Page 85 - Viva ICSE Science 5 : E-book

TERMS TO KNOW

1. Producers/Autotrophs: Living things that can prepare their own food
2. Consumers/Heterotrophs: Organisms that eat the food prepared by the producers

3. Herbivores: Consumers who eat only plants
4. Carnivores: Consumers who eat only meat

5. Omnivores: Consumers who feed on both plants and animals
6. Scavengers: Consumers who feed on dead plants and animals
7. Decomposers: Organisms who break down or decompose the dead remains of plants and
animals into nutrients important for the growth of plants

8. Flood: Overfl ow of large amount of water in an area
9. Drought: Lack of rain for a long time leading to drying of water bodies

QUICK LOOK

1. Our environment includes all the living and non-living things surrounding us.
2. Living beings are divided into 3 categories—producers, consumers and decomposers.
3. Producers or autotrophs prepare their own food.

4. Consumers or heterotrophs eat food prepared by the producers. They are further
categorised as herbivores, carnivores, omnivores and scavengers.
5. Decomposers decompose dead remains of plants and animals.

6. In a food chain one organism depends on another for food.
7. Food chain and interdependence of living beings maintain a balance in nature.
8. Imbalance in nature may occur due to natural factors and human activity.

9. Natural factors include fl ood, forest fi re and drought.
10. Human activities include hunting, cutting tree, industrial pollution and use of plastic.
11. Planting more trees than cutting, recycling and reusing materials, and saving water and
electricity are some ways to maintain the balance of nature.

EXERCISES

A. Fill in the blanks.

1. __________ are consumers that eat both plants and animals.

2. Animals help in survival of plants by facilitating ____________ of seeds.

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