | 3rd Science , 3rd Science : Term 3 Unit 2 : Animal Life

Study Material, Lecturing Notes, Assignment, Reference, Wiki description explanation, brief detail

3rd Science : Term 3 Unit 2 : Animal Life : Questions with Answers | Animal Life | Term 3 Chapter 2 | 3rd Science

Our Environment | Term 3 Chapter 1 | 3rd Science - Questions with Answers

Our Environment | Term 3 Chapter 1 | 3rd Science

EVALUATION

I. Choose the correct answer.

1. Which of these is an example for biotic factor?

a. Water
b. Goat
c. Air

Answer : b. Goat

2. Our environment is surrounded by _______

a. biotic factors
b. abiotic factors
c. both biotic and abiotic factors

Answer : c. both biotic and abiotic factors

3. Human beings depend on _______ for their food.

a. plants
b. soil
c. wood

Answer : a.plants

4. ________are the primary producers.

a. Non green plants
b. Green plants
c. Dry leaves

Answer : b. Green plants

5. Which is an example for decomposer?

a. Mango tree
b. Bacteria
c. Deer

Answer : b. Bacteria

6. Which of these living things would die if there were no green plants on earth?

(a) a and c only
(b) b and d only
(c) d and a only
(d) a, b, c and d

Answer : (d) a, b, c and d

II. Fill in the blanks.

1. Cow is a consumer. (Cow / Soil )

2. A young plant is known as sapling. ( tree / sapling )

3. Planting of sapling provides oxygen (oxygen / land )

4. World Environment Day is June 5th ( June 15th / June 5th )

5. Decomposers get food from dead plants and animals. ( Decomposers / Producers ).

III. Match the following.

Try to match the items on the left with the correct category on the right before looking at the answers below.

Questions:

1. Stone - Consumer
2. Bacteria - Abiotic factor
3. Plants - Decomposer
4. Buffalo - Producers

Answer:

1. Stone - Abiotic factor
2. Bacteria - Decomposer
3. Plants - Producers
4. Buffalo - Consumer

IV. Say true or false.

1. Abiotic factors are important for biotic factors. (True)

2. River is an example for biotic factor. (False)

3. ‘Van Mahotsav’ is organised during the first week of July every year. (True)

4. Plants are the consumers. (False)

5. Plants provide food and shelter to living things. (True)

V. Answer the following.

1. Vijay placed two things ‘P’ and ‘R’ (one living and one non-living) in separate cages with food and water.

a. Which thing is likely to be a living thing? Give reason for your answer.

P thing is likely to be living thing. Because the weight increases from week 1 to week 4

b. What will be the weight of living thing in week 6?

12 kg

2. Write two examples for biotic and abiotic factors.

Biotic - Plants, Human beings
Abiotic - Water, Sun

3. Write any three differences between living and non-living things.

Living things
They can breathe and grow
They need food to live
They can feel

Non -living things
They cannot breathe and
They do not need food to live
They cannot feel

4. List the abiotic factors needed for insects.

Air, Soil

5. What are the biotic factors of a balanced ecosystem?

The biotic factors of a balanced ecosystem are producers, consumers and decomposers.

6. Why plants are called primary producers?

Green plants make their own food by the process of photosynthesis. Hence, they are called primary producers.

7. Write any four benefits of plants.

i) Provide oxygen for breathing
ii) Provide food and shelter to living things
iii) Help in bringing rainfall
iv) Offer a good environment to live.

VI. Project

Make an album by collecting pictures of different kinds of biotic and abiotic factors.

Let Us Try

1. Write the names of the animals that you see in the previous page picture.

Cow, Buffalo, Goat
Rabit, Monkey, Turtle

2. Classify the following into natural things and man-made things.

(Dam, river, coconut tree, building, jasmine flower, hill, cloud, silver vessel, cell phone, temple, cake, air, sun, ship, water, pencil, book, doll, football, sunflower, crocodile, aeroplane)

Natural things: River, hill, cloud, air, sun, water, coconut tree, jasmine flower, sun flower, crocodile

Man-made things: Dam, building, silver vessel, cell phone, temple, cake, ship, pencil, book, doll, foot ball, aeroplane

Let Us Enjoy

Shall we mimic like the animals?

