Animals - Study

Notes

Biology

Copyright © 2014-2023 TestBook Edu Solutions Pvt. Ltd.: All rights reserved
 Download Testbook App

Animals & Plants

Life Process:

Living things are made of microscopic structures called cells.

They grow and exhibit movement or locomotion.

Living things are capable of producing a new life that is of their own kind through the process of reproduction.

Living things have a particular life span and are not immortal.

Their life cycle can be summarised as follows – birth, growth, reproduction and death.

Examples of living things are plants and animals.

Characteristics of both plants and animals:

Movement:

Plants and animals both exhibit locomotory motion, they move.

Animals are able to move as they possess specialized locomotory organs.

For example, earthworms move through the soil surface through longitudinal and circular muscles.

Plants move in order to catch sunlight for photosynthesis.

Respiration:

Respiration is a chemical reaction, which occurs inside cells to release energy from the food.

1 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Transport of gases takes place.

The food that is ingested through the process of digestion is broken down to release energy.

This energy is utilized by the body to produce water and carbon dioxide as by-products.

Response to stimuli:

Plants and animals are sensitive to various stimuli.

Plants respond to sunlight and animals respond to touch.

They also have the capability to sense changes in their environment.

Growth:

Both plants and animals mature and grow through di erent stages of development.

Reproduction:

One of the striking features is that all plants and animals are capable of, is reproduction.

It refers to producing o spring of their own kind through the process of reproduction.

It is a process where genetic information is passed from the parents to the o spring.

Food:

2 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

They acquire and ful l their nutritional requirements to survive through the process of nutrition and digestion.

Plants are also autotrophic, which means they can harness the sun’s energy to make their food (also known as autotrophs).

Animals are heterotrophic, i.e. is an organism that cannot produce their own food.

They either feed on plants or other animals to satisfy their nutritional requirement.

Humans on the other hand are the only animals that cook their food.

The digested food is eliminated from the body through the process of excretion.

Animals

System Description

Circulatory

System

The circulatory system consists of the heart and blood vessels.

In humans, blood ows through arteries and veins and the heart acts as a pumping organ.

The human circulatory system is also called the blood-vascular system.

The process involves the transportation of blood.

3 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Respiratory

System

The process of breakdown of food in the cell with the release of energy is called cellular respiration.

It takes place in the cells of all organisms.

Excretory

System

The biological process involved in the removal of these harmful metabolic wastes from the body is called excretion.

Digestive

system

Digestion is a complex process of turning the food we eat into nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth and cell repair needed

It also involves creating water to be excreted.

The Human Digestive system consists of the alimentary canal which can be further divided into various components. a) The buccal cavit

Dr Beaumont:

William Beaumont (November 21, 1785 – April 25, 1853) was a surgeon in the U.S. Army.

He became known as the "Father of Gastric Physiology " following his research on human digestion.

4 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

In 1822, an employee of the American Fur Company named Alexis St. Martin was accidentally shot.

Dr Beaumont treated his wound but expected St. Martin to die from his injuries.

Despite this dire prediction, St. Martin survived but with a hole in his stomach that never fully healed.

He was hired as a handyman by Dr Beaumont to observe digestive processes.

Animal Classi cation:

Living organisms are classi ed into ve kingdoms.

Kingdom Monera.

Kingdom Protista.

Kingdom Fungi.

Kingdom Plante.

Kingdom Animalia.

5 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Biologists, such as Ernst Haeckel, Robert Whittaker, and Carl Woese tried to classify all living organisms into broad categories called kingdoms.

Further classi cation is done by naming the sub-groups at various levels- kingdom, phylum or division, class, order, family, genus, species.

This is also known as the Taxonomic hierarchy.

Animal kingdom:

The animals which give birth to young ones are called viviparous animals.

Viviparous animals have external ears and body hairs

Examples: humans, elephants, cows etc.

Those animals which lay eggs are called oviparous animals.

These animals do not have external ears or body hairs.

6 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Examples: insects, birds etc.

