A habitat is the natural home of organism

where it lives and reproduces

A habitat provides an organism:
plenty of food
shelter from predators and protection
from bad weather
a safe site to reproduce or nest
Some examples of habitats are ponds,
trees, desert, river and sea.
 Plant Habitat
Coconut Beach
Lotus Pond
Durian Orchard
Cactus Desert
Examples of plant and
their habitats Animal Habitat
Snake Bush
Termite Wood
Shark Sea
Crocodile River
Examples of plant and
their habitats
 A species is a group of similar
organisms.
They have the same shape and
structure and can breed together
Monkeys, rats, cats and elephants
are examples of different species of
organisms.
 A population is a group of organisms
of the same species that live and
reproduce together in a habitat

For example :
(a) a population of monkeys on a
tree
(b) a population of lions in a
grassland
 A community is made up of different
populations of organisms living together
and interacting with one another in the
same habitat.

For example:
(a) a pond community consists of fish,
plant, tadpole, and insect populations
(b) a grassland community consists of
herbivorous and carnivorous animals,
trees and grass.
 An ecosystem is formed when different
communities interact with one another and
their environment in a habitat.
An ecosystems contain both living and non
living components.
Some examples for an ecosystem is cities,
towns, forests, seashores, rivers,
mountains and grasslands.
An ecosystems can contain several
different habitats
 Non-living components

living components
Rain forest ecosystems
 INTERACTION IN AN ENVIRONMENT

Lotus
Aquatic
Big
Kingfisher
fishes
Small andanimals
plants
eat
land
fisheseats
small
and obtain
depend
fish
plants
depend
fishes
mineral
obtain
onon
tadpoles aquatic
eataquatic
sunlight
saltsanimals
aquaticfrom
plants
forthe
the
plantsto soil
obtain
supply
process
in the
of
pond for
oxygen
carbon
photosynthesis
dioxide
the process
for photosynthesis
of respiration

Interaction between living things and non-living things in a pond

 Interaction between living things and
non-living things is important as it
maintains

1.balance in the environment

2.balance in the carbon and oxygen cycles
Interaction Between
Living Organisms
 The organisms in a community interact
with one another to obtain food, shelter,
support, transport and many other
necessities.
There are different kinds of interaction in
nature
(a) Prey-predator
(b) Competition
(c) Symbiosis
- Commensalism
- Mutualism
- Parasitism
 Prey-predator
A predator is an organism that kills
and eats another organism
A prey is the organism that is
eaten
Examples:-

i) A chicken (predator) eats worms (prey)

ii) An eagle eats rats

iii) A lizard eats mosquitoes

iv) A lion eats a zebra

v) A tiger eats a chickens

 Competition
A interaction among organisms competing
for the same basic needs.
Plants compete to obtain water, sunlight,
minerals and living space.
Animals compete to obtain water, food,
living space and mates for reproduction.
Stronger organism are successful in
controlling their territory. Weaker and
smaller organism are driven out of the area
competition
 For example:
(a) flowering plants compete with
weeds to obtain water and mineral
salts

(b) Lions in a pride compete for food

(c) Plants in a tropical rainforest

compete for basic needs. Taller
trees obtain sunlight more easily
 Symbiosis
In symbiosis, different organisms live
together in a close relationship.
One organism always benefits by receiving
food, a place to stay and shelter. The other
organism may benefit, be at a disadvantage
or is not affected.
There are three types of symbiotic
relationship
i) Commensalism
ii) Parasitism
iii) mutualism
i. Commensalism
- commensalism is a relationship between
two organisms such that one benefits from
it while the other neither benefits nor is
harmed by it
For example, commensalism exist between remora
fish and sharks. The remora fish attaches itself to a
shark and benefits from feeding on food
scattered by the shark.
A pigeon orchid and tree
- This helps it easily obtain sunlight
- The plant that it grows on is not
adversely affected
ii. Mutualism
Mutualism is an interaction between two
different organisms that live together in
which both organisms benefit. They obtain
nutrition and shelter from each other.
bird
iii. Parasitism

Parasitism is an interaction between two

different species of living organisms in
which one benefits while the other is
harmed or even killed.

Parasite lives on or inside its host and

obtains food from it

A host is the organism on which the

parasite lives.
Rafflesia gets its food from the root of the forest
plant (hosts). The plant slowly dies
A tick that lives on a host feeds on the hosts blood
 Tapeworm, hookworm and threadworm live inside
the intestines of humans and animals. The parasites
obtain digested food and are sheltered by the host.
 Biological control
Pests are living organisms that are harmful
to us

Biological control is a method in which a

predator, is used to control the population
of that pest
 The two types of interaction that
happen in biological control are
i) parasitism
ii) prey predator

For example;
(a) owls and snakes eat rats
(b) rearing guppies in a pond to eat
mosquito larvae
(c) rearing cats to eliminate rats
Owls are used in paddy field to catch rats
Advantage of biological control
(a) does not pollute the environment
(b) does not kill other pests because
natural enemies are used
(c) is cheap and safe to use

Disadvantage of biological control

(a) the control is slow
(b) a biological link between predator and
prey might be week
(c) it will not completely eliminate the pest
(d) it is often unpredictable
Producers, consumers and decomposers

