Living Things and Their Habitats

First published 2019 Foxton Books London, UK Copyright © Foxton Books, 2019 ISBN: 978-1-911481-97-3 Written by Nichola Tyrrell Designed by Maryke Goldie Logo design: Stewart Wright (2Wright Design) Cover design: Ed White Education consultant: Frances Barlow Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders. Should any infringements have occurred, please inform the publisher who will correct these in the event of a reprint. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. About Foxton Primary Science: The Foxton Primary Science series supports Key Stage 1 Science through a variety of features and STEAM-inspired tasks that cover all curriculum requirements. Colourful, engaging content blends information with prompts for further discussion and investigation. Keywords, creative activities and quizzes reinforce comprehension, along with challenging words (in bold) explained in the glossary.

Contents What are living things? ............................................ 4 What is a habitat?.................................................... 6 What is a food chain?.............................................. 8 In the woods ............................................................ 10 In the city .................................................................. 12 At the seaside .......................................................... 14 In the desert ............................................................. 16 In the jungle ............................................................. 18 In the grasslands ..................................................... 20 In the mountains ..................................................... 22 In the ocean ............................................................. 24 Micro-habitats ......................................................... 26 Comprehension check ............................................ 28 Vocabulary check .................................................... 29 Let’s experiment ....................................................... 30 Glossary ................................................................... 3 1 Index ........................................................................ 32

What are living things? Everything around us is either living or not living. Some things were living once but are no longer alive. What is the difference between living and non-living things? Living things breathe air, grow and change, like plants and animals. flowers butterflies Keywords  alive dead living 4

wool of a sheep Things that are no longer living are dead: cut grass, Living things also fallen leaves or fleeced reproduce, feed and wool from a sheep. get rid of waste. rabbits feeding light bulbs Other things have never been alive, such as a metal spoon or a light bulb. Take a look around you. What can you see that is living and not living? Do you see anything that was once alive but now is not? 5

What is a habitat? A habitat is a natural place in our world where you will find living things. A forest, a desert and a tide pool by the sea are all habitats that are home to different plants and animals. The habitat of deer is a woodland. 6 Keywords  habitat inhabitants natural shelter

A habitat provides everything its inhabitants need to survive, such as food and shelter. YOUR home is your human habitat. What does it provide you with? How does your home make you feel? The habitat of a mountain goat is the alpine region. The habitat of the dromedary camel is the North African desert. 7

What is a food chain? A food chain is a group of animals and plants. It shows what they eat in their habitat. worms feeding Plants are always at the bottom of the chain. They produce their own food using sunlight. Plants are producers. 8 Keywords  consumer food chain producer

Animals that Animals are consumers. eat other They eat, or consume, animals are other animals and plants. predators. Animals that are eaten by other animals are prey. Make a paper food chain that shows the following living things: fox, robin, snail, leaf Draw each living thing on a strip of paper and write: The _____ eats ______. Link them together in their food chain order by gluing the ends of each strip to form a circle. 9

In the woods A woodland, or forest, is a habitat where many trees grow and create shade. Some trees have leaves throughout the year. Other trees drop their leaves in autumn. Evergreen trees keep their leaves all year round. Many animals make their home in evergreen woodlands. rabbits in their woodland habitat Keywords  deciduous evergreen woodland 10

Deciduous trees drop their squirrel leaves every year in autumn. fungi growing in moss Squirrels and birds collect fallen nuts and seeds to eat. Plants and fungi grow on both the woodland floor and on trees. New leaves Make a chart grow in spring. comparing the different animal groups that live in a woodland habitat. Include headings such as ‘has legs’, ‘makes sounds’, and the type of animal (mammal, bird). 11

In the city Habitats are not only in the countryside. City parks and gardens can also be a thriving environment for plants and animals. park Trees, flowers and other plants can grow in raised beds of soil in a town or city. 1 2 Keywords  countryside environment urban

fox Some animals, like the Go on a habitat fox, once lived only in the expedition! countryside and now live in urban areas too. Take a walk in A vegetable patch or nearby habitats, flower bed will attract such as your animals for feeding. garden, school grounds or a park. bumblebee Record what you see: possible homes for wildlife, food, source of water, plus any animal sightings. 13

At the seaside A seaside habitat is the stretch of land that meets an ocean or sea. Plants and animals here are built to survive in this wet and windy habitat. rock pool In between rocks along the coast, sea water comes in with the tide to form a rock pool. 1 4 Keywords  coast rock pool tide

Limpets cling to rocks so they are not washed away. limpets crab starfish Crabs are washed into Starfish may look like they rock pools from the sea. never move, but they do – VERY slowly! What fraction of these animals is found in a rock pool? One quarter (  ​_41_  ​ ) or one half (  ​_21_ ​  )? 15