Crow, Cuckoo, Elephant, Parrot, Donkey, Cow, Goat, Dog

Let Us Connect

Match the following sources with their products and uses.

Let Us Try

1. Classify the following as Biotic / Abiotic factors.

2. Think and Answer

a. A swing goes to and fro. Is it living or non-living?

Answer: non-living

b. We get wood from trees which are the living things. A chair is made from wood. Is the chair a living thing or a non-living thing?

Answer: non-living thing

Try to Answer

Look at the picture and answer the question. Which of the non-living things can float?

a. Iron rod
b. Stone
c. Air filled ball
d. Coin

Answer: c. Air filled ball

Let Us Try

The following statements describe some of the characteristics of living things. Identify and write the characteristic features using the given hints.

(Characteristics Hints: Move, Breathe, Feel, Needs Food, Grow, Reproduce)

Let Us Play

Divide the class into two groups and ask the first group to write any five biotic factors and the second group to write any five abiotic factors seen around the school.

Write the needs of the following.

1. Birds :

Air, Water, Sunlight, Insects, Trees

2. Insects :

Soil, Air, Plants, Small creatures

3. Human beings:

Air, Water, Plants, Sunlight, Animals.

Let Us Discuss

1. There is a large banyan tree in a park. Monkeys and birds have made the tree their home. Humans too spend time under the tree. Discuss with your friends, how the tree, monkeys, birds and humans are interdependent.

Birds and monkeys feed on the fruit. Birds build their nests in the tree. The tree gives shade to human beings when the day is hot. The wood of the tree is useful to human beings. The droppings of the birds are a manure to the tree. Birds play a vital role in dispersal of seeds. Thus the tree, monkeys, birds and human beings are interdependent.

2. Why is plant the most important living thing?

Because they make food from abiotic factors.

3. Discuss in a group and create an interlink of living and non-living factors.

Biotic and abiotic factors are linked to each other by the flow of energy through food.

Let Us Try

1. Write the abiotic factors needed for the following biotic factors to survive.

(Air, Water, Sunlight, Soil, Land, Wheat, Fruits, Grass, Hen)

a. Animals: Air, Water, Sunlight, Land, Grass

b. Plants: Air, Water, Sunlight, Soil

c. Human beings: Air, Water, Sunlight, Land, Wheat, Fruits, Hen

2. An animal that

a. flies in the air is: aerial

b. lives in water is: aquatic animals

c. moves on the ground is: Terrestrial animals

d. eats only plants is: Herbivores

Let Us Try

Classify the following biotic factors.

(Tulsi, Fungi, Mango tree, Rabbit, Eagle, Cat, Dog, Cucumber plant, Human, Grass, Crocodile, Crow, Bacteria)

Producers : Tulsi, Mango tree, Cucumber plant, Grass

Consumers : Rabbit, Eagle, Cat, Dog, Human, Crocodile, Crow

Decomposers : Fungi. Bacteria

Let Us Discuss

1. Let us discuss and write.

Plants and human beings are living things. Why do human beings depend on plants?

Human beings obtain food from plants and oxygen for respiration. So they depend on plants.

2. Divide the students into three groups and give them some pictures of living things. Ask them to classify the pictures based on their food habits.

3. Take your students outside the classroom or to a park. Ask them to note down the producers and consumers they could identify there.

Let Us Try

The names of several natural resources are hidden in the box below. Find as many as possible. Some words are repeated.

Let us Connect

Link the animals as herbivores, carnivores and omnivores.

Let Us Do

A. Write any two uses of trees.

1. Help in bringing rainfall
2. Provide oxygen

B. Conduct an awareness campaign on ‘Save Our Environment’.

C. Plant saplings in your school campus.

D. Preparation of seed ball

Take some clay, humus, add water and mix well. After mixing, place the available seeds inside them and make a seed ball. Then dry and keep it safe. Distribute the seed balls to public on special occasions of your school.

E. Write some slogans on ‘Save Plants’ and paste them on the tree in your school campus/road sides. (E.g., Take care of the Earth and it will take care of you. It’s not yours, nor mine, it’s ours)

1. Trees look fair, they clean the air.
2. Forests are our wealth. They preserve our health.

The nature of our future depends on the future of our nature.

