Organisms and the surroundings where they live

Key Notes :

1. What is an Organism?

  • An organism is any living thing, such as plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms.
  • Organisms can be unicellular (made of one cell, like bacteria) or multicellular (made of many cells, like humans or trees).

2. Surroundings of an Organism

  • The surroundings of an organism include everything around it, such as the air, water, soil, other living organisms, and the climate.
  • Habitats are the places where organisms live, and they provide the resources the organism needs to survive, such as food, water, and shelter.

3. Types of Environments

  • Terrestrial (Land): Forests, deserts, grasslands, and wetlands.
  • Aquatic (Water): Freshwater (lakes, rivers, ponds) and marine (oceans, seas).
  • Atmosphere: The air that surrounds the Earth, where organisms like birds, insects, and bats live.

4. Adaptations of Organisms

  • Organisms have special features or adaptations that help them survive in their environments. These adaptations could be physical (like the thick fur of a polar bear) or behavioral (like migration in birds).
  • Examples of adaptations:
    • Fish have gills to breathe underwater.
    • Cactus plants have thick stems to store water in dry conditions.

5. Interdependence of Organisms and Their Surroundings

  • Organisms depend on their surroundings for food, shelter, and reproduction.
  • Producers, like plants, make their own food using sunlight (through photosynthesis) and provide food for other organisms.
  • Consumers, like animals, eat plants or other animals for energy.
  • Decomposers, like fungi and bacteria, break down dead organisms, returning nutrients to the soil.

6. Ecosystem

  • An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with their physical environment.
  • It includes both biotic factors (living things) and abiotic factors (non-living things like sunlight, water, and air).
  • Examples of ecosystems: forest ecosystem, desert ecosystem, ocean ecosystem.

7. Changing Environments

  • Environmental conditions can change due to factors like seasons, natural disasters, or human activity (deforestation, pollution).
  • Organisms may migrate, adapt, or face challenges when their habitats are altered.

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