Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Diversity in the Living World from Class 6 Science. Let us begin with a beautiful wise saying. छायामन्यस्य कुर्वन्ति तिष्ठन्ति स्वयमातपे । फलान्यपि परार्थीय वृक्षाः सत्पुरुषा इव ॥ (सुभाषित) Trees stand in the Sun and give shade to others. Their fruits are also for others. Likewise, good people bear all hardships and bring welfare to others. They give to others whatever they have earned. It is a pleasant morning after yesterday's refreshing rain. Dr Raghu and Maniram chacha have been invited to the school by the science teacher, Madam Sulekha, to facilitate an exciting nature walk. Dr Raghu is a scientist at the nearby Research Laboratory and Maniram chacha is an elderly person from a nearby community. Maniram chacha is an expert in mimicking bird calls. He is also brilliant at identifying a variety of plants and animals. To prepare them for the nature walk, Dr Raghu informs the students that the objective of this walk is to experience the beauty and variety of plants and animals in nature. The students are excited to join them. They are curious to interact and learn from them. The teacher advises the students to carry a notebook, a pen and a water bottle. As they walk, they begin exploring the plants and animals around them. Dr Raghu advises the students to notice the variety of smells in the park and emphasises respecting all living creatures and observing them without disturbing. Maniram chacha tells the students to not only observe different plants and animals but also to carefully listen to different sounds. The students come across a variety of plants, including grasses, bushes, and large trees. They also observe a variety of birds sitting on the branches of trees, butterflies moving from flower to flower and monkeys jumping from one tree to another. They record their observations in their notebooks and discuss them with Dr Raghu and Maniram chacha. The students can hear the chirping of birds. Dr Raghu informs them that each bird has a unique chirp. This is an example of diversity in nature. Dr Raghu requests Maniram chacha to mimic calls of some birds. Maniram chacha mimics different bird calls. The students enthusiastically start copying him. Have you ever observed different plants and animals around you? Share and discuss your observations with your friends and teacher.
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Now let us move to Activity 2.1, Let us explore and record. Plan a nature walk with your teacher to a park or a nearby forest. While on the nature walk, observe different plants, insects, birds, and other animals. Also, note the weather conditions, whether it is hot, cold, windy and so on. You can collect different types of fallen leaves or flowers and create a scrapbook. Take care of the plants and animals in nature. Ensure that you do not disturb the plants and animals in the park. Do not pluck leaves and flowers. Record your observations in Table 2.1 about the features of stems, leaves, flowers and anything interesting in various plants. Let me read the table for you. For common grass, the stem is soft and thin, a single leaf grows alternatively from different points on the stem, and it has green leaves. For Tulsi, the stem is hard and thin, leaves are arranged in pairs in opposite directions, and flowers are pinkish purple. For Hibiscus, the stem is hard. For Neem, the stem is hard and thick, and leaves have a smooth surface. You can add any other plant you observe. What similarities and differences did you find among the plants that you observed? You must have observed that plants have a variety of features such as tall or short, hard or soft stem, different shapes of leaves and their arrangement on the stem or branches, and flowers varying in colour, shape, and scent.
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Now, create a list of animals you observed during this walk or from your previous experiences. Record the places where they live, the food they eat and the way they move around in Table 2.2. Let us go through the examples. A crow lives in a tree, eats insects, flies and walks, and can be observed carrying a twig in its beak. An ant lives in a nest in soil and burrow, eats leaves, seeds and insects, and under the column for any other observations and features, it has six legs. A cow eats grasses and leaves. You can add any other animal. What are the similarities and differences among the animals that you have observed and recorded in Table 2.2? You would have observed that some animals live on land while some others live on trees. Birds live on trees. Fish live in water and some animals like frogs live on land as well as in water. Animals consume a diverse range of foods and exhibit a variety of movements. Sketch the plants and animals observed by you in your notebook or prepare a scrapbook with leaves, flowers from different plants and feathers from animals. Write all the details you have gathered about them. While travelling to and from school, observe your surroundings and look out for a variety of plants and animals. Add the name of any plant or animal that you have not listed before in Tables 2.1 and 2.2.