Plants | Term 2 Chapter 3 | 3rd Science - Questions with Answers

Plants

Term 2 Chapter 3 | 3rd Science

Text Book Back Exercises: Questions with Answers, Solutions, and Evaluation

EVALUATION

I. Choose the correct answer.

1. The function of leaf is to

(a) Give Support
(b) Fix the plant firmly
(c) Produce food
(d) None of the above

Answer : (c) Produce food

2. An example for taproot is___________

(a) Paddy
(b) Grass
(c) Mango
(d) Ragi

Answer : (c) Mango

3. ___________ supports the plant.

(a) Root
(b) Leaf
(c) Flower
(d) Stem

Answer : (d) Stem

4. Most plants grow from the___________

(a) root
(b) leaf
(c) flower
(d) seed

Answer : (d) seed

5. Roots are poorly developed in_________

(a) agaya thamarai
(b) neem
(c) teak
(d) date palm

Answer : (a) agaya thamarai

6. If part X will be absent in a plant, new plants will not be produced. X is ____

(a) stem
(b) root
(c) flower
(d) leaves

Answer : (c) flower

7. The plant is adapted to grow in deserts as it has_______

(a) fleshy stem
(b) needle like roots
(c) leaves changed to spine
(d) both a and c

Answer : (c) leaves changed to spine

8. An example of many seeded fruit is________

(a) pomegranate
(b) mango
(c) apricot
(d) peach

Answer : (a) pomegranate

9. Which of the following plant parts take part in absorption of water and exchange of gases respectively?

(a) P and R
(b) R and S
(c) S and Q
(d) T and P

Answer : (d) T and P

II. Find the odd one.

1. Carrot, Radish, Tomato, Beetroot

2. Cabbage, Greens, Turmeric, Spinach

3. Neem, Aloe vera, Datepalm, Opuntia

4. Coconut, Mango, Apricot, Orange

5. Hydrilla, Opuntia, Water hyacinth, Vallisneria

III. Short answers.

1. Name the parts of a plant.

Root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit and seed are the parts of a plant.

2. Name the types of roots.

Tap root and Fibrous root.

3. Write any two functions of the leaves.

(i) Leaf prepares food for the plant.
(ii) It gives cooling effect to the plant by transpiration.

4. Write the parts of a flower.

(i) Petal
(ii) Sepal
(iii) Stamen
(iv) Pistil

5. Name the types of plants based on their habitat.

(i) Desert plants
(ii) Coastal plants
(iii) Mountain plants
(iv) Aquatic plants
(v) Plains plants

6. Write any two adaptations of desert plants.

(i) Leaves are changed into spines.
(ii) The stem is green and fleshy.

7. Write the names of some water plants.

Water hyacinth, Pistia, Lotus, Water lily

IV. Answer the following questions.

1. Write any two functions of each:

(a) Stem

(i) Supports the whole plant,
(ii) Transports food from leaf and water from root.

(b) Root

(i) Fixes the plant firmly to the soil
(ii) Absorbs water and minerals from the soil.

(c) Flower

(i) Develops into fruit
(ii) Helps plant to reproduce.

2. Why is leaf called food factory of the plant?

Leaf prepares food for the plant with the help of water, carbon dioxide sunlight, and chlorophyll. Hence it is called the food factory of the plant.

3. Differentiate between taproot and fibrous root.

Taproot:
(i) Thick main root that goes deep into the soil.
(ii) Side roots are developed from the main root.

Fibrous root:
(i) No main root and the roots do not go deep into the soil.
(ii) Roots are developed from the base of the stem.

4. Give two examples of:

(a) Fruit having only one seed

Mango, Coconut

(b) Fruit having many seeds

Papaya, orange

5. Name two free floating plants.

(i) Water hyacinth.
(ii) Pistia.

6. Look at the picture of a water lily.

(a) Which parts of the plant can you see?

We can see the flowers and the leaves, at the surface.

(b) Where are the plant‛s roots and stem?

The plant's roots and stem are in the mud under the water.

V. Project

Collect the information about vegetables that were cooked in your friends houses for the last two days. Fill the table with the particulars.

