🌿 Interactions Within the Environment

5.1 Organism, Population and Community

Organism

1. An organism is a living thing.

Population

2. A population is a group of living things of the same kind living together. Organisms of the same species tend to live together.

3. The organisms that live together reproduce so that their species continues to exist.

4. The adults and young of a particular species make up a population.

5. The number of organisms in a population is known as the population size.

6. Factors that affect the population size include birth, death and movement of organisms into and out of their habitat.

Ecosystem Hierarchy — From Individual to Community

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DID YOU KNOW?

A single tree can be home to hundreds of different species — insects, birds, fungi, and more. All together they form a community!

Community

7. A community is made up of several populations living together in the same environment.

8. The animals in a community depend on one another.

9. The plants provide food for the plant-eaters, while the meat-eaters feed on the plant-eaters. Plant-and-animal eaters feed on plants and other animals.

How Organisms in a Community Depend on Each Other

5.2 Different Habitats Support Different Communities

Habitat

1. A specific place where organisms live together and are able to find their basic needs easily is their habitat. The mangrove swamp, single tree, seashore, pond, garden, field and leaf litter are some examples of habitats.

Different Habitats — Different Communities

Mangrove Swamp Habitat

2.

(a) The mangrove trees, egrets, crocodiles, snakes and mudskippers live in the mangrove swamp habitat.
(b) The plants in the mangrove swamp habitat provide shade to the mangrove floor keeping the habitat cool.
(c) Due to the moving waters from the open sea, oxygen is available to the organisms in the mangrove swamp.

Mangrove Swamp — A Rich Habitat

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DID YOU KNOW?

Mangrove trees have special roots that stick out of the mud. These help them breathe in waterlogged soil and provide homes for crabs, fish, and mudskippers!

📝 Chapter 5 Summary

Key Concepts to Remember

An organism is a single living thing.
A population is a group of the same species living together.
Population size changes due to birth, death, and movement.
A community has several populations depending on each other.
Plants feed plant-eaters → plant-eaters feed meat-eaters (food chain).
A habitat is a specific place where organisms find their basic needs.
Different habitats support different communities of organisms.
Mangrove swamps are cool, oxygen-rich habitats with diverse life.