In the desert A desert is hot and dry with very little rain. When rain does fall, plants here drink in water through their roots in the ground. acacia tree The acacia tree in the Sahara Desert in Africa holds water in both its thorns and its roots. Keywords  acacia cactus desert Sahara 16

cactus camel This cactus in the Sonora Desert camels store fat Desert holds water in its in their humps to use stem. The flowers contain as food. They can go nectar which is food for without drinking water birds and insects. for seven months! Make some desert cactus art! You will need: card, green paint, toothpicks or dry spaghetti, coloured tissue paper First, draw your cactus and paint it green. When dry, cut out the cactus and glue on small, scrunched-up pieces of tissue paper (the flowers). Then glue on toothpicks or small pieces of dry spaghetti (the spines). Be careful not to prick yourself! 17

In the jungle A tropical rainforest is a hot, steamy jungle where it rains – a lot! In this habitat, plants grow in abundance. There are more species of plant in tropical rainforests than any other habitat. The Amazon is the largest rainforest on Earth. Amazon rainforest 1 8 Keywords  carnivore herbivore rainforest

jaguar monkey More than half of the The tall trees of the world’s animal species rainforest allow some live in tropical rainforests. animals to spend their A fierce mammal in the entire lives off the ground. Amazon is the jaguar, a Howler monkeys swing meat-eating carnivore. from tree to tree gathering fruit and seeds to eat. Put these living things of the rainforest in the correct food chain order. Who will eat what? 19

In the grasslands Half of the continent of Africa is tropical grassland. Also called a savannah, tropical grassland has a rainforest on one side and a desert on the other. grassland This grassland habitat is filled with different types of grasses, bushes and a few trees. 2 0 Keywords  grassland plain savannah

With so much plant life …which means there are here, there are many also carnivores, hiding in herbivores… the grass, ready to pounce! herbivores carnivore This is the land of Prepare a report on a the African safari! habitat you would like to visit; research photos online and print them out. Describe your habitat and why it is your favourite. 21

In the mountains An alpine habitat lies high up in the mountains, where trees stop growing. Plants and animals here live with icy temperatures and wind. alpine habitat An alpine habitat lies between the treeline and the edge of permanent snow. Keywords  alpine mountain treeline 22

Due to the harsh climate, alpine flowers plants do not grow very tall. This protects them slightly from the wind. Draw a mountain scene with wildlife. How can you find out which animals live there? Asian yak Alpine animals are built for the cold weather. The Asian yak has two layers 23 of fur – one short and thick for warmth and a longer layer on top that acts as a raincoat.

In the ocean The ocean covers more than half of the Earth’s surface. This habitat is filled with marine plants and animals. In tropical waters there is coral – an animal made up of tiny creatures called polyps. colourful coral and tropical fish 2 4 Keywords  algae coral polyp plankton

plankton grouper fish Floating throughout the Many fish and other marine ocean is plankton – very animals are carnivores and tiny plants and animals eat other creatures. that are at the start of most Plants on the ocean floor ocean food chains. make a good hideout! Make a 3-D coral reef. You will need: a small cardboard box, blue paint, glue, sand, stones and/or seashells, coloured pipe cleaners, modelling clay - Paint the inside of the box blue. - Spread glue on the inside bottom. - Sprinkle sand over the glue. - Glue on pipe cleaners for colourful coral, twisting them into different shapes. - Add stones and/or seashells. - Finish it off with a few clay sea creatures and fish! 25

Micro-habitats Within large habitats such as a woodland or desert, there are small micro-habitats. pond A pond is a micro-habitat, where plants, insects and frogs live. 2 6 Keywords  micro-habitat minibeast vegetation

tree stump The stump of a fallen tree is a micro-habitat. It makes a cosy home for small mammals and insects. Vegetation such as moss will grow on it too. Make a project book of your activities from previous pages. Design the covers, then hole punch all pages on the left side and tie together with string or wool. You can also create an e-book edition by scanning each page and artwork with your teacher or grown-up and making a PDF file. A pile of leaves can be a micro-habitat. Here you may find worms, millipedes and perhaps a hedgehog waking from its nap! hedgehog in leaves 27

Comprehension check Are the following sentences True (T) or False (F)? 1. All living things need air and food. T/F 2. A tree is a living thing. T/F 3. A light bulb is a living thing. T/F 4. Autumn leaves on the ground are living. T / F 5. Plants are always at the bottom of the T/F food chain. 6. Plants are consumers. T/F 7. A desert habitat is wet and cold. T/F 8. A tropical rainforest is hot and wet. T/F 9. An alpine habitat is hot. T/F 10. A pond is a micro-habitat. T/F Turn to page 32 to mark your answers. 28

