Science
Date: 03/04/2025
Environment and Variation
The Environment
The environment refers to our physical, chemical and biological surroundings. A
habitat is the place in which a plant or animal lives. The habitat must provide
everything a plant or animal needs to survive. Organisms are adapted to their habitat.
Habitat
A habitat is a place where organisms (animals and plants) live.
Eg: ocean, desert, jungle
The words used to describe habitats are physical environmental factors.
Adaptation
Habitat: The place an organism lives in
Environment: The conditions around an organism caused by physical
environmental factors
Adaptation: The features that plants and animals have that help them
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live in a certain place
Polar bears have a thick layer of fat
to keep warm in the cold habitat
they live in.
Adaptation Advantage
Arctic foxes have thick fur that changes color with the seasons, providing camouflage
and warmth in the snowy Arctic.
Camels have humps that store fat, allowing them to survive long periods without food
and water in the hot desert.
Desert foxes have large ears that help them lose heat and stay cool in the hot desert.
Lions have sharp claws and strong jaws to help them catch and eat their prey in the
wild.
Moles have strong, shovel-like claws to help them dig tunnels underground where they
live.
Polar bears have a thick layer of fat and dense fur to keep warm in the freezing Arctic.
Bats have large, flexible wings that allow them to fly and hunt for food at night.
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Giraffes have long necks to help them reach leaves high up in trees for food.
Penguins have a thick layer of blubber and tightly packed feathers to keep warm in
cold Antarctic Waters.
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Predators are animals that hunt other animals. The animals that they hunt are their
prey. Predators have adaptations that allow them to catch their prey.
Predator and Prey
Simple food chains
A plant is eaten by a caterpillar.
The caterpillar is eaten by a bird.
The bird is eaten by a fox.
Plant → Caterpillar → Bird → Fox
Food chains start with a plant that is eaten by an animal.
Chains usually have about 3-5 species.
Food webs
The Food Web is a series of food chains all connected to each other. Plants are eaten
by a variety of consumer animals and then those animals may be eaten by a variety of
different carnivores.
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Producer – the start of a food chain, produces own energy, always a plant
Herbivore – an animal that eats only plants
Omnivore – an animal that eats plants and animals
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Carnivore – an animal that only eats animals
The biggest threat to a food chain is us (HUMANS)
Daily and Seasonal changes
The changes that animals go through during the course of the day or over the seasons
are behavioural adaptations to the environment.
There are 4 seasons Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
Nocturnal → Comes out at night
Diurnal → Comes out at day
Variation within a Species
All dogs are the same species however different breeds can look very different to each
other.
When describing species you need to concentrate on physical characteristics.
For example: “has ears on the top of it’s head” rather than “eats meat”.
This focus on physical characteristics will continue throughout the rest of the topic.
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The smallest group that animals and plants with the similar characteristics can be put
into is called a species. Members of the same species share many characteristics but
are not always identical, e.g. all dogs are the same species but come in different
colours shapes and sizes.
Members of a species can breed together and their young can breed as well.
VARIATION - The differences between a species
Environmental and Genetics Factors
Environmental Variation refers to the differences in living organisms caused by their
surroundings or environment. These differences happen because organisms
experience different conditions, like temperature, food availability, or the amount of
sunlight. These changes are not passed on to their offspring because they are not
inherited through genes.
Genetic Variation refers to differences in organisms caused by their genes, which are
inherited from their parents. This type of variation is passed on to offspring through
reproduction.
Your appearance is a combination of environmental factors (your surroundings) and
genetic factors (what you inherit from your parents).
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