From the table, answer the following questions.

(a) In how many houses did they cook leafy vegetables?

one

(b) Which vegetable is cooked the most?

Cauliflower

Warm-up

Unscramble the words and label the parts of the plant.

( ETSM, TORO, ELFA, FURTI, LOFEWR , SDEE )

Let us Do

Take two small potted plants. Cut the root of one of the plants and fix it in the pot. Now water the plants for two to three days. You will observe that the plant without roots will wilt and die. In the absence of roots, plants die.

This activity proves that the function of the roots is to absorb Water and Minerals from the soil.

Let us Write

True or false

1. The roots grow into the soil. (True)

2. Fibrous root has a main root. (False)

3. Root absorbs water from soil. (True)

4. Potato stores food in its root. (False)

5. Grass has fibrous roots. (True)

Which method is easier to identify? Touching or smelling?

Answer : smelling

Let us Do

Collect the leaves of different kinds of plants.

1. Arrange the leaves from small to big.
2. Group the leaves based on its colour.

Let us Write

Fill in the blanks.

1. Stem grows towards the sunlight.

2. Leaves originate from the Stem.

3. Green part of the plant that makes food is called Leaf.

4. Stem gives support to the whole plant.

5. Water from soil is absorbed by the root of the plant.

Think and Write

1. List out the fruits that do not have seeds.
Banana, pineapple.

2. Write down the names of the fruit trees that you have never seen, but have tasted their fruits.
apple, strawberry.

Let us Do

Connect the leaf with its fruit.

Let us Connect

Match the plants with their living places.

Let us Try

A. Select the ‘INCORRECT‛ statement from the following.

1. Desert plants grow in hot, dry and sandy places.

2. Plants in coastal areas tolerant to saline water.

3. Mountain plants have needle like leaves.

4. Teak is an example of desert plant. (Incorrect)

B. Tick (√) the odd one.

1. Teak, Tamarind, Mango, Opuntia ✔

2. Opuntia, Aloe vera, Pine ✔, Date palm

C. Circle/underline the places which are land habitats.

Forest, Pond, Mountain, River

Tree, Ocean, Desert, Cave

Let us Try

A. Mark ‘L” for land plants and ‘W‛ for water plants.

B. Colour the Water hyacinth plant.

C. Write true or false.

1. Fixed rooted plants are present in water bodies. (False)

2. Leaves of lotus are submerged in the water. (False)

3. Lotus plants are found in many ponds. (True)

4. Water hyacinth freely float with the help of spongy body filled with air. (True)

3rd Science Term 3 Unit 1 Our Environment - Notes and Study Material

Term 3 Chapter 1 | 3rd Science

Our Environment

Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson the students will be able to:

• (i) Differentiate biotic and abiotic factors.
• (ii) Understand the interaction between biotic and abiotic factors.
• (iii) Understand balanced ecosystem.
• (iv) Understand the importance of planting trees.

I. Environment – Introduction

(Yazhini and her friends are going to school with her father)

Yazhini: Hey! Look at the parrots! Where are they going, daddy?

Father: They are flying towards the pond. Now, they will settle on the trees.

Fathima: Uncle! Uncle! Can you please take us there?

Stephen: Yes uncle. Shall we go and have a look at them?

Father: Oh! Yes!

(They are walking towards the pond)

Yazhini: We should be quiet while walking as, there are not only parrots on the trees but also ant, spider, squirrel, myna and monkey.

Fathima: Oh! Oh! Look at the fish and frog in the pond. I can see a turtle too.

Father: Yes! See how they live in the same place depending on one another.

Stephen: See there, goat and cow are grazing near the pond.

Father: Children, we are getting late. We shall go to school.

Children: Yes uncle. Thank you very much for showing us this beautiful place.

Let Us Try

1. Write the names of the animals that you see in the previous page picture.

Cow, Buffalo, Goat, Rabbit, Monkey, Turtle

2. Classify the following into natural things and man-made things.

(Dam, river, coconut tree, building, jasmine flower, hill, cloud, silver vessel, cell phone, temple, cake, air, sun, ship, water, pencil, book, doll, football, sunflower, crocodile, aeroplane)

---

Natural things: River, hill, cloud, air, sun, water, coconut tree, jasmine flower, sun flower, crocodile

Man-made things: Dam, building, silver vessel, cell phone, temple, cake, ship, pencil, book, doll, foot ball, aeroplane

Let Us Enjoy

Shall we mimic like the animals?

