Science - Chapter 12: How Nature Works in Harmony

What term describes the place where an organism lives, providing essential conditions for survival?

Habitat

What are the living organisms in a habitat, such as plants and animals, collectively called?

Biotic components

What are the non-living things in a habitat, such as water, soil, and sunlight, collectively called?

Abiotic components

What is a group of the same type of organisms living together in a habitat called?

A population.

What do different populations sharing the same habitat form?

A community.

The interaction between the biotic community and the abiotic components in an area forms an _.

ecosystem

Why might elephants wander into human farms and villages in states like Odisha and West Bengal?

Due to scarcity of vegetation and drying of waterholes in their natural habitat.

What is the purpose of an 'elephant corridor'?

To allow safe movement of elephants between large forest areas without conflicting with human settlements.

Forests, farms, and large trees are examples of what main type of ecosystem?

Terrestrial ecosystems.

Ponds, rivers, and lakes are examples of what main type of ecosystem?

Aquatic ecosystems.

Organisms that make their own food by photosynthesis are called _ or autotrophs.

producers

Organisms that depend on other organisms for their food are called _ or heterotrophs.

consumers

What is the term for consumers that eat only plants?

Herbivores.

What is the term for consumers that eat only other animals?

Carnivores.

What is the term for consumers that eat both plants and animals?

Omnivores.

A simple sequence showing 'who eats whom' in an ecosystem is called a _.

food chain

What is the specific position an organism occupies in a food chain called?

A trophic level.

Which group of organisms is always at the first trophic level in a food chain?

Producers, such as green plants.

What is formed when multiple food chains in an ecosystem are interlinked with each other?

A food web.

Microorganisms like fungi and bacteria that break down dead plants and animals are known as _ or saprotrophs.

decomposers

What is the process of breaking down complex substances in dead organisms into simpler ones called?

Decomposition.

In a study of two ponds, why were there fewer dragonflies in the pond that contained fish?

Because fish eat dragonfly larvae, reducing the dragonfly population.

How did the presence of fish in a pond indirectly lead to more seed production in nearby plants?

Fewer dragonflies (due to fish) meant more pollinators like bees survived, leading to better pollination and seed production.

The large-scale harvesting of which animal in the 1980s led to a rise in agricultural pests in India?

The Indian bullfrog.

What is the ecological term for an interaction where both organisms benefit, such as a bee and a flower?

Mutualism.

What is the ecological term for an interaction where one organism benefits and the other is unaffected, such as an orchid on a tree?

Commensalism.