🌿 Class 6 Science – Chapter 2 Diversity in the Living World

🟢 Wise Saying

“Trees stand in the Sun, give shade and fruits to others 😊 Likewise, good people bear hardships and help others.”

🌍 What is Diversity

The variety of plants and animals around us is called diversity.

  • ✨ Example 🌳 Trees 🌸 flowers 🐦 birds 🐟 fish 🐒 monkeys – all show diversity.
  • ✨ Diversity of a region = Biodiversity.

🔹 2.1 Diversity in Plants and Animals around us

  • 🌱 Plants differ in stem leaves flowers.
  • 🐾 Animals differ in place of living food movement.

Examples from Nature Walk.

  • 🌿 Plants 🌱 grass tulsi hibiscus neem.
  • 🐾 Animals 🐦 crow 🐜 ant 🐄 cow 🕊️ pigeon.

🔹 2.2 Grouping of Plants and Animals

Why Group 👉 Makes study easy shows similarities & differences.

🌱 Plants grouped as

  • 1️⃣ Herbs – Small green soft stems 🍅 Tomato.
    • Class 6 Science Chapter 2 Diversity in the Living World illustration placeholder
    Herbs – Small, green, soft stems (🍅 Tomato)
  • 2️⃣ Shrubs – Medium height woody stems many branches 🌹 Rose.
  • 3️⃣ Trees – Tall thick woody stems branches high up 🌳 Mango.
  • 4️⃣ Climbers & Creepers – Weak stems need support or creep on ground 🍇 Money plant 🎃 pumpkin.

🍃 Leaves & Venation

  • 🌸 Reticulate venation – Net-like veins 🌺 Hibiscus.
  • 🌾 Parallel venation – Parallel veins 🍌 Banana 🌱 grass.

🌱 Roots

  • 🌷 Taproot – One main root with branches 🌺 Hibiscus 🌿 Mustard.
  • 🌾 Fibrous root – Many thin roots 🌾 Wheat 🍀 Grass.

🌱 Monocot vs Dicot Plants

Feature Dicot Plants (Dicotyledons) Monocot Plants (Monocotyledons)
🌾 Seed Two cotyledons split into 2 parts. One cotyledon single part.
🍃 Leaf Venation Reticulate net-like. Parallel lines.
🌱 Root System Taproot. Fibrous roots.
🌸 Examples Chickpea Chana Mustard Hibiscus Mango. Maize Wheat Grass Banana.

👉 Easy way to remember

  • 🟢 Di = Two → Dicots → Two cotyledons reticulate venation taproot.
  • 🟡 Mono = One → Monocots → One cotyledon parallel venation fibrous roots.

Relation

  • 🌸 Reticulate venation → Taproot → Dicots e.g., chickpea.
  • 🌾 Parallel venation → Fibrous roots → Monocots e.g., maize.

🔹 How to group animals

🟢 By Movement

  • 🕊️ Fly → Pigeon Housefly.
  • 🐟 Swim → Fish Whale.
  • 🐐 Walk Run → Goat Tiger.
  • 🐍 Crawl → Snake Lizard.
  • 🐸 Hop Jump → Frog Rabbit.

🟡 By Food Habits

  • 🐄 Herbivores → Cow Deer eat plants.
  • 🦁 Carnivores → Lion Tiger eat animals.
  • 🐻 Omnivores → Bear Humans eat plants + animals.

🔵 By Habitat

  • 🐪 Land Terrestrial → Camel Elephant.
  • 🐠 Water Aquatic → Fish Crocodile.
  • 🐸 Both Amphibians → Frog.

🟣 By Body Covering

  • 🐅 Fur → Tiger Dog.
  • 🦚 Feathers → Peacock Crow.
  • 🐍 Scales → Snake Fish.
  • 🐢 Shell → Turtle Snail.

✨ Key Idea

Animals are diverse but grouping them makes study easy and systematic.

🌳 Success Story – Save Silent Valley Movement

📍 Where? Palakkad district, Kerala

🌲 What? Silent Valley – a moist evergreen forest rich in biodiversity

⚡ Threat: Plan to build a hydroelectric dam on Kunthipuzha river

⏳ Duration: Struggle continued for 10 years

👥 Who saved it?

Not just locals → Common people from across India joined the movement.

Used many methods:

  • 🗣️ Awareness programs.
  • ✉️ Letters & articles.
  • 📖 Seminars.
  • ⚖️ Petitions & court appeals.

🏆 Result

  • ✅ The hydroelectric project was stopped.
  • ✅ Silent Valley forest was saved.
  • ✅ Today, it remains a symbol of people’s power in protecting biodiversity.

✨ Key Learning

  • United efforts of common people can protect nature.
  • Forests are not only local treasures but also global biodiversity assets.

🔹 2.3 Plants & Animals in Different Surroundings (Habitats)

🌊 Fishes (Aquatic animals)

  • Live in water.
  • Have streamlined bodies → helps in smooth swimming.
  • Use fins for movement.

🌿 Goats (Terrestrial animals)

  • Live in grassy areas on land.
  • Move with the help of legs.
  • Suitable for walking and jumping on uneven land.

    • ✨ Key Idea

    • Animal movement depends on their surroundings (habitat).
    • Different animals have different body shapes & sizes to adapt to where they live.

    🌵 Desert Plants (Rajasthan)

    • Cactus → Thick, fleshy stems store water.
    • Can survive in hot days & cold nights.

    🌲 Mountain Plants (Himalayas)

    • Deodar trees → Conical shape + sloping branches.
    • Help snow slide off easily during snowfall.

    🐪 Camels in Different Deserts

    Feature Hot Desert Camel (Rajasthan) Cold Desert Camel (Ladakh)
    🦵 Legs Long legs + wide hooves → walk easily on sand. Short legs → walk easily on mountains.
    🐫 Humps One hump → stores food & fat. Two humps → store extra food, shrink in winter.
    🧥 Body Less hair → tolerate