Crow, Cuckoo, Elephant, Parrot, Donkey, Cow, Goat, Dog

Let Us Connect

Match the following sources with their products and uses.

II. Environmental Factors

Our environment consists of everything around us. It has living and non-living things. We are surrounded by living things such as plants and animals and non-living things such as water bodies, sunlight, air and land.

The living and non-living things in our environment interact with one another. Our environment is a wonderful gift to us given by the nature.

More to know

Environmentalist: A person who protects the environment.

As an environmentalist, you can volunteer to protect plants and animals.

Our environment has two main factors:

• (i) Biotic factors
• (ii) Abiotic factors

Biotic Factors

Living organisms in our environment are called biotic factors. E.g. Lion, Plantain, Dove, Human beings etc.

Abiotic Factors

Non-living things in our environment are called abiotic factors. E.g. Air, Soil, Water, Sunlight, Temperature etc.

Difference between Biotic and Abiotic factors

Biotic Factors (Living things)	Abiotic Factors (Non-living things)
They can breathe and grow	They cannot breathe and grow
They need food to live	They do not need food to live
They can feel	They cannot feel
They give birth to young ones	They do not give birth to young ones

Do you know

Plants cannot move around like animals. But they grow and their shoots show movements towards the sun. So, the plants are also biotic factors.

More to know

Amoeba is a unicellular organism. It has the ability to alter its shape. It was discovered in 1755.

Let Us Try

1. Classify the following as Biotic / Abiotic factors.

2. Think and Answer

a. A swing goes to and fro. Is it living or non-living?

Answer: non-living

b. We get wood from trees which are the living things. A chair is made from wood. Is the chair a living thing or a non-living thing?

Answer: non-living thing

Try to Answer

Look at the picture and answer the question.

Which of the non-living things can float?

a. Iron rod

b. Stone

c. Air filled ball

d. Coin

Answer: c. Air filled ball

Let Us Try

The following statements describe some of the characteristics of living things. Identify and write the characteristic features using the given hints.

(Characteristics Hints: Move, Breathe, Feel, Needs Food, Grow, Reproduce)

Let Us Play

Divide the class into two groups and ask the first group to write any five biotic factors and the second group to write any five abiotic factors seen around the school.

III. Interaction between Biotic and Abiotic Factors

All biotic factors depend upon abiotic factors for their living. Biotic and abiotic factors are linked to each other by the flow of energy through food. Plants are the most important among all the living organisms. Because they only can make food from abiotic factors like air, soil, water and sunlight.

A few examples for interaction between biotic and abiotic factors are given below.

From the above picture we understand that plants need water, soil, air and sunlight to live.

Write the needs of the following.

1. Birds: Air, Water, Sunlight, Insects, Trees

2. Insects: Soil, Air, Plants, Small creatures

3. Human beings: Air, Water, Plants, Sunlight, Animals

More to know

Ecology is the science that deals with the relationship between living things and their environment.

Let Us Discuss

1. There is a large banyan tree in a park. Monkeys and birds have made the tree their home. Humans too spend time under the tree. Discuss with your friends, how the tree, monkeys, birds and humans are interdependent.

Birds and monkeys feed on the fruit. Birds build their nests in the tree. The tree gives shade to human beings when the day is hot. The wood of the tree is useful to human beings. The droppings of the birds are a manure to the tree. Birds play a vital role in dispersal of seeds. Thus the tree, monkeys, birds and human beings are interdependent.

2. Why is plant the most important living thing?

Because they make food from abiotic factors.

3. Discuss in a group and create an interlink of living and non-living factors.

Biotic and abiotic factors are linked to each other by the flow of energy through food.