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Let us do Activity 2.2, Let us appreciate. Close your eyes for thirty seconds and think of one plant and one animal that you have closely observed and appreciated very much. Now each one of you can draw the plant and animal that you thought of on the blackboard. What are your observations about the various plants and animals that have been drawn? How many different plants and animals did the entire class draw on the blackboard? Do you think that there may be many more varieties of plants and animals other than those drawn on the board? The variety of plants and animals found in a particular region contributes to the biodiversity of that region. Each member in the biodiversity of a region has a different role to play. For example, trees provide food and shelter to some birds and other animals, animals help in spreading seeds after eating fruits, and so on. Can you think of more such examples? This shows that plants and animals are dependent on each other.
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Next, we will learn about section two point two, How to Group Plants and Animals? How would you arrange your books and notebooks in groups? Would arranging them in groups help you better organise your school bag? Now, let us look at the world around us. We are surrounded by a variety of plants and animals with different features about which you have learnt in section two point one. We can group them based on similarities and differences among them. Activity 2.3 is Let us group. Collect pictures of various other plants and animals. Cut their pictures from old magazines, newspapers, charts and other sources. Paste each of these pictures on a different card. Divide your class in groups of five to six students each. Pool the cards prepared by the students in your group. Observe various features of plants and animals shown on the cards. Recall the features of plants and animals that you have listed in Tables 2.1 and 2.2. Group them on the basis of common features. Share and discuss the basis of grouping you have made with other groups in your class. You will be surprised to see that the basis used by different groups may vary. What do you think are the reasons behind it? Different students might have chosen different common features for the grouping. For example, some students may have chosen the height of plants as the basis for grouping, while others might have chosen the presence or absence of flowers as the basis for grouping of plants. Please refer to Figure 2.2, which shows some possible criteria for groupings of plants and animals. These criteria include the presence or absence of flowers, whether the stem is hard or soft, the eating habits of animals, and the place where they live. You may have also grouped animals based on varied features, such as what they eat, where they live, what colour they are, and how they move. Now, what is the importance of grouping? Grouping makes it easier to understand and study plants and animals on the basis of their similarities and differences. You will learn more about the importance of grouping in our daily lives in the chapter, Materials Around Us.
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Let us move to section two point two point one, How to group plants? You must have noticed that plants show variation in the features related to stems, leaves, flowers, and more. The stems of different plants vary in thickness, height, and hardness, while the leaves vary in shape, colour, size and arrangement. You might have tried grouping the plants in Activity 2.3 using one of these features. You might have also learnt in earlier classes that plants can be grouped into herbs, shrubs, and trees based on their height and types of stem. Let us study the features of plants in more detail and group them on that basis. Activity 2.4 is Let us group. Let us go on a nature walk again for some more interesting observations. Look closely at the height of different plants. Are these plants shorter than you, as tall as you, or taller than you? Is the stem brown or green? Touch and feel the stems and try to bend them gently. Can you bend the stem easily, or is it stiff? Take care that the stems do not break. Also, observe from where the branches of the plants arise, whether they arise close to the ground or higher up on the stem. Fill in your observations in Table 2.3. Let us look at the examples. Mango is tall, has a brown, hard, thick stem, branches arise higher up on the stem, and it is a tree. Rose is medium height, has a brown, hard, thin stem, branches arise close to the ground, and it is a shrub. Tomato is short, has a green, tender, thin stem, branches arise close to the ground, and it is a herb. What differences do you observe among herbs, shrubs, and trees? How can you group plants as herbs, shrubs, and trees based on the data entered in Table 2.3? Some plants grow really tall and have hard, thick, brown, and woody stems. Their branches typically start higher up on the stem and away from the ground. These plants are called trees. For example, a mango tree. Some plants are not as tall as trees. These plants often have many brown woody stems that start branching very close to the ground. These stems are hard but not as thick as the stem of a tree. These plants are called shrubs. For example, a rose plant is a shrub. Some plants are typically small with soft and green stems. These are known as herbs. For example, a tomato plant is a herb. Some plants with weak stems need support to climb and grow, and are called climbers. Some plants creep along the ground and are called creepers.
