3 4 living in different environments (life sciences)

What structures help plants and animals live and grow?. Living things need food, air, water, and space.. Adaptations Plants and animals live in many different kinds of places.. Adaptat

Standard Set 3 Life Sciences

3 Adaptations in physical structure or

behavior may improve an organism’s

chance for survival As a basis for

understanding this concept:

3.a. Students know plants and animals

have structures that serve different

functions in growth, survival, and

reproduction.

3.b. Students know examples of

diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands.

Nonfi ction Main Idea and Details • Captions

• Text Boxes

• Glossary

Adaptations

Scott Foresman Science 3.4

ISBN 0-328-23526-1

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Standards Preview

Life Sciences

adaptation

biome

desert

grassland

tundra

wetland

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8 Robert Ulrich.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V010 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06

by Trish West

What structures

help plants and

animals live and

grow?

Living things need food, air, water, and space

They need to stay protected and make offspring

Plants make their own food They use the Sun’s

energy and the air’s carbon dioxide to make it

They also need water and nutrients from the soil

Animals cannot make their own food They

must eat plants or other animals Animals need

oxygen and water They also need shelter

Adaptations

Plants and animals live in many different kinds

of places Living things have features and abilities that help them live Each body part or ability that helps a plant or animal to live in a place is an

adaptation.

Adaptations for Getting Food

Animals have adaptations to help them get food Some birds have webbed feet so they can swim to get food Other birds can use their feet to hold food tightly

This is a hyena skull Hyenas have adaptations for eating meat

Bird Bill Adaptations

Birds have bills to help them catch and eat food

They have different bills depending on what they

eat Cardinals, warblers, and pelicans can live in

the same place But they all have different bills

This means they all eat different kinds of food

The fl amingo’s long, curved bill helps it get food in shallow water.

The cardinal’s short, strong bill helps it break open seeds.

5

Adaptations for Protection

How an animal looks and acts can help it stay alive Some animals’ bodies are a color or pattern

that is hard to see This is called camoufl age Other

animals look like a more dangerous animal Some animals use chemicals to protect themselves

Others may run, swim, or fl y away from danger

Some animals have body parts such as sharp teeth or hard shells They use these parts to protect themselves from enemies

The porcupine’s sharp quills help protect it from enemies.

What are different

environments

where things live?

Biomes

A biome has a similar year-round weather

pattern and supports similar living things Plants

and animals in a biome are adapted to live there

A California Biome

Chaparral is a biome found on California hills It

has mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers Small

evergreen shrubs grow there They have thick,

waxy leaves that hold in water Their roots and

seeds can survive fi res Then new shrubs can grow

7

Animals That Live in the Chaparral

Desert cottontails hide under shrubs in the chaparral Coyotes and bobcats hunt them

Cottontails try to escape by running in zigzags

Coyotes eat more kinds of food than bobcats

do The two animals do not always eat at the same times These adaptations mean there is enough food for them both

Bobcats hunt mostly

in daylight.

Cottontails eat leaves and soft bark Coyotes and bobcats hunt them.

Biomes of North America

North America has many biomes Each one

takes up a large area Plants are the main source of

food energy in a biome This is why many biomes

are named for important plants that grow there

Rain Forest Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees are adapted

to the cool, wet weather there.

Wetland Salty tides and mud provide food for the living things there

Many wetlands have just fresh water.

Ocean Forests of giant kelp grow in the water off the west coast

They support a lot of living things.

9

Desert Many plants here have roots that spread out a lot

This helps them get water in a dry place.

Tundra Strong, cold, dry winds blow here

Plants stay alive by growing close to the ground.

Grassland There is enough rain here for grasses and

fl owering plants

Few trees grow in a grassland.

Chaparral Shrubs grow close together Fires break out and spread during hot, dry summers.

How do living things

survive in places

with few trees?

A grassland is a kind of biome Grasslands

have many grasses and fl owering plants, but few

trees Grassland summers can be hot and dry,

while the winters are often cold Trees grow poorly

there because there is not enough water for them

This blazing

star grows in

a grassland.

11

Indian grass and little bluestem grow well in a grassland Their roots grow deep into the ground

This adaptation is helpful in many ways The roots survive even when grazing animals eat the plants

The roots also survive when fi re or cold kill the plants above ground The roots store food in winter

They help the plants get water in the dry summers

Bison once lived in grasslands Their teeth are adapted for eating plants

Desert

A desert is another kind of biome Deserts get

very little rain Days in a desert are often hot, but

nights can get cold Deserts are not just sand They

can be full of life

A cactus is a desert plant It has adaptations

for living in a desert A cactus makes food with its

stems Cactus stems expand to store rain water

The stems’ thick covering stops water loss Cactus

leaves are sharp spines These leaves protect the

cactus from thirsty animals and direct sunlight

Spines are leaves that don’t

make food They keep a

cactus safe from animals

13

Many desert animals hide during the hot day

They come out at night The dark night protects them from animals that hunt them

Many desert animals rarely drink water

Instead, their bodies get water from their food

The kangaroo rat gets water by eating seeds It stores food in its cheeks.