Let Us Try

1. Write the abiotic factors needed for the following biotic factors to survive.

(Air, Water, Sunlight, Soil, Land, Wheat, Fruits, Grass, Hen)

a. Animals: Air, Water, Sunlight, Land, Grass

b. Plants: Air, Water, Sunlight, Soil

c. Human beings: Air, Water, Sunlight, Land, Wheat, Fruits, Hen

2. An animal that...

a. flies in the air is: aerial

b. lives in water is: aquatic animals

c. moves on the ground is: Terrestrial animals

d. eats only plants is: Herbivores

IV. Balanced Ecosystem

Imagine an environment where there are only plants, deer and lions.

• * What will happen to the deer if we remove all the lions?
• * What will happen to the plants if there are no lions to eat the deer?
• * If all the plants are eaten, what will happen to the deer?

It is important for the food chain to exist in any ecosystem to make sure that the energy flows between the biotic and abiotic factors. A balanced ecosystem supports animals, plants and microorganisms to grow in their environment. An ecosystem is balanced, when the biotic and abiotic factors are able to cycle the energy and food as per their need.

The biotic factors in an ecosystem includes producers, consumers and decomposers.

1. Producers

The living things that can prepare their own food are called producers. Green plants are the producers. They make their own food by the process of photosynthesis. Hence, they are called primary producers. Humans and animals depend on plants for their food.

More to know

A few plants do not produce their food and they depend on other plants. They are called parasitic plants. E.g., Cuscuta.

2. Consumers

The living things that eat the food prepared by the producers are called consumers. Most of the living things depend directly or indirectly on producers for their food. Consumers can be divided into three types based on their food as herbivores (plant eating animal), carnivores (flesh eating animal), omnivores (both plant and flesh eating animal).

3. Decomposers

Organisms that feed on the wastes, dead plants and animals are called decomposers. They return the nutrients to the soil. E.g. Bacteria, Fungi.

Let Us Try

Classify the following biotic factors.

(Tulsi, Fungi, Mango tree, Rabbit, Eagle, Cat, Dog, Cucumber plant, Human, Grass, Crocodile, Crow, Bacteria)

Producers: Tulsi, Mango tree, Cucumber plant, Grass

Consumers: Rabbit, Eagle, Cat, Dog, Human, Crocodile, Crow

Decomposers: Fungi, Bacteria

Let Us Discuss

1. Plants and human beings are living things. Why do human beings depend on plants?

Human beings obtain food from plants and oxygen for respiration. So they depend on plants.

2. Divide the students into three groups and give them some pictures of living things. Ask them to classify the pictures based on their food habits.

3. Take your students outside the classroom or to a park. Ask them to note down the producers and consumers they could identify there.

Let Us Try

The names of several natural resources are hidden in the box below. Find as many as possible. Some words are repeated.

Let Us Connect

Link the animals as herbivores, carnivores and omnivores.

V. Plant Sapling

A young plant with a thin stem is known as a sapling. Survival of living things is impossible without plants. Planting and taking care of plants lead to a good environment.

Benefits of plants

• * Provide oxygen for breathing
• * Provide food and shelter to living things
• * Absorb harmful gases and smoke from the surroundings
• * Help in bringing rainfall
• * Give wood for making furniture
• * Offer a good environment to live

Do you know - "VAN MAHOTSAV"

Van Mahotsav means, "Festival of forests". It is an annual tree planting movement. This movement began in India in July 1950. This festival is organised during the first week of July every year.

To create awareness among the people, we can give saplings during celebrations, family functions and national festivals. We can also plant saplings on our birthday.

More to know

Some important initiatives to protect our environment:

• The Chipko Movement - 1970
• The Environment Protection Act – 1986
• National Green Tribunal – 2010
• Appiko Movement – 1983

Let Us Do

A. Write any two uses of trees.

1. Help in bringing rainfall
2. Provide oxygen

B. Conduct an awareness campaign on 'Save Our Environment'.

C. Plant saplings in your school campus.

D. Preparation of seed ball: Take some clay, humus, add water and mix well. After mixing, place the available seeds inside them and make a seed ball. Then dry and keep it safe. Distribute the seed balls to public on special occasions of your school.

E. Write some slogans on 'Save Plants' and paste them on the tree in your school campus/road sides.

(E.g., Take care of the Earth and it will take care of you. It's not yours, nor mine, it's ours)

1. Trees look fair, they clean the air.

2. Forests are our wealth. They preserve our health.

The nature of our future depends on the future of our nature.

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