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What can be other features on the basis of which you can group plants? Let us perform another activity. Activity 2.5 is Let us compare. Look at the leaves of different plants collected by you, during the nature walk. Do you notice any variation in the shape and structure of these leaves? You may observe thin lines on the leaves of the plants. These are veins. The pattern of veins on the leaf is called venation. What differences do you see in the veins of leaves shown in the figures? In some leaves, you can observe a net-like pattern of veins on both sides of a thick middle vein. This pattern is called reticulate venation. For example, leaves of hibiscus exhibit reticulate venation, as shown in Figure 2.4a. In some leaves, you may observe that the veins run parallel. This pattern is called parallel venation. For example, the leaves of banana plants and grasses exhibit parallel venation, as shown in Figure 2.4b and Figure 2.4c. Do you think that plants can be grouped on the basis of venation present in their leaves? Now, let us try to explore roots of the plants. Do all plants have roots? Are these roots similar?
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Activity 2.6 is Let us find out. Visit an open area where wild herbs and grasses are growing. You may use small herbs for this exercise. Using a khurpi or trowel, carefully dig out a few different herbs without damaging the roots. To do this, you may wet the soil and loosen it. Wash the roots with water and observe them. After you are done observing, make sure to replant the herbs so that they may continue to thrive and grow. What are the similarities and differences in the roots of the plants collected by you? What differences do you see in the roots of plants shown in the figures? In Figure 2.5a, we see a taproot system in a mustard plant. Carefully observe the roots of a mustard plant. The roots of this plant consist of one main root and small side roots arising from it. The main root is called taproot. Another example of a plant having taproots is hibiscus observed by you in Activity 2.1. The plant in Figure 2.5b is a common grass plant. The roots of this plant appear as a bunch of similar-sized thin roots arising from the base of the stem. Such roots are called fibrous roots. Does your collection include any other grasses? What kind of roots do they have? Is there any relation between the type of leaf venation and the type of root of the same plant? How do we find this out?
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Activity 2.7 is Let us relate and analyse. Collect saplings of five common plants from your school nursery or any other nurseries to plant in your school garden. Examples of such plants can include lemongrass, marigold, sadabahar or periwinkle, and others. Before planting them, observe their roots and the venation in their leaves. Record your observations in Table 2.4. The table shows lemongrass has parallel venation and fibrous roots. You can fill in the rest. Do you observe any relation between the leaf venation and types of root in these plants? A sadabahar plant has a taproot and its leaves have reticulate venation. Do other plants with reticulate venation have taproots too? Lemongrass, on the other hand, has fibrous roots and its leaves have parallel venation. Do other plants with parallel venation have fibrous roots too? Generally, plants with reticulate venation have taproots while those with parallel venation have fibrous roots. Chickpea or chana is another example of a plant with taproots and reticulate venation in leaves. Wheat is an example of a plant with fibrous roots and parallel venation in its leaves. Is there any relation among the seed of a plant, types of root and leaf venation? Are all seeds similar?
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Activity 2.8 is Let us compare. Soak some chickpea and maize seeds in water for two or three days. Remove the seed coat of a chickpea. Now, observe the structure of the chickpea and maize seeds. Are they similar or different? In Figure 2.6a, we see a dicot seed, specifically a chickpea. You would notice that chickpea seeds are split into two parts. Each part is called a cotyledon. Plants that have seeds with two cotyledons are called dicotyledons or dicots. In Figure 2.6b, we see a monocot seed, specifically maize. Maize has a single thin cotyledon. Plants with such seeds are called monocotyledons or monocots. What relation do you observe among leaf venation, root types and the number of cotyledons in seeds of a plant? Dicot plants have reticulate venation and a taproot system while monocot plants have parallel venation and a fibrous root system. You have learnt about some features used for grouping plants. Now, let us explore the grouping of animals in more detail.
