ENVIRONMENT AND FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS In This Section We Will Be Studying The Following Topics: What is a habitat? What are environmental factors? What differences do daily changes make? What does nocturnal mean? What differences do seasonal changes make? Why do living things migrate or become dormant? How can living things adapt to their environment? What are predators and prey? What are food chains and food webs? What is energy flow in a food chain?

WHO LIVES IN A HOUSE LIKE THIS? Think about where you live Why is it important to have a home? These different homes are built in different habitats where humans live. Different places on the Earth have different: TEMPERATURES AMOUNTS OF LIGHT AMOUNTS OF WATER

HABITATS ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Living things have different habitats. The habitat is the name for a home for living things. The habitat provides living things with: Water Food Shelter Space These different things are called the: ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Beavers need woodland to make a Dam. They also need water for fish.

WHY IS OUR HABITAT IMPORTANT? Look at the picture of the rabbit. Think about why its habitat is important. Match up the statements below: Water. Space. Shelter. Food. Needed for energy and growth. Needed for reproduction and growth. Needed for growth, digestion, excretion and the transport of substances around the organism. Needed to protect the organism from predators.

CROCODILE IN THE NILE Look at the picture of the crocodile. Say as much as you can about what the habitat provides for the crocodile. It is a reptile. Will the climate affect it? How does it get water? It needs to live in parts of the planet with warm water and warm air. From the river or swamp it lives in. Crocodiles get lazy when it is cold. Do you think they are more likely to hunt in the daylight or at night? They hunt in the daytime when it is warm and they can move faster.

See how many other types of habitat you can name. AROUND THE WORLD The whale lives in the deep oceans of the world. Lions live in Africa on the great plains. Gorillas live in jungle areas. Task. See how many other types of habitat you can name. There are lots! The jungle, the great plain and the deep ocean are all types of habitat.

ADAPTING TO AN ENVIRONMENT Organisms are all adapted for the environment in which they live. Adaptation means that organisms have special characteristics that help them to survive in the area in which they live. Why do you think there are no dolphins living in a woodland? They are adapted to living in water. Why are there no lions in the Arctic? They are adapted to living in high temperatures. Why are there no polar bears in Africa? They are adapted to living in an arctic habitat.

HOW AM I SPECIAL? For each organism given below, explain how it is adapted to its environment. Fins to help it move. Tail to help it swim. Streamlined body to help it glide through the water. Roots to get water from the ground. Thick stem to store water. Spikes to protect it from predators. Thick fur for insulation. Thick layer of fat under its skin for insulation. Wide paws to help it run on the ice and snow. Sharp claws to hold its prey. Sharp beak to catch and kill prey. Eyes at the side of its head for better vision.

MORE ADAPTATIONS Organisms can have adaptations for feeding: Birds have different shaped beaks to help them feed. Some have short, sharp beaks for seeds and nuts and others have long, narrow beaks to help them get food from the ground.

This plant has bent towards the light source. MORE ADAPTATIONS Some organisms can respond to daily changes such as availability of light. Plants are able to move so that they can get as much light as possible for photosynthesis. This plant has bent towards the light source.

LET’S THINK This question is about adapting to FEEDING. Which bird eats seeds, worms or fish? Sandpiper Blue tit Heron Kingfisher Limpkin Finch

The beak shape helps us to decide. LET’S THINK answers The beak shape helps us to decide. Hard, tough and short beak for pecking seeds. Long, thin beak for pushing through mud to get to worms. Strong beak long enough to hold a live fish for fishing. Eats worms on mudflats Pecks for seeds Catches fish by standing still then grabbing. Swoops and grabs fish out of water Digs for worms Pecks for seeds

AND MORE! Organisms such as owls and bats are nocturnal. This means they come out at night to feed. Can you think how they are adapted to hunt at night? Owls have excellent night vision and bats use their acute sense of hearing to locate food. Organisms can also be adapted to seasonal changes such as the availability of temperature, light, rainfall and vegetation. Hedgehogs hibernate in the winter and the Arctic fox grows a thick, white furry coat in winter but moults in summer and has a brown coat. Swallows, geese and other birds MIGRATE in the colder months to warmer places with food so that they are able to feed.

Carnivore, Herbivore and Omnivore These are meat eaters. A good way to remember is that the meat in Chilli con CARNE is the CARNE! This is a carnivorous plant. It traps and digests insects. Herbivore. These are plant eaters. A good way to remember is that the herbs are plants so ‘HERBI’ means plant eating! Omnivore. These are plant and meat eaters. They eat just about anything. Humans are omnivorous and so are pigs. Meat and vegetables together!

PREDATORS All of these adaptations are used for hunting and tracking food called PREY. Look at the pictures. See how many adaptations you can spot. Sharp tearing teeth and claws. Excellent front-facing eyes and specialist eyesight. Excellent sense of smell for tracking prey. Excellent sense of hearing.

PREY Animals that are hunted by PREDATORS are known as PREY. They have lots of adaptations that help them to escape quickly. They often live in herds or groups for protection so that one animal will stand watch while others are able to feed. Most prey animals are herbivores.

SOME DEFINITIONS Match up the word to its correct definition: Prey. An organism that eats meat. An organism that eats plants and meat. An organism that eats plants for food. An organism that produces its own food using sunlight. An organism that eats other plants and animals for food. An organism that hunts other organisms for food. An organism that is hunted for food. Prey. Predator. Consumer. Producer. Herbivore. Omnivore. Carnivore.

‘direction of energy transfer’. FOOD CHAINS Food chains show ‘who eats who’ in a particular habitat. The arrows in a food chain tell you two things: ‘is eaten by’ and ‘direction of energy transfer’. Producer Consumer

The start of any food chain is the Sun. FOOD CHAINS The start of any food chain is the Sun. The Sun is the source of energy for a food chain, for example: LIGHT energy is transferred to lettuce energy, this is then transferred to rabbit energy and finally transferred to fox energy.

Look at the words listed below, can you unscramble them? SOME TERMINOLOGY Look at the words listed below, can you unscramble them? Yerp Daporetr Sum coner Dr creoup Vanroeric Beervoirh No veirom

UNSCRAMBLED! Prey. Predator. Consumer. Producer. Carnivore. Herbivore. Omnivore.

How many different food chains can you find in this food web? FOOD WEBS A food web shows the interaction between all of the different food chains in a community. Look at the following food web and try to answer the question below: Fox Blackbird Rabbit worm Caterpillar Grass How many different food chains can you find in this food web? There are three.

CHECK YOUR LEARNING Name 3 non-living factors in a habitat Are these animals nocturnal? HORSE FOX BAT What do swallows do when there are less flying insects in the autumn? What do polar bears do in the colder, darker arctic months? What two things do the arrows in a food chain tell us? LIGHT, TEMPERATURE AND WATER NO YES YES THEY MIGRATE TO WARMER HABITATS. THEY HIBERNATE. ‘is eaten by’ and ‘direction of energy transfer’.