Producers are all green plants that

make food through photosynthesis.
Consumers are animals that eat plants
or other animals.
Decomposers are organisms that
decompose dead organisms (animals
or plants) and change them into simple
substances.
 Fungi and bacteria are examples of
decomposers.
The sun is the main source of energy
for all living organisms in a food chain
 I. Producers
Trees, algae and
grass are called
producers.
Producers make
their own foods
through
photosynthesis.
Producers get
carbon dioxide
from the air and
water from their
surroundings.
 II. Consumers
Consumers are the organisms that are
not able to make their own food.
They obtain their food by eating other
organisms.
There are three types of consumers;
i. Primary consumers
ii. Secondary consumers
iii. Tertiary consumers
 Primary consumers are usually
herbivores, feeding only on plants.
 Secondary consumers are meat eaters
and are called carnivores.
 Tertiary consumers are usually bigger
carnivores and they eat the secondary
consumers.
III. Decomposers
 Food Chains
1. Food chains shows the relationship
between food and organisms in an
ecosystem.
2. In a food chain, energy is transferred from
one organism to another.
3. The source of energy in a food chain is
sunlight.
4. Food chains always begin with producers
(green plants).
 An example of a food chain

A primary
A green consumer
plant is is a herbivore
a producer that only
eats plants

A tertiary consumer A secondary consumer

is a carnivore that is a carnivore that
eats secondary consumers eats primary consumers
 5. The flow of energy in food chains is as
follows:
Primary Secondary Tertiary
Producer
consumer consumer consumer

6. Examples of food chains:

(a) Grass Grasshopper Frog
Snake Eagle
(b) Green plant Mouse Snake
Eagle
 Food web
1. Food web is a network of several
food chains in an ecosystem.
2. There is one or more than
producer, primary consumer,
secondary consumer, and tertiary
consumer in a food web.
When two or more food chains are closely
related to each other they form a food web
 Pyramid of Numbers
1. A pyramid of numbers shows the number
of organisms at each stage of a food chain.
2. In each pyramid of numbers, producers
form the base of the pyramid while
consumers form the above levels.

Tertiary
consumer

Secondary
consumer
Primary
consumer

Producer
3. When the pyramid goes higher, the size
of the organisms increases while the
number of the organisms decreases.
 From the base of the pyramid to
the top:
(a) the number of organisms
decrease
(b) the size of the organisms
increase
(c) more energy is lost
 Energy flow

The main source

of energy is the
sun. light energy is
absorbed by green
plants and is
converted into
chemical energy
Green plants supply energy in the form of food

The flow energy in a food web and the pyramid of

numbers start with the producers and moves to the
consumers

However, not all the

energy in producers is
transferred to consumers

Some energy is lost as

heat when the organism
carries out its life
processes such as
respiration, reproduction
and growth
 Photosynthesis
1. Photosynthesis is a process during which
green plants manufacture food from
carbon dioxide and water in the presence
of sunlight and chlorophyll.
2. Photosynthesis takes place inside the
cells of green leaves of a plant
3. The energy from the sunlight is trapped by
the green pigments called chlorophyll in
the cells of green leaves
4. The light energy is used to convert carbon
dioxide and water into glucose and
oxygen
2. Glucose is a simple sugar which
provides energy for the plant

3. The equation below shows the

process of photosynthesis
 Factors Recuired for
Photosynthesis
1. Carbon dioxide enter the leaves
through the stomata
2. Water - is absorbed by plant roots
and transported to leaves
3. Light absorbed by chlorophyll
pigments
4. Chlorophyll green pigment in
plant cells
 Products of photosynthesis

(i) Glucose stored in leaves,

roots, seeds, fruits or stems.

(ii) Oxygen will be released

into the air.
The importance of photosynthesis
The importance and role of
photosynthesis are:

(a) supplies food to animals

(b) removes carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere
(c) enables green plants to make their
own food
(d) increases oxygen content in the
atmosphere
 The processes that use oxygen include:
(a) respiration and breathing
(b) combustion
(c) decomposition
(d) rusting
 Conservation and preservation
of living organisms
Steps to conserve and preserve living
things include:
(a) establishing forest reserve
(b) replanting
(c) establishing breeding centres for
animals facing extinction
(d) practising selective logging, that is
cutting down only old trees
(e) Implementing laws to prevent illegal
trade in plants and animals
(f) Implementing the National Forestly
and Wildlife Protection Acts
(g) Recycling and reusing materials such
as paper
 Human activities that destroy the
balance of nature are
(i) Forestry / logging
(ii) industry
(iii) housing
(iv) fishing
(v) agriculture
(vi) construction
(vii) Illegal hunting
 Human Adverse effects on the
activities ecosystem or environment
Logging/mining/ Soil erosion
construction Sedimentation in rivers
which cause flooding
Destroys the habitats of
many plant and animal
species
Disturbs the carbon dioxide
and oxygen cycles
industry Water pollution as a result of
dumping chemical wastes into
rivers, this kills aquatic
organisms
Air pollution as a result of
releasing smoke, haze and
acidic gases into the
atmosphere
agriculture The excessive use of
chemical pesticides and
fertilisers pollutes the
environment
Rubbish disposal Pollutes the environment

Oil spills Pollutes seas and coastal

areas

Hunting of The extinction of animals

animals
CONTROLLING ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
The following are steps we can take to
reduce environmental pollution
1. Use unleaded petrol
2. Make nuclear testing illegal
3. Create special places to burn rubbish
4. Tighten laws regarding the disposal of
toxic waste from factories
5. Stop the use of chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs) by replacing it with
hydrochloroflourocarbons (HCFCs)
6. Create special places for the disposal
of toxic chemical waste from factories