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Section two point two point two is How to group animals? Just like plants, animals too are significantly different from one another. How can we group such a wide variety of animals? What features can you think of to group them? In Activity 2.3, you have already set some bases for grouping animals. Let us explore a few of these in more detail. Activity 2.9 is Let us find out. You have recorded the movement of a few animals in Table 2.2. You may have also observed how other animals move from place to place. Let us now think about the types of movement in animals. A number of animals are shown in Figure 2.7. You can add more animals that you may have observed and create a poster on the variety of animals. Which body parts are used by the animals in the poster you created and those in Figure 2.7 for movement? List these animals in Table 2.5. Note the ways in which these animals move and name the body parts used for movement. The table gives examples. Ant uses legs. Goat walks and jumps using legs. Pigeon walks and flies using legs and wings. Housefly walks and flies using legs and wings. Fish swims using fins. You can add more. What conclusions can you draw from the data given in Table 2.5? Different animals have different types of movement. Animals can fly, run, crawl, walk, hop or jump, and so on. They use different body parts for moving from one place to another. They may use wings, legs, and other parts that help them to move. Here, we have identified animals based on the types of movement and the body parts used for movement. How can we group animals based on their movements? Additionally, many animals differ from each other in shape, size, structure, colour, and other features. Some of these features can also be used to group animals in various ways. Like plants, grouping of animals is important for understanding their diversity.
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Let us know about a scientist. Janaki Ammal lived from eighteen ninety seven to nineteen eighty four. She was an Indian botanist dedicated to environmental work and helped to document and preserve India's rich plant biodiversity. She played a key role in the Save Silent Valley movement. As the head of the Botanical Survey of India, she initiated programmes to document the plant diversity of India. Now, let us read the Success Story, Save Silent Valley Movement. This is a real story of a forest in the Palakkad district of Kerala. It is about preserving untouched beauty of a moist evergreen forest and its rich biodiversity. The now-famous Silent Valley was saved by a remarkable movement led by common people who were not even residing in the vicinity of the forest. The battle against the proposal of a hydroelectric dam across the Kunthipuzha river persisted for ten years. At that time, people used all possible available means, such as widespread awareness programmes, letters to editors, articles in newspapers, seminars, and petitions and appeals in court. The movement was successful in saving the Silent Valley.
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Next, we move to section two point three, Plants and Animals in Different Surroundings. You might have observed during nature walks that different animals live in different surroundings. You have also recorded movement of animals in Table 2.5. Does the movement of these animals depend upon their surroundings? Let us consider fishes and goat as examples. Fishes live in water. They have streamlined bodies and fins for movement in water. In Figure 2.8a, a fish swims in water with the help of fins. Goats live in grassy areas and move with the help of legs. In Figure 2.8b, a goat walks on the ground with the help of legs. The sizes and shapes of animals also differ from one another. Activity 2.10 is Let us compare and analyse. Look at Table 2.6. Recreate a similar table on the blackboard. List the names of plants and animals you or your classmates have observed in the regions given in the table or already know about. The table shows examples. In the desert, we find camel. On mountains, we find deodar tree. In the ocean, we find fish. In the forest, we find lion. You can add more. What are your observations regarding plants and animals found in various regions? Discuss your observations with your classmates. You might observe from Table 2.6 that the plants and animals found in one kind of region are different from those found in another kind of region. During a discussion in the classroom, Alex recalls that he observed cactus plants with thick and fleshy stems in the deserts of Rajasthan. Maya shares that she saw deodar trees in the Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh. These trees are conical in shape and have flexible and sloping branches. Notice that these two types of plants found in different regions are different from each other. Why is it so? Why does the biodiversity of a region vary from that of another? Let us find out.