Cold-blooded animals :

Cold-blooded animals are animals that are not capable of regulating their body ’s temperature according to the temperature of the surrounding.

They do not have a constant body temperature.

Cold-blooded animals include reptiles, amphibians, shes, insects, and other invertebrates .

These animals are also called poikilothermic animals.

Warm-blooded animals:

Warm-blooded animals are the animals that are capable of maintaining a nearly constant body temperature irrespective of the temperature of the e

Their body temperature remains the same as they move from one surrounding to another.

The temperature control is mostly obtained by regulating their metabolic rates.

Warm-blooded animals include birds and mammals.

These animals are also called homeothermic animals.

Hibernation:

Hibernation is de ned as the dormancy period of the cold-blooded animals in winters.

7 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

The cold-blooded animals such as Lizards, Frogs, Bats, Hamster, Bear etc. tend to go under a dormancy period in winters in order to survive the cold

Aestivation:

It is de ned as the slowing down of activity during the summer by some animals in order to cope with high temperatures.

Some Important Animals:

Elephant:

The elephant is the largest existing mammal on the Earth

The herd follows matriarchy, i.e. the oldest female elephant becomes the head of the herd.

There are 10 to 12 female elephants and young ones in a herd.

It mainly consists of females and baby elephants.

There is no male elephant in the herd, they leave when they turn 14 or 15.

The herd sometimes is joined by the (bull) elephants depending on the climate and terrain.

An adult elephant can eat up to 100kgs (1 quintal) of leaves and twigs in one day.

A three-month-old elephant weighs about 200 kgs (2 quintals).

Elephants do not rest much and sleep for only 2-3 hours per day.

8 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Elephants are usually found in tropical habitats.

Elephants love to play with mud and water. The mud keeps their skin cool.

Their big ears also work like fans. The elephants ap these to keep themselves cool.

Family is what forms the basis of the formation of elephants but it can consist of more than one family.

Rat:

Rats are rodents, which are small animals with sharp front teeth that gnaw.

Rats have pointy noses, long, hairless tails and brown, grey, black or white fur.

They can cause a lot of damage and are usually considered pests.

They belong to the mammalian class.

Rats have poor eyesight.

They have an excellent sense of smell, touch and taste.

Tiger:

A tiger can see six times better at night than most of us.

9 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

The tiger’s whiskers are very sensitive and can sense the movements or vibrations in the air.

A tiger’s sense of hearing is so sharp that it can make out the di erence between the rustling of leaves and the sound of an animal moving on the g

The ears of the tiger can move in di erent directions and this helps to catch the sounds from all around.

Tigers make di erent sounds for di erent purposes like when it is angry or to call out to a tigress. It can also roar or snarl.

Tigers mark their area with their urine.

A tiger can at once come to know if there is another tiger in its area by the smell of the urine.

Snakes:

Snakes can't hear the sounds but respond only by feeling the vibrations through their skin.

They do not have external ears.

They only feel the vibrations on the ground.

Of the many kinds of snakes found in our country, only four types of snakes are poisonous.

They are Cobra, Common Krait, Russel’s Viper (Duboiya), Saw-scaled Viper (Afai).

10 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

A snake has two hollow teeth (fangs).

When it bites, the poison enters the person's body through the fangs.

There is a medicine for snake bites.

The medicine is made from the snake's poison and is available in all government hospitals.

Snakes are friends of the farmers.

They eat the rats in the elds, otherwise, rats would eat the crops.

Sloth:

Sloths sleep for almost 17 hours per day.

That leaves only nine hours to lumber through the trees.

11 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

They maintain a low body temperature of about 86°F to 93°F.

They move in and out of the shade to regulate their body temperature.

The sloth eats the leaves of the same tree on which it lives.

It hardly needs anything else.

When it has eaten enough leaves from that tree, it moves to the nearby tree.

Sloths live for about 40 years.

During that time they move around only eight trees.

Once a week it comes down from the tree to relieve itself.

