NSTSE & NSO 2022 – Class 6 NOT TO BE REDISTRIBUTED – FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY

Session 1
The Living Organisms- Characteristics and Habitats

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NSTSE & NSO 2022 – Class 6 NOT TO BE REDISTRIBUTED – FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY

Introduction

 Living organisms are found everywhere on the Earth. They live in extremely cold
polar regions, extremely hot desert regions, deep inside the oceans where no light
reaches or even in the openings of volcanoes.

 Different kinds of living organisms are present in different regions of the Earth. In
very cold regions, like mountains of Himalayas many trees are found such as,
oaks, pines and deodars which are very different from the ones found on the
plains.

 Similarly, we find abundance of cactus plants in the desert areas and abundance of
coconut trees in the seashore areas. Like plants, kinds of animals found at one
region are also different from those found at another region, e.g., yaks are usually
seen in Himalayas whereas camels are usually found in deserts.

 All the living organisms whether plants, animals or humans need food, water and
oxygen from their surroundings to survive. The life of an organism is thus,
affected by the living as well as the non-living things around it. Everything that
surrounds a living organism and affects its growth and development constitutes its
environment.
 There are two components of environment
 (i) Abiotic (non-living) components and
 (ii) Biotic (living) components

 (i) Abiotic components: These components include air, water, soil, sunlight,
temperature, etc. These constitute the physical environment. These components
affect the living organisms found in an area.
 The abiotic factors like air, water, light and heat are important for germination
and growth of plants. Infact, abiotic factors are important for all living organisms.

 (ii) Biotic components: These components include all living organisms such as
plants, animals, micro-organisms, etc. These constitute the biological
environment.

The study of the relationship between living things and their environment is
called ecology.
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NSTSE & NSO 2022 – Class 6 NOT TO BE REDISTRIBUTED – FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY

Habitat

 The natural surroundings where an organism lives is called its habitat. Habitat
means "a dwelling place" (a home). Habitat provides an organism everything
that it needs to survive like food, shelter, proper weather conditions such as heat,
rainfall, etc., to breed and flourish.

 Several kinds of plants and animals may share the same habitat. For example, the
habitat of camel and cactus plant is the dry, sandy desert; that of an earthworm, it
is moist soil; for a frog, it is a pond and that of a tiger, it is the forest. The habitat
consists of both abiotic and biotic environments. Both of these are essential for
the survival an organism.

Types of Habitat

 The two main types of habitat on the Earth are:

 Terrestrial habitats
 Aquatic habitats

Terrestrial Habitats

 The habitats of plants and animals that live on land are called terrestrial habitats
and the organisms living in these habitats are called terrestrial organisms.

 Terrestrial habitats can be further divided into following types:

(a) Desert habitats are hot and dry and are characterized by scarcity of water as
they receive very little rainfall. These are very hot in the daytime and very
cold at night. Some of the animals living in desert regions are camels,
kangaroo rats, rattle snakes, etc., and plants like cacti are of common
occurrence.

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NSTSE & NSO 2022 – Class 6 NOT TO BE REDISTRIBUTED – FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY

(b) Grassland habitats are areas dominated by grasses which receive moderate
rains. Examples of animals living in these habitats are elephants, giraffes,
lions, etc.

(c) Rainforest habitats are characterised by the presence of different types of

trees and dense vegetation. These areas are hot, wet and humid and get plenty
of rains. Examples of animals living in these dense vegetation habitats are
monkeys, snakes, different types of bird, tigers, etc.

(d) Tundra or polar habitats are very cold and always covered with snow.
Examples of organisms found here are some grasses, polar bears, reindeers,
penguins, etc.

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NSTSE & NSO 2022 – Class 6 NOT TO BE REDISTRIBUTED – FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY

(e) Mountain habitats are those that rise much higher than the land surrounding
them. Mountain habitats are cold and windy. Snowfall also occurs in higher
mountains. Examples of organisms found here are pines, mountain goats,
yaks, sheep, etc.

(f) Coastal habitats refer to the regions where the sea meets land. There are a
variety of costal habitats that support different types of living organisms.

Aquatic Habitats

 The organisms living in water are called aquatic organisms and their habitats are
called aquatic habitats. These can be further divided into following categories:

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NSTSE & NSO 2022 – Class 6 NOT TO BE REDISTRIBUTED – FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY

(a) Marine habitats refer to salt water habitats like seas and oceans. The
organisms living in marine habitats are known as marine organisms. Examples
are whales, sharks, sea turtles and sea weeds.

(b) Freshwater habitats refer to lakes, rivers, ponds and streams. Examples of
organisms living in these habitats are various types of fish, frogs, crocodiles,
water bugs, water lilies, etc.

(c) Estuaries are coastal regions where a river or stream containing fresh water
meets the salty water of the sea. Some of the organisms living in these unique
habitats are crabs, oysters, seaweeds and mangroves.

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Adaptation

 Most of plants and animals living in different habitats are different from each
other.

 For examples, camels live in deserts and are not found in rainforests. Similarly,
fish, water lily and water hyacinth live in an aquatic habitat like pond and are not
found in deserts.

 It is because of the presence of some specific features in these animals and plants
which help them to survive in a particular habitat wherein they are normally
found.

 The presence of specific features or certain habits or behaviours which

enable an organism to survive in a particular habitat is called adaptation.

 Adaptation does not take place in a short time because the abiotic factors of a
region also change very slowly.

 Those organism which cannot adapt to these changes die, and only the adapted
one survive.

 Different organisms are adapted to live in their surroundings in different ways, eg,
a fish possesses gills to breathe in water, cacti have fleshy stems to store water
in desert areas, etc.

 Organisms adapt to their habitats by the following means:

(i) Changes in body: Many plants and animals develop special body parts that
help them to survive in their habitats. These changes are known as modifications.

(ii) Changes in behaviour: Many organisms show specialised behaviours to

survive in their habitat. For example, some animals reduce their activities during
winter months and go to a deep sleep to deal with extremely low temperatures.
This period of reduced activity in animals during winter months is known as
hibernation.
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NSTSE & NSO 2022 – Class 6 NOT TO BE REDISTRIBUTED – FOR INTERNAL CIRCULATION ONLY

(iii) Changes in location: Certain animals (e.g., some birds and fish) move from
one region to another in response to climatic changes. The seasonal mass
movement of animals from one region to another in search of food or to escape
harsh weather conditions is called migration.

Acclimatisation

 Adaptations refer to changes in an organism over a long period of time, whereas

there are certain changes that can occur in an organism over a short period of
time, which help the organism adjust to the changes in its surroundings is called
acclimatisation. For example, sheep grow very thick wool in cold climates.

 Another common example of acclimatisation is altitude sickness. Many people

(who live in the plains) suffer from altitude sickness when they go to high
mountains where there is low oxygen content. They feel breathlessness and
nausea. However their body adjusts to the changes in a few days. They
acclimatise to the change in the surroundings.