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There is very little water available in the deserts. A hot desert is typically very hot during the day and very cold at night. Therefore, you will find plants and animals in these areas that can tolerate and survive both the hot conditions during the day and cold conditions at night. The fleshy stems of plants found in the desert can store water and help them tolerate the hot conditions in these places. The mountains in extremely cold regions experience frequent snowfall. In order to survive in such conditions, some of the trees have the ability to let the snow slide off easily. Conical shape and sloping branches of deodar trees enable them to do so easily. You must have understood by now that the biodiversity varies from region to region because of diverse conditions. Look at the images of a camel from the hot desert of Rajasthan and a camel from the cold desert of Ladakh. What are the differences you observe between them? What advantages do these differences provide to these camels? The camel of the hot desert has long legs with wide hooves. Alex shares that his grandmother told him that the long legs and wide hooves help these camels to walk on the sandy desert without sinking into the sand. On the other hand, the height and legs of camels of a cold desert are comparatively shorter than those found in a hot desert. These short legs allow them to walk easily in mountainous regions. In deserts, food is not available easily. Camels store food in their humps. Camels found in the hot desert have one hump each that helps them to survive during the scarcity of food. Camels found in the cold desert have two humps each. These two humps shrink in late winters because there is not much food available in the cold desert and they have to use food stored in their humps during that time. Moreover, they grow long hair from head to neck, which help them survive the cold winters of Ladakh. What other features can help camels to survive in the desert? Other students also start sharing their observations. Kashi from Rajasthan says that camels excrete small amounts of urine, their dung is dry, and they do not sweat. As camels do not lose much water from their bodies, they can survive for many days without drinking water. Maya talks about seeing plants with beautiful bright flowers, rhododendrons, in the Shola forests of Nilgiris. Here, rhododendrons are of shorter height and have smaller leaves to survive through the heavy winds on mountain tops. However, Pema, who is from Sikkim, mentions that she has observed rhododendrons in the nearby mountains to be taller. So, even plants such as rhododendrons may exhibit different features in different regions to survive the conditions of those regions. Sagar tells his classmates that he went to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with his parents for a special event. He saw huge whales and colourful fish in the ocean. His father explained that the streamlined body of fish helps them to swim in water.
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We have learnt that the plants and animals living in a particular region have special features that make them fit to survive there. The special features that enable plants and animals to survive in a particular region are called adaptations. The shape of the deodar tree and the height of the rhododendron are adaptations that enable them to survive in the mountainous regions. The place where plants and animals live is called their habitat. For example, the habitat of sea turtles is the sea or the ocean. The habitat of a camel is the hot or the cold desert, and the habitat of a rhododendron is the mountains. The habitat of plants and animals provides them food, water, air, shelter and other needs for their survival. Many types of plants and animals may share the same habitat. Habitat plays an important role in shaping the biodiversity of a region. Let us know another scientist. Salim Ali lived from eighteen ninety six to nineteen eighty seven. He travelled across India to observe diversity in birds. He prepared a list of birds and documented their travel routes and habitats. He recorded the regions with high diversity of birds and took measures to conserve these regions. Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan and Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary in Mandya, Karnataka are examples of regions he preserved. He wrote a landmark series of ten books on birds of the Indian Subcontinent. He is referred to as the Birdman of India. He was awarded Padma Vibhushan in nineteen seventy six.