Vocabulary check Fill in the blanks to complete these facts: 1. Living things r _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, feed and get rid of waste. 2. A h _ _ _ _ _ _ is a natural place where you will find living things. 3. A f _ _ _ c _ _ _ _ is a group of animals in the order of what they eat. 4. An a _ _ _ _ _ habitat is high up in the mountains, beyond the treeline. 5. A m _ _ _ _-_ _ _ _ _ _ _ is a small habitat within a large habitat. 6. P_ _ _ _ _ _ _ is at the bottom of the food chain in the ocean. 7. Coral is made up of tiny creatures called p _ _ _ _ _. 8. A garden in the city is an u _ _ _ _ habitat. 9. A w _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is a habitat where evergreen and deciduous trees grow. 10. Plants make their own food. They are p _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Turn to page 32 to mark your answers. 29

Let’s experiment Make a bug hotel 1. With an adult’s help, You will need: carefully cut off the top • twigs of a plastic water bottle • bark or use an empty food tin • moss for your hotel building. • scissors • a plastic water bottle 2. Fill the hotel with the outdoor materials. Pack or empty food tin them in tightly so they • notebook don’t fall out when the • pen bottle or tin is on its side. 3. Put it in a safe place on the ground outside where it is protected from wind. 4. Over several weeks, observe your hotel and write down any guest activity in your hotel notebook! 5. Use a magnifying glass to see any guests up close. 30

Glossary abundance – a large amount permanent – something lasting for alpine – a high mountain area above a very long time or forever the growth of trees produce – to make or create carnivore – an animal that eats the provide – to give reproduce –to have young flesh of other animals climate – the usual weather or offspring safari – an activity to look for or hunt of a place environment – everything that wild animals surface – the outside or top layer surrounds a living thing fungi – plural of fungus; living things of something survive – to live similar to plants tropical – something from or in the herbivore – an animal that eats area of the equator only plants vegetation – plant life marine – something from or waste – material produced from a in the sea living thing after food is digested natural – something found in nature; not man-made 31

Index mountain 22–23 ocean  14, 24–25 Africa  16, 20, 21 pond 26 alpine region  7, 22–23 predators 9 Amazon  18, 19 prey 9 city 12–13 producers  8, 9 consumers 9 rainforest 18–19 desert  6, 7, 16–17, 26 rock pool  6, 14, 15 experiment 30 savannah 20–21 food chain  8–9 sea 24–25 forest  6, 10–11 seaside 14–15 fungi 11 tide pool  6, 14, 15 grassland 20–21 woodland  6, 10–11, 26 micro-habitats 26–27 moss 11 Quiz answers Comprehension check, page 28 1. T,  2. T,  3. F,  4. F,  5. T,  6. F,  7. F,  8. T,  9. F,  10.T Vocabulary check, page 29 1. reproduce,  2. habitat,  3. food chain,  4. alpine,  5. micro-habitat,  6. plankton,  7. polyps,  8. urban,  9. woodland,  10. producers Photo credits Shutterstock.com: cover: Ondrej Prosicky; pp 1–2: Kazakova Maryia, arbit; pp 4–5: Konstanttin, Vera Kailova, Angiolino Baruffa, Tii more, johan.lebedevski; pp 6–7: Matt Gibson, Julian Schaldach, Rocky Grimes, Teguh Mujiono; pp 8–9: Pelevina Ksinia, brgfx, Africa Studio; pp 10–11: sirtravelalot, Takiev Alexander, Zerbor, SJ Travel Photo and Video, kristof lauwers, Lorelyn Medina, Robuns; pp 12–13: Arthur Paley, nnattalli, Jamie Hall, warawiri; pp 14–15: STEVENSON, Andy Usher, loocmill, Lakeview Images, itor, Eric Isselee, Eric Isselee, Photok.dk, Lorelyn Medina; pp 16–17: Paul Vinten, kallen1979, eAlisa; pp 18–19: streetflash, ben landy, THPStock, khanbm52; pp 18–19: streetflash, ben landy, THPStock, khanbm52; pp 20–21: Susan Schmitz, Galyna Andrushko, Stephanie Periquet, GraphicsRF; pp 22–23: Anna Tronova, SakSa, Anna Tronova, SimpleB; pp 24–25: Brian Kinney, Napat, Tono Balaguer, Nakonechnyi Jaroslav; pp 26–27: aaabbbccc, Ondrej Prosicky, WindVector, James Bloor Griffiths; pp 28–29: asantosg; pp 30–32: BlueRingMedia, Heike Rau, Lorelyn Medina, Birdydiz Author’s photo: p 17: Nichola Tyrrell 32