List of sleeping hours of animal:

Animal Sleeping Typical Maximum Life

hour span

Gira e 2 hrs 26 years or more

Insects:

Silkworm:

Some male insects can recognise their females by their smell.

12 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Silkworms can nd their female worm from many kilometres away by their smell.

Mosquito:

Mosquitoes can nd you by the smell of your body.

They also nd you by the smell of the sole of your feet and the heat of your body.

Mosquitoes are attracted to the carbon dioxide humans and other animals emit.

They also use their receptors to pick up on other cues like perspiration to nd a potential host.

Honey bees:

Honeybees are attracted to owers.

Honey bees live in a beehive, which is commonly used to describe the nest of any bee colony.

Honeybees lay their eggs from October to December.

Honey bees like to feed on sugar syrup.

Every bee colony consists of three types of bees:

Queen Bee:

13 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Every beehive has one Queen Bee that lays eggs.

Male Bee:

There are only a few males in the hive.

The male bees have no special role as workers.

Worker Bee:

Most of the bees in the hive are worker-bees.

These bees work all day.

They make the hive and also look after the baby bees.

14 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

They y around owers in search of nectar.

The worker bees are very important for the hive.

Without worker-bees, there would be neither hive nor any nectar collection.

When one bee nds owers with nectar, it does a special kind of dance by which the other bees can know where the nectar is.

Honey bees play a very important role in the pollination of owers like the Litchi, co ee, and cocoa ower.

Ants:

Ants are social insects because they live in large colonies or groups with the queen being the leader and the workers protecting their home.

The queen ant is both the founder and leader of the colony.

Her primary function is to inhabit the colony by laying thousands of eggs.

Ants have separate castes, which are groups of ants that complete a certain duty.

Ants usually move in a single line.

When ants move, they leave a smell on the ground. The other ants follow the smell to nd the way.

15 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Ants are colonial animals.

Ants are ridiculously strong. They have the ability to carry between 10 and 50 times their own bodyweight!

Birds:

Monocular vision:

Animals with eyes on the sides of their heads have a wide visual eld.

It is useful for detecting preys.

Such animals can focus on two di erent things at a time.

When they look straight ahead, both their eyes focus on the same object.

They don't have to move their heads to see around.

They can see four times as far as we can.

Example: Kites, Eagles, Vultures.

Binocular vision:

While those with eyes on the front of their heads have binocular vision.

Such animals can estimate distances when hunting.

16 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

They have to move their heads to see around.

The binocular vision of animals makes them see distinctly.

Example: Most animals, humans and birds.

Mynah:

Mynah birds are species in the family starlings.

Mynah is best known for their ability to talk and to mimic any sounds.

Mynah found in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.

In India Mynah known as Maina.

Mynahs are medium in height and have sturdy feet.

They can move their head backwards with a jerk.

Owl:

An owl is a nocturnal bird, which means it sleeps during the day and is awake at night.

Owls are carnivores. They eat rodents, small and medium-sized mammals, insects, sh, and other birds.

Owls can rotate their neck back up to 270 degrees.

17 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Owl can move its neck backwards to a large extent .

Sparrow:

House sparrows are the most common birds found in India.

They are usually brown and grey.

They have short tails and small, strong beaks.

Most sparrows eat seeds or small insects.

Sparrows are social birds and they live in ocks (groups).

A few years back the population of sparrow birds started to decline and they were not seen that commonly.

They are known to be sensitive to magnetic radiation.

An increasing number of cell phone towers in cities apparently are bringing down their populations.

18 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

The microwaves (300 MHz to 300 GHz) emitted by cell phone towers and handsets have been found to be responsible for damaging the eggs and em

Several countries have observed a reduction in bird diversity coinciding with the increase in Cellular Mobile Base stations.

Vulture:

Vultures can see four times as far as we can.

These birds can see things from a distance of eight metres what we can see from a distance of two metres.

Wildlife Conservation:

Biodiversity and its conservation are now vital environmental issues of international concern.

Biodiversity is not only essential for ecosystem health but imperative for the very survival of the human race on this planet.

