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Environment and Recreation - The Web of Life: Interdependence in Nature

Grade 3CBSE

Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.

🔑Concepts

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Interdependence: Living things (plants and animals) and non-living things (air, water, soil) depend on each other for survival. Animals need plants for food and oxygen (O2O_2), while plants need animals for carbon dioxide (CO2CO_2) and seed dispersal.

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Producers: Green plants are called producers because they make their own food through the process of photosynthesis using sunlight, water (H2OH_2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2CO_2).

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Consumers: Animals are called consumers because they cannot make their own food. They eat plants (Herbivores), other animals (Carnivores), or both (Omnivores).

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Food Chain: A sequence that shows how each living thing gets its food. It represents the flow of energy from one organism to another, usually starting with the Sun and a producer.

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Decomposers: Organisms like fungi and bacteria that break down dead plants and animals. They help in recycling nutrients back into the soil, keeping the environment clean.

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Abiotic Factors: Non-living components of the environment such as sunlight, temperature, and water (H2OH_2O) that support the 'Web of Life'.

📐Formulae

Sunlight+6CO2+6H2O→ChlorophyllC6H12O6+6O2Sunlight + 6CO_2 + 6H_2O \xrightarrow{Chlorophyll} C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_2

Producer→Primary Consumer→Secondary ConsumerProducer \rightarrow Primary\ Consumer \rightarrow Secondary\ Consumer

Energy from Sun→Plants→Herbivores→CarnivoresEnergy\ from\ Sun \rightarrow Plants \rightarrow Herbivores \rightarrow Carnivores

💡Examples

Problem 1:

Identify the components of this food chain: Grass→Goat→TigerGrass \rightarrow Goat \rightarrow Tiger.

Solution:

GrassGrass = Producer; GoatGoat = Herbivore (Primary Consumer); TigerTiger = Carnivore (Secondary Consumer).

Explanation:

The grass produces food using sunlight. The goat eats the grass to get energy, and the tiger eats the goat to get energy. This shows the flow of nutrients and energy.

Problem 2:

What would happen to the animals in an ecosystem if all the green plants disappeared?

Solution:

All animals would eventually die because they would have no food or oxygen (O2O_2).

Explanation:

Plants are the primary source of food for herbivores. If plants disappear, herbivores die. Since carnivores eat herbivores, they would also starve. Furthermore, plants are the main source of the oxygen (O2O_2) that animals need to breathe.

Problem 3:

How do animals help plants in the 'Web of Life'?

Solution:

Animals help by providing carbon dioxide (CO2CO_2) for photosynthesis and by helping in the dispersal of seeds and pollination.

Explanation:

During breathing, animals release CO2CO_2, which plants use to make food. Also, insects like bees help in pollination, and other animals carry seeds to different places, helping new plants grow.