Diversity in the Living World
Living things come in an amazing variety, from tiny insects to giant trees. This Class 6 Curiosity chapter explores the diversity of plants and animals, the different habitats they live in, how they are adapted to survive there, and how we group living things to make sense of them.
Learning objectives
- Appreciate the variety of living things.
- Describe different habitats and their organisms.
- Explain adaptation to a habitat.
- Group living things by shared features.
Key concepts
Variety of living things
The living world is hugely diverse — there are millions of kinds of plants and animals, differing in size, shape, colour and the way they live. This rich variety of life is called biodiversity, and even a small area like a garden or pond can hold many different organisms.
Habitats
The place where an organism lives is its habitat. Habitats can be terrestrial (on land), such as forests, deserts and grasslands, or aquatic (in water), such as ponds, rivers and the sea. Each habitat provides the food, water, air and shelter its organisms need.
Adaptation
Organisms have special features that help them survive in their habitat — these are adaptations. A camel stores fat in its hump and has wide feet for desert sand, while a fish has a streamlined body and gills to live in water. Adaptations match an organism to where it lives.
Grouping living things
To study so many organisms, we group them by shared features. Living things are first sorted into plants and animals, and then into smaller groups — for example, animals that fly, swim or walk, or plants such as herbs, shrubs and trees. Grouping makes the diversity easier to understand.
Key definitions
- Biodiversity
- The variety of different living things in an area or on Earth.
- Habitat
- The natural place where an organism lives.
- Adaptation
- A feature that helps an organism survive in its habitat.
- Aquatic habitat
- A habitat in water, such as a pond, river or sea.
Solved examples
Q1. What is the habitat of a fish?
Solution: An aquatic habitat — water, such as a pond, river or sea.
Q2. Name one adaptation of a camel to the desert.
Solution: Wide feet that stop it sinking in sand (or fat stored in its hump).
Q3. Into which two big groups are living things first sorted?
Solution: Plants and animals.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Thinking only large or visible animals count as biodiversity.
- Confusing habitat (where it lives) with adaptation (how it survives there).
- Believing any organism can live well in any habitat.
- Assuming all plants are the same with no variety.
Diversity in the Living World — MCQ Quiz
10 questions with instant feedback. Use number keys 1–4 to answer.
The variety of living things is called:
Practice questions
Short answer
What is a habitat?
The natural place where an organism lives and finds what it needs.
Give one adaptation of a fish.
A streamlined body (or gills for breathing in water).
What does biodiversity mean?
The variety of different living things in an area or on Earth.
Long answer
Explain what a habitat is and describe terrestrial and aquatic habitats with examples.
A habitat is the natural place where an organism lives and from which it gets food, water, air and shelter. Habitats are broadly of two kinds. Terrestrial habitats are on land and include forests, grasslands and deserts — for example, a forest is home to deer, monkeys and many trees. Aquatic habitats are in water and include ponds, rivers, lakes and the sea — for example, a pond is home to fish, frogs and water plants. Each habitat suits the particular organisms that live there.
What is adaptation, and how does it help organisms survive? Give two examples.
Adaptation means the special features of an organism's body or behaviour that help it survive in its habitat. These features develop because they suit the conditions where the organism lives. For example, a camel has wide, padded feet so it does not sink in desert sand and stores fat in its hump to manage with little food and water. A fish has a streamlined body to move easily through water and gills to take in oxygen dissolved in water. Without such adaptations, an organism could not survive well in its surroundings.
HOTS (Higher Order Thinking)
Why might a fish placed in a desert not survive, even though it is a healthy animal?
A fish is adapted to water — it breathes through gills and needs water to move and stay moist — so the dry desert habitat cannot meet its needs.
A new garden slowly attracts insects, birds and worms. What is happening to its biodiversity?
Its biodiversity is increasing, as more different kinds of living things make it their habitat.
Quick revision
Revision notes
- Biodiversity = the variety of living things.
- Habitat = where an organism lives; terrestrial (land) or aquatic (water).
- Adaptations are features that suit an organism to its habitat.
- We group living things (plants/animals; herbs/shrubs/trees) to study them.
Key takeaways
- Life is enormously varied — that is biodiversity.
- Each organism is adapted to its habitat.
- Grouping makes diversity easier to understand.
Frequently asked questions
What is biodiversity?
The variety of different living things found in an area or on Earth.
What is an adaptation?
A feature that helps an organism survive in its particular habitat.
What are the two main types of habitat?
Terrestrial (on land) and aquatic (in water).