Tundra

The tundra is a cold, dry biome Tundra is

found very far north and on high mountains

Winters in the tundra are long and cold Summers

are short and cool The soil under the tundra

surface stays frozen all year

In the tundra, summer daylight hours are

many Winter daylight hours are few Some areas

of the tundra have only sunlight during summer,

and only darkness during winter!

An Arctic gray wolf has

fur to keep it warm.

15

Survival in the Tundra

Few plants and animals can live in the tundra

Small plants and grasses grow close to the ground

This protects them from winter winds

In summer, snow melts to form ponds Birds such as ducks and geese nest near the ponds They eat insects that hatch there Most birds leave the tundra in winter

These lichen live in the cold tundra They get water from the air.

How do living things

survive in forests?

Coniferous Forests

Coniferous forests grow in places where winter

winds blow cold and dry Coniferous trees have a

cone shape This shape lets snow slide off without

breaking branches

Most coniferous trees have needle-shaped

leaves These leaves do not drop off in the fall

They lose little water in the cold winds The needles

can gather sunlight from many directions

Coniferous forests have pine,

spruce, fi r, and hemlock trees.

17

Deciduous Forests

In a deciduous forest, trees grow in the warm

spring and summer when it rains These trees lose their leaves in the fall This adaptation lets them save energy in cold winters

Animals are adapted to use the trees for food and shelter The trees provide nuts, acorns, and fruit for animals to eat

Deciduous forest trees have different leaves than coniferous forest trees.

Black bears’ claws help them dig for insects and climb trees

to get nuts and acorns

Rain Forest Plants

One kind of rain forest grows in places with

moderate temperatures and lots of winter rain In

this biome, coniferous trees grow very tall Their

evergreen needles get sunlight high up in the air

In this type of forest, tall trees block most

sunlight Little light reaches the ground Plants

such as moss grow well in the shade Fungi also

grow here and break down dead wood for food

Mushrooms grow from this

dead log

19

Rain Forest Animals

Spotted owls live in thick tree branches Great horned owls hunt them The branches protect spotted owls Spotted owls use their sharp talons to grab squirrels

Flying squirrels eat mushrooms They save energy and go far by gliding

Spotted owls see well at night.

Flying squirrels can glide through the forest.

How do living things

survive in water

environments?

Wetlands

A wetland is low area that is covered by

water at least part of the year The water washes

nutrients from the land This helps plants grow

Coastal wetlands have salty water Tides bring

salty water from the ocean Some living things

can live in saltier places than others The water in

coastal wetlands has different amounts of salt in it

This lets different plants and animals live there

Living in Mud

Crabs, shrimps, and snails live in the mud of salt marshes They eat tiny living things that grow

in the mud

Many kinds of birds live near marshes They eat the small animals that live there Shorebirds have long legs to wade through the shallow waters

Their feet keep them from falling in the mud Then they dig for food with their long, thin bills

A shorebird has long legs and a bill to help it fi nd food in a salt marsh.

Oceans

Salty oceans cover much of Earth’s surface

The water is shallow near the shore Clams, crabs,

algae, fi sh, and coral live close to the shore

Seabirds dive to get their food here

Under deeper water, algae called kelp form

forests Many animals, such as fi sh, live in these

forests Fish get oxygen from the water through

their gills Their sleek bodies let them move

through the water quickly

Many plants and animals live along the shore.

Many animals

breathe using gills.

23

Whales, sea lions, and sea otters live in the ocean too These animals do not have gills They

go above the water to breathe They are adapted for moving fast in the water Long fur would make sea lions slow So sea lions have very short hair

Whales have almost no hair Sea otters have fur It

is thick and oily to keep them warm

Whales do not have gills They have lungs for breathing air.

adaptation a structure or ability that helps a

plant or animal meet its needs

year-round weather pattern and support similar kinds of living things

fl owering plants, but few trees

most northern part of the world and on high mountains

at least part of the year

1 What is the weather like year-round in a chaparral

biome?

2 How do cottontails try to escape coyotes and bobcats?

3 What adaptation helps grasses live in a grassland?

ocean biomes Suppose you went swimming in the ocean Describe the plants and animals you would see there and how they live with each other.

main idea of page 5? What are some details that support that idea?