Habitats and Adaptations of Plants - Class 5 Notes & Olympiad Questions

Habitats and Adaptations of Plants

a) A habitat is a natural environment where an animal or plant lives, finds food and reproduces.
b) The well-being and development of plants rely on factors like the soil, weather, and climate of a place.
c) Plants in different regions have unique characteristics that enable them to thrive in their specific habitats. This process of developing traits to suit the environment is known as adaptation.
d) It's the reason why specific plants can be found in one area but not in another.

Terrestrial Plants

Plants that grow on land are known as terrestrial plants. They can be found in various habitats such as mountains and hills, deserts, plains, grasslands, and wet marshy areas.
By adapting to their specific habitats, these plants have developed unique features and characteristics that help them survive and thrive in their respective environments.

Plants Growing on Mountains and Hills

a) Trees found on snow-capped mountains are coniferous trees. They are tall and cone-shaped, allowing snow to slide off easily.
b) Coniferous trees have special features like waxy-coated leaves to protect them from snow and needle-like leaves that facilitate snow sliding.
c) Examples of plants in hilly/mountainous areas include pine, spruce, cedar, and fir.

Plants in Deserts

a) Deserts are dry regions with limited rainfall, extreme temperatures, and sparse vegetation.
b) Desert plants have adaptations to survive in such harsh conditions, like modified leaves into spines that prevent water loss and provide protection.
c) Some desert plants store water in their thick, fleshy stems and leaves, and their roots spread wide or go deep in search of water.
d) Examples of desert plants are prickly pear, cacti, acacia, and date palm.

Plants Growing in Plains

a) Plains are wide and warm regions, with varying climates, ranging from hot and wet to year-round rainy areas.
b) Different crops are grown in plains based on the seasons, such as winter crops like carrots, wheat, and radish, and summer crops like lady's finger, gourds, and cucumber.
c) Trees in plains can be deciduous (shedding leaves in autumn or winter) or evergreen (retaining leaves throughout the year).
d) Examples of trees in plains include deciduous trees such as teak, coconut, salt, and maple; and evergreen trees such as mahogany, and rosewood.

Plants that Grow in Grasslands

a) Grasslands are vast areas covered mostly with grass and fewer trees.
b) Plants in grasslands have deep roots, thick barks, and narrow leaves to conserve water.
c) Grasses in grasslands grow close to the ground, and their soft stems allow them to bend in the wind.
d) Examples of plants in grasslands are buffalo grass, foxtail, and needle grass.

Plants in Marshy Areas

a) Marshy areas are wetlands mostly submerged in water, found near rivers and oceans.
b) Plants that grow in marshy areas are called mangroves.
c) Mangroves have roots called breathing roots, which grow upward to obtain air from the atmosphere instead of waterlogged soil.
d) Marshy soils have high salinity, and the plants adapt to the conditions by retaining more water.

Aquatic Plants

Aquatic plants are plants that grow in water. They are well-suited to wet environments and can be classified into three types: floating plants, fixed plants with floating leaves, and underwater or submerged plants.

Floating Plants

a) These aquatic plants float freely on the water's surface. Examples include water hyacinth, duckweed, and pistia.
b) Floating plants have spongy bodies with air spaces in their stems and other parts, allowing them to stay afloat.
c) They possess stomata (tiny openings) on the upper surface of their leaves since the lower surface is in contact with water.

Fixed Aquatic Plants with Floating Leaves

a) These plants have long stems anchored to the bottom of the water body, and their roots are fixed in the soil.
b) They have hollow and lightweight stems, along with firm, flat, and broad leaves.
c) The free-floating nature of their leaves enables them to absorb more sunlight.
d) These plants have stomata on the upper surface of their leaves to facilitate gas exchange.
e) Examples of fixed aquatic plants with floating leaves are water lilies and lotus.

Underwater or Submerged Plants

a) Underwater plants grow completely submerged in water and are rooted in the muddy soil at the bottom.
b) They have thin, narrow, and flexible leaves and stems, allowing them to bend with the flow of water without breaking.
c) Since they are underwater, they do not possess stomata but have specialised adaptations on their surfaces to exchange gases dissolved in water.
d) Examples of submerged aquatic plants include hydrilla and tape grass.

Insectivorous or Carnivorous Plants

a) Insectivorous or carnivorous plants are unique plants that have adapted to capture and consume insects, such as spiders, mites, and small rodents.
b) They are typically found in areas where certain nutrients, especially nitrogen, are lacking in the soil.
c) These plants employ various mechanisms to capture insects and extract nutrients from them to fulfil their nitrogen requirements.
d) For example, the Venus flytrap has specialised leaves with sensitive hairs that snap shut when an insect touches them.
e) The pitcher plant has a deep, pitcher-shaped structure filled with digestive enzymes that trap and break down insects.
f) The cobra lily is another example of an insectivorous plant.