Through a nature walk led by a scientist and a knowledgeable elder, this chapter introduces the enormous variety of plants and animals around us, called biodiversity, and shows how this variety can be studied by grouping living things based on their similarities and differences. Plants are grouped by the nature of their stems and height into herbs (small, soft, green stems), shrubs (hard woody stems branching near the ground), and trees (tall, thick, woody stems), with climbers and creepers as further types. Leaves are grouped by their pattern of veins, or venation: reticulate (net-like, as in hibiscus) and parallel (as in banana and grass). Roots are grouped as taproots (one main root with side roots, as in mustard) and fibrous roots (a bunch of similar thin roots, as in grass). Seeds with two cotyledons are dicotyledons (dicots) and those with one are monocotyledons (monocots). The chapter reveals an important link: dicots generally have reticulate venation and taproots, while monocots have parallel venation and fibrous roots. Animals are grouped by features such as how they move and the body parts they use. The chapter then explains that biodiversity varies from region to region because of different conditions, and that the special features helping plants and animals survive in a particular place are called adaptations — such as the cactus storing water in fleshy stems, the deodar shedding snow with sloping branches, and camels of hot and cold deserts differing in legs, humps, and hair. The place where a plant or animal lives is its habitat, which may be terrestrial or aquatic, with amphibians like frogs living in both. Finally, it stresses that damage to habitats causes loss of biodiversity, and highlights conservation efforts such as sacred groves and Project Tiger.
Diversity and biodiversityGrouping plants (herbs, shrubs, trees)Venation, roots, and cotyledonsGrouping animals by movementAdaptations, habitats, and conservation
Key terms
Biodiversity
The variety of plants and animals found in a particular region.
Venation
The pattern of veins on a leaf; reticulate venation is net-like (hibiscus) and parallel venation has veins running parallel (banana, grass).
Taproot and fibrous root
A taproot has one main root with smaller side roots (mustard); fibrous roots are a bunch of similar thin roots from the stem base (grass).
Dicots and monocots
Plants whose seeds have two cotyledons are dicotyledons; those with one cotyledon are monocotyledons.
Adaptation
A special feature that enables a plant or animal to survive in a particular region or habitat.
Habitat
The place where a plant or animal lives, which provides food, water, air, and shelter; habitats may be terrestrial or aquatic.
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