The accelerated rates of species extinctions that the world is facing now are largely due to human activities.

The loss of biodiversity in a region may lead to a decline in plant production, lowered resistance to environmental perturbations such as drought,

There are four major causes:

Habitat loss and fragmentation

19 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Alien species invasions

Over-exploitation:

Co-extinctions

Habitat loss and fragmentation: This is the most important cause of driving animals and plants to extinction.

When large habitats are broken up into small fragments due to various human activities, mammals and birds requiring large territories, and

Over-exploitation : Humans have always depended on nature for food and shelter, but when ‘need’ turns to ‘greed’, it leads to over-exploitation of n

Alien species invasions : When alien species are introduced unintentionally or deliberately for whatever purpose, some of them turn invasive, and c

Co-extinctions : When a species becomes extinct, the plant and animal species associated with it in an obligatory way also become extinct.

Conservation:

Biodiversity conservation can be done in two modes i.e. In-Situ and Ex-Situ.

20 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

The mode of conservation which includes protective maintenance of threatened species outside the areas where they naturally occur is called as Ex-

Examples : Zoological parks and Botanical gardens, in-vitro fertilisation, tissue culture propagation and cryopreservation of gametes

In-Situ Conservation: The conservation method to protect the entire ecosystem in which the species are protected in their natural habitat.

Examples: National parks, Sanctuaries Biosphere reserves, Reserved forests, Protected forests.

Biosphere reserves:

Biosphere reserves cover very large areas, often more than 5000 km2.

They are used to protect species for a long time.

It includes protecting threatened species in their natural habitat .

Sanctuary:

Wildlife Sanctuary is a natural habitat, owned by the government or private agency, that safeguards particular species of birds and animals.

Restrictions are less and it is open to the public.

Human activity is allowed but up to a certain extent.

Its boundaries are not xed.

National Park:

21 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

A national park is an area dedicated to the conservation of wildlife along with its environment.

It is usually a small reserve covering an area of about 100 to 500 km2.

Within biosphere reserves, one or more national parks may also exist.

No human activity is allowed.

Table : Most famous National Park

Famous National Parks Location Prominent animal

Jim Corbett National Uttarakhand Royal Bengal Tiger

Kaziranga National Park Assam One-horned rhinoceros

Gir National Park Gujarat Asiatic lion

Sunderbans National West Bengal Royal Bengal Tiger

Sariska National Park Rajasthan Royal Bengal Tiger

Kanha National Park Madhya Pradesh Swamp deer

Ranthambore National Rajasthan Tiger

Bandipur National Park Karnataka Tiger

Tadoba Andhari National Maharashtra Tiger

Namdapha National Arunachal Pradesh Leopard, Clouded

Manas National Park Assam Pygmy Hog, Water

Dachigam National Park Jammu & Kashmir Kashmir stag

Hemis National Park Jammu & Kashmir Snow leopard

Periyar National Park Kerala Elephant

Plants

Processes:

22 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Transpiration:

It is a process in which excess water is lost in the form of vapors from the aerial parts of the plant.

Mainly through the stomata of leaves.

Stomatal openings are necessary to admit carbon dioxide to the leaf interior and to allow oxygen to escape during photosynthesis, hence transpiratio

Excessive transpiration can be extremely injurious to a plant.

When water loss exceeds water intake, it can retard the plant’s growth and ultimately lead to death by dehydration.

The stomata present in the leaves are responsible for the uptake of carbon dioxide and limit the loss of water due to evaporation.

Photosynthesis:

The green plants make or rather synthesize the food they need through photosynthesis and are therefore called autotrophs.

Green plants carry out ‘photosynthesis’, a physicochemical process by which they use light energy to drive the synthesis of organic compounds.

Ultimately, all living forms on earth depend on sunlight for energy.

23 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

The use of energy from sunlight by plants doing photosynthesis is the basis of life on earth.

Photosynthesis is important due to two reasons:

It is the primary source of all food on earth.