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What are the different ways in which you can group plants and animals based on their habitats? One way is to group them into those that live on land and those that live in water. The plants and animals that live on land are said to live in terrestrial habitats. Some examples of terrestrial habitats are forests, deserts, grasslands, and mountains. The plants and animals that live in water are said to live in aquatic habitats. Some examples of aquatic habitats are ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans. Some animals, such as frogs, can live in water as well as on land. These are called amphibians. What would happen if the habitat of a plant or an animal is damaged? What would happen if a goat does not get grass to eat? Can a fish survive without water? Check with your parents, grandparents, and neighbours to know about the plants, birds, insects or any other animal they used to see frequently in their childhood but do not see as often now. These changes often happen when habitats are damaged. The damage to habitats of plants and animals results in loss of their homes, food, and other resources. This leads to the loss of biodiversity. The population of the Bengal Tiger, Cheetah, and Great Indian Bustard has declined in India due to loss of natural habitats caused by human activities. The Government of India has initiated several projects to conserve our biodiversity. Project Tiger was initiated in nineteen seventy three to protect the declining population of the Bengal Tiger. The Cheetah Reintroduction Project was initiated in twenty twenty two to restore the population of the Cheetah. Similarly, habitats of the Great Indian Bustards have been declared as Protected areas in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Do you know? The Bengal Tiger, Cheetah, and Great Indian Bustard are facing population decline due to habitat loss.
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Let us read more about Traditionally Protected Forests, Sacred Groves. Sacred groves are undisturbed patches of forests. Their sizes may vary from quite small to very large. Sacred groves are found all over India. They are home to different kinds of plants and animals, including numerous medicinal plants. These are protected by the local community and no one is allowed to harm any animals and cut trees in these groves, or disturb the area. This way, sacred groves are a community protected treasure of biodiversity. Find out about the sacred groves in your region. We must protect biodiversity to ensure our planet is full of life, helping plants and animals to survive and thrive. Let us quickly review the key points. We are surrounded by a large variety of plants and animals. Such variety of plants and animals is a part of biodiversity. Plants and animals can be grouped on the basis of similarities and differences among them. Plants have similarities and differences based on features associated with roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and so on. The method of arranging things into groups based on their common features is called grouping. Plants can be grouped into herbs, shrubs, and trees based on their heights, types of stem, and branching patterns. Plants can also be grouped as dicotyledons and monocotyledons based on the number of cotyledons in their seeds. Monocots generally exhibit parallel venation in their leaves and possess fibrous roots while dicots typically exhibit reticulate venation in their leaves and possess taproots. Animals have different types of movement that can be a basis for their grouping. Biodiversity of different regions varies because of distinct environmental conditions. The special features that enable plants and animals to survive in a particular region are called adaptations. The place where plants and animals live is their habitat. Based on their habitats, animals and plants can be grouped as terrestrial and aquatic. Due to damage of their habitats, plants and animals lose their homes, food and other resources resulting in the loss of biodiversity. We must protect biodiversity to ensure that our planet is full of life, helping plants and animals to survive and thrive.
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Now, let us move to the exercises section. I will answer each question completely for you. Question one. Here are two types of seeds. What differences do you find among the roots and leaf venation of their plants? The seeds are wheat and kidney beans. Wheat is a monocot. It has parallel venation in its leaves and a fibrous root system. Kidney beans are dicots. They have reticulate venation in their leaves and a taproot system. Question two. Names of some animals are given below. Group them based on their habitats. Write the names of aquatic animals in the area marked A and terrestrial animals in the area marked B. Enter the names of animals living in both habitats in part C. The animals are Horse, Dolphin, Frog, Sheep, Crocodile, Squirrel, Whale, Earthworm, Pigeon, Tortoise. In area A, which is aquatic, we place Dolphin and Whale. In area B, which is terrestrial, we place Horse, Sheep, Squirrel, Earthworm, and Pigeon. In part C, which is the overlapping area for animals living in both habitats, we place Frog, Crocodile, and Tortoise. Question three. Manu's mother maintains a kitchen garden. One day, she was digging out radish from the soil. She told Manu that radish is a kind of root. Examine a radish and write what type of root it is. What type of venation would you observe in the leaves of radish plant? A radish plant has a taproot system. Since it is a dicot plant with a taproot, its leaves will exhibit reticulate venation. Question four. Look at the image of a mountain goat and a goat found in the plains. Point out the similarities and differences between them. What are the reasons for these differences? Both goats have four legs, hooves, and similar body structures for grazing. However, the mountain goat has shorter, sturdier legs, thicker fur, and specialized hooves for gripping rocky surfaces. The goat in the plains has longer, slender legs and shorter fur. These differences are adaptations. The mountain goat's features help it survive in cold, steep, and rocky mountainous regions, while the plains goat's features are adapted for walking and running on flat, grassy terrain.