It is also responsible for the release of oxygen into the atmosphere by green plants.

The leaves have a green pigment called chlorophyll.

It helps leaves to capture the energy of the sunlight.

This energy is used to synthesis food from carbon dioxide and water.

Since the synthesis of food occurs in the presence of sunlight, it is called photosynthesis.

In the presence of sunlight Carbon dioxide + water → Carbohydrate + oxygen.

Some plants, green algae, and cyanobacteria can perform photosynthesis.

24 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

The process of photosynthesis is commonly written as

6CO2 + 6H2O + Sun-Light → C6H12O6 + 6O2

Transportation in plants:

Xylem

It is a type of tissue in vascular plants that transports water and some nutrients from the roots to the leaves.

The tissue consists of a variety of specialized, water-conducting cells known as tracheary elements.

Phloem

It is the complex tissue that acts as a transport system for soluble organic compounds within vascular plants.

It transports the food made in leaves to other parts of plants.

It is made up of living tissue, which uses turgor pressure and energy in the form of ATP to actively transport sugars to the plant organs

Types of plants:

Xerophyte:

These are plants growing in arid conditions throughout the year.

25 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Xerophyte plants mainly grow in deserts (psammophytes), on rock (lithophytes) or in alpine plants growing above 14000 feet altitude.

Xerophyte plants lose very little water through transpiration.

The leaves in these plants are either absent, very small, or are in the form of spines.

This helps in reducing the loss of water from the leaves through transpiration.

Examples of some xerophytes plants are cacti, pineapple, aloe vera etc.

Hydrophytes :

These are aquatic plants growing in fresh to marine water.

Examples - lotus, hydrilla, and white lily.

Mesophytes :

These are plants growing in soils with optimum soil water conditions prevailing for a major part of the year.

Examples - corn (maize), cucurbits, privet, lilac, goldenrod, clover, neem, mango etc.

Halophytes:

Plants that grow in waters of high salinity are called halophytes.

Mangrove swamps and sea lavender are examples of halophytes.

Epiphytes:

26 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant without causing any harm to it.

It derives its nutrients from the air, rain, or from the debris accumulating around it.

Mosses and orchids are the best examples of Epiphytes.

Parts of plant and their function:

Roots:

Roots are the underground parts of the plant that attaches the plant to the soil.

It grows out of radicle. Radicle is an embryonic organ present in the cotyledons of seed.

The direct elongation of the radicle leads to the formation of the primary root which grows inside the soil. It bears lateral roots of several orders tha

The primary roots and their branches constitute the taproot system eg. mustard root .

In monocots, the taproot is short-lived and gets replaced by a brous root system , that arises from the base of the stem

In some plants like Monstera, banyan etc roots arise from parts other than the base of the stem and are known as the adventitious root system .

The functions of the root are the following:

absorption of water and minerals from the soil,

27 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

providing a proper anchorage to the plant parts,

storing reserve food materia l(through root medication such as carrot, turnip etc)

synthesis of plant growth regulators

Types of root:

Taproot:

The taproot develops from the radicle of embryo of a seed.

The rst root formed by the elongation of radicle is called primary root. It continuously grows and produces lateral roots called secondary roots.

These types of roots are present in dicots, e.g., carrot, pea, gram, groundnut, etc.

Adventitious root:

The roots developing from any part of the plant other than the radicle are known as adventitious roots.

These are usually found in monocots, e.g., Sweet potato, wheat, onion, etc.

Prop root:

The prop roots grow as the horizontal branches of the stem and grow vertically downward.

They become thick pillar-like and provide mechanical support to the giant trees e.g., banyan tree

Stilt root:

These are small, thick supporting roots growing obliquely from the basal nodes of the main stem.

28 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

They provide mechanical support, e.g., sugarcane, maize, etc.

Stem:

The stem is the ascending part of the axis bearing branches, leaves, owers, and fruits.

It develops from the plumule of the embryo of a germinating seed.

It shows a distinction between nodes and internodes, where the node is the region where leaves are born and internodes are the region between t

It bears buds, which may be terminal or axillary.

The stem may be aerial, subaerial, or underground.

Functions of stem:

Stems perform various primary and secondary functions.

Primary functions

It bears leaves, fruits, owers, and seeds in position.

It conducts water and minerals to roots, leaves, fruits, owers, etc.

29 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

It holds owers in a suitable position so that pollination and fertilization can take place.

Formation of branches.

Secondary functions

Many stems store food as reserve food materials.

The underground stems help in perennation.

Stem branches provide support to its various parts.

Leaves:

Leaves are of two types scale leaves and green foliage leaves.

Mesarch xylem and transfusion tissues are found in the leaves.

Leaves helps in transpiration.

30 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Food is stored in the leaves.

Onion as a whole is a modi ed stem.

And also help the process of making food, i.e., Photosynthesis.

Transfusion tissue is for the conduction of water and food.

Flower

A ower can be de ned as a specialized structure that bears reproductive organs and takes part in the process of reproduction.

It is involved in the formation of fruits and seeds.

Structure of ower:

Each ower is supported by a stalk called a pedicle.

This stalk leads to a broad basal region of the ower. This part is called the thalamus. Also called the receptacle.

A typical ower has four main parts—or whorls—known as the calyx, corolla, androecium, and gynoecium.

31 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Seed:

Every plant/ tree has a di erent type of seed.

Seeds of plants/trees travel from one place to another by di erent methods.

Seed Dispersal is an adaptive mechanism in the movement or transport of seeds away from their parent plant.

This helps to ensure the germination and survival of some of the seeds to adult plants.

There are many vectors to transport the seed from one place to another.

Some travel by wind, some travel by water and some travel with the help of animals.

Seeds travel from one place to another to help in the propagation of plants/ trees.

Methods of seed dispersal:

Method Examples Mechanism

32 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

By Pea pods, When the seeds are ready, the pod dries up, the
bursting okra, beans inside of the pod dries faster than the outside.
This makes the pod twist inside, suddenly
splitting open violently, rolling into a little spiral.
Wind Orchids, This process of dispersal is mainly seen in
dandelions those plants which bear very light seeds.
Water Coconut, In this method of seed dispersal, seeds oat
palm away from their parent plant. These are mainly
seen in those plant that lives in water or nearby
the water bodies like beaches, lakes, ponds etc.
Animals, Blackberry, Di erent animals have di erent mechanisms
birds, cherry, for seed dispersal.
insects tomato
Gravity Apples, As the fruits from the tree fall on the ground
Commelina due to the force of attraction. They sometimes
roll down to some smaller distance, get buried
in the soil after a few days and germinate into a
new plant.

Important Plants:

Khejadi tree:

Its scienti c name is Prosopis cineraria.

It is known by di erent names across India.

Example: Shami in Maharastra & Uttar Pradesh, Jammi in Telangana, Khijro in Gujarat, Khejri in Rajasthan, Janti in Haryana, and Jand in Punjab.

It is a species of owering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae.

33 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

The Khejadi tree is found mainly in desert areas.

It can grow without much water.

Its bark is used for making medicines.

People cook and eat its fruits.

Its wood is such that it is not a ected by insects.

Animals in the area eat the leaves of the Khejadi.

Desert Oak:

It is found in the dry and arid regions of Australia.

It grows almost 10 m tall.

It has very few leaves

Its roots go very deep in search of water.

The depth of these roots is nearly 30 times the height of the tree.

This water is stored in the tree trunk.

Local people use a thin pipe to drink this water.

34 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Banyan trees:

A banyan tree has three types of roots.

Banyan trees are characterized by aerial roots, that hang from the branches.

These roots mature into thick, woody trunks, called prop roots.

Prop roots can become indistinguishable from the primary trunk with age.

Like any other tree, in addition, the banyan tree has deep underground roots.

A banyan tree is believed to be the world's biggest tree in terms of the area it covers.

It is the national tree of India.