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Question five. Group the following animals into two groups based on any feature other than those discussed in the chapter: cow, cockroach, pigeon, bat, tortoise, whale, fish, grasshopper, lizard. We can group them based on whether they have wings or not. Group one, animals with wings: pigeon, bat, grasshopper, and cockroach. Group two, animals without wings: cow, tortoise, whale, fish, and lizard. Alternatively, we could group them by vertebrates and invertebrates. Vertebrates include cow, pigeon, bat, tortoise, whale, fish, and lizard. Invertebrates include cockroach and grasshopper. Question six. As the population grows and people want more comfortable lives, forests are being cut down to meet various needs. How can this affect our surroundings? How do you think we can address this challenge? Cutting down forests destroys animal habitats, reduces biodiversity, increases soil erosion, disrupts the water cycle, and contributes to climate change by releasing stored carbon dioxide. To address this challenge, we can practice sustainable forestry, plant more trees, reduce paper and wood consumption, recycle materials, support conservation projects, and spread awareness about the importance of forests. Question seven. Analyse the flowchart. What can be examples of A and B? The flowchart asks: Plant -> Does it have leaves? Yes -> Does it have reticulate venation? Yes -> A. No -> B. Plants with reticulate venation are dicots, so A can be examples like hibiscus, mango, or neem. Plants without reticulate venation, meaning they have parallel venation, are monocots, so B can be examples like grass, wheat, or maize. Question eight. Raj argues with his friend Sanjay that Gudhal or hibiscus plant is a shrub. What questions can Sanjay ask for clarification? Sanjay can ask: Does the hibiscus plant have many hard, woody stems branching close to the ground? Is it shorter than a typical tree? Does it have a hard stem that is not as thick as a tree's stem? These questions help clarify if it fits the definition of a shrub, which it does.
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Question nine. Based on the information in the table, find out examples of these plants for each group. Group A has Dicot seed and Taproot. Examples include mango, hibiscus, or neem. Group B has Monocot seed and Fibrous roots. Examples include wheat, maize, or grass. Part a asks: What other similarities do plants of group A have? Plants of group A, which are dicots, also have reticulate venation in their leaves. Part b asks: What other similarities do plants of group B have? Plants of group B, which are monocots, also have parallel venation in their leaves. Question ten. Observe the labelled part of a duck in the picture given below. What differences do you observe in the feet of the duck compared to the other birds? Which activity would the duck be able to perform using this part? The duck has webbed feet, where skin connects the toes. In contrast, a pigeon has separate toes with claws. The duck uses its webbed feet to swim efficiently in water by pushing against it. The pigeon uses its separate toes for perching and walking on branches or the ground. Learning further tasks: You are asked to read about Indian scientists or wildlife biologists working towards biodiversity protection, prepare a report, explore contributions of Divya Mudappa, Usha Lachungpa, Ghazala Shahabuddin, Nandini Velho, Vidya Athreya, Uma Ramakrishnan and Divya Karnad, label plants in your school, plan a field visit, prepare a biodiversity register, find out about Project Tiger, initiate a class discussion on protecting biodiversity, interact with elders about changing plant and animal sightings, and prepare a scrapbook. These are excellent extension activities to deepen your understanding.
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We have now covered every concept, activity, table, figure, and exercise from this chapter. Remember to observe nature closely, respect all living things, and understand how every plant and animal plays a unique role in maintaining biodiversity. Practice grouping plants and animals, identify their adaptations, and always think about how we can protect their habitats. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]