35 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Insectivorous plants:

Carnivorous plants obtain the essential nutrients from the heterotrophs.

These plants trap insects and obtain the nutrients which they do not get from the soil as they grow in nitrogen-de cient soils.

They are not called heterotrophs or consumers, because they only derive nutrients from insects.

These plants get energy from the process of photosynthesis.

Hence they are both producers and carnivores.

Plant Trapping technique

Pitcher plant

The pitcher plant is an insectivorous plant.

They are green in colour and are both autotrophic and heterotrophic in nature.

It has a Pitcher-like structure that is the modi ed part of the leaf.

The apex of the leaf forms a lid that can open and close the mouth of the pitcher.

36 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Inside the pitcher, there are hairs that are directed downwards.

When an insect lands in the pitcher, the lid closes and the trapped insect gets entangled into the hair.

The insect is digested by the digestive juices secreted in the pitcher.

It can trap and eat frogs, insects and even mice.

It is found in Australia, Indonesia and Meghalaya in India.

It has a pitcher-like shape and the mouth is covered by a leaf.

It has a special smell that attracts insects to it, which get trapped and can't get out.

These plants trap insects and obtain the nutrients which they do not get from the soil as they grow in nitrogen-de cient soils.

Such plants may be green or of some other colour.

Venus Flytrap

It has snap traps, which snap shut when touched by insects.

Sundew

It has a sticky substance on its surface that looks like dews.

The insect gets stuck on it and digestive juices digest it by the time.

37 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Jatropha:

For use in diesel engines, the oil from the Jatropha curcas plant is primarily transformed into biodiesel.

Fish or animal feed can be made from the protein-rich cake left behind after oil extraction.

Neem:

It's sciente c name is Azadirachta indica.

It is native to the Indian subcontinent and most of the countries in Africa.

It is typically grown in tropical and semi-tropical regions.

Planting trees would be healthy for the environment.

A neem tree has immense medicinal qualities.

Each part of the neem tree the bark, branches, leaves and seeds have medicinal properties.

Because of this reason, it is also lovingly called ‘The Village Pharmacy ’.

38 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Besides having medicinal qualities, it is also a good source of fertilizer, pesticide and timber.

In short, Neem is a unique tree (a panacea) providing numerous bene ts to all.

Dried neem leaves are used for the storage of food grains at home.

This is because neem leaves help in keeping pests away by their characteristic smell.

The dried leaves of Neem are used as an insecticide.

Dry neem leaves are extensively used in Ayurveda, Unani and Homoeopathic medicine for the treatment of in ammation, infections, fever, skin disea

Algae:

Algae are chlorophyll-bearing, simple, thalloid, autotrophic and largely aquatic (both fresh water and marine) organisms.

Algae produce their own food just like other chlorophyll bearing plants, using water and CO2 as raw materials and releasing oxygen.

They occur in a variety of other habitats: moist stones, soils and wood.

Some of them also occur in association with fungi (lichen) and animals (e.g., on sloth bear).

The form and size of algae are highly variable, ranging from colonial forms like Volvox and lamentous forms like Ulothrix and Spirogyra.

A few of the marine forms such as kelps, form massive plant bodies.

39 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

The algae reproduce by vegetative, asexual and sexual methods.

Algae are useful to man in a variety of ways.

At least a half of the total carbon dioxide xation on earth is carried out by algae through photosynthesis.

Being photosynthetic they increase the level of dissolved oxygen in their immediate environment.

They are of paramount importance as primary producers of energy-rich compounds which form the basis of the food cycles of all aquatic animals.

Lichen:

Lichens are plants that grow in exposed places such as rocks or tree bark.

Lichens are widely used as environmental indicators or bio-indicators.

They are highly sensitive to atmospheric pollution and they can be used as air pollution indicators, especially of the concentration of sulfur di-oxide

They need to be very good at absorbing water and nutrients to grow there.

Forests:

Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest :

Tropical Deciduous Forests, also known as 'monsoon forests', are of two types - Moist Deciduous Forests and Dry Deciduous Forests.

The Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest is found in areas where rainfall is between 100 and 200 cm, the average annual temperature is around 27ºC, an

These forests are mostly found in the northeastern states along the Himalayan foothills, eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, and the Indian states o

40 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

The main species included in these types of forests are - Shisham, Teak, Sal, Sandalwood, Mahua, etc.

These forests also contain open grass patches.

Montane Wet Temperate Forest :

These forests are found at an altitude of 1000-2000 meters and are characterized by oak trees and chestnut trees.

These forests are found in some areas of states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland.

Sub-tropical Dry Evergreen Forest :

The forests are found at an altitude of about 1000 meters in the Bhabar, the Shiwaliks, and the western Himalayas.

Low scrubs with small evergreen stunted trees and shrubs are found in these forests.

Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest :

These forests are found in places where the annual rainfall exceeds 250 cm, average annual humidity exceeds 77, and the annual temperature is ab

The main species included in these forests are - Jamun, bamboo, mahogany, white cedar, etc.

Mangrove Forest:

Mangrove forests are found in the areas of coasts in uenced by tides.

These forests are grown in saline soil.

Dense mangroves are the common varieties with roots of plants submerged underwater.

41 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

The deltas of Ganga, Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari and Kaveri are covered with such vegetation.

In the Ganga-Bhramahputra delta, Sundari trees are found which provide hard timber.

Palm, Coconut, keora, agar is grown here.

Royal Bengal Tiger is the most famous animal found here.

Grassland:

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses.

There are two types of Grasslands.

One is tropical grasslands, which generally lie between the belts of tropical forest and desert.

The other is temperate grasslands, which generally lie between deserts and temperate forests.

Tropical Grasslands are:

42 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

East Africa- Savanna

Brazil- Campos.

Venezuela- Llanos

Temperate Grasslands are:

Argentina- Pampas

America- Prairie

Africa- Veld

Asia- Steppe

Australia- Down

Europe - Steppe

Grassland Description

43 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Down

It is a pastoral and agricultural region in southeastern Queensland, Australia.

It extends westward from the Great Dividing Range and southward to the Dumaresq and Macintyre rivers, generally occupying the basin

The Downs is a tableland that covers an area of about 5,500 square miles (14,200 square km) and has an elevation of 1,500–2,000 feet (450

Pampa

Pampas grasslands are located in the South American continent .

Pampas is a temperate grassland found in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.

They have a temperate climate with precipitation of about 600 to 1,200 m.m

44 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Prairie

Prairies are enormous stretches of at grassland with moderate temperatures, moderate rainfall, and few trees.

It is cultivable throughout the year due to a local wind called Chinook which blows from Rocky mountain and raises the temperature in th

The North American prairie is ideal for agriculture.

The weather is moderate, and there are no trees to move to create large, open elds.

The prairies grasses hold the soil rmly in place, so soil erosion is minimal.

Prairie's grassroots are very good at reaching water very far down under the surface, and they can live for a very long time.

Grains are a type of grass, so the prairie grassland is perfect for growing grain like wheat , rye, and oats.

Campos

Savanna grasslands in Brazil are called Campos.

These grasslands lie between 24°S and 35°S, which includes Uruguay and parts of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina.

These are rich in plant species and are more diverse than forest ecosystems.

The climate here is subtropical humid and the rainfall is distributed regularly all over the year.

A grassland is these areas mostly comprises grasses.

45 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology
 Download Testbook App

Steppe

It is a belt of grassland that extends some 5,000 miles (8,000 km) from Hungary in the west through Ukraine, Russia and Central Asia to

Mountain ranges interrupt the steppe, dividing it into distinct segments.

Steppes are semi-arid, meaning they receive 25 to 50 centimetres (10-20 inches) of rain each year.

Grassland Regions

Downs Australia
Pampas South America (Argentina &
Uruguay)
Prairies North America
Savanna Africa and Australia
Selvas South America
Steppes Europe and Northern Asia

46 of 46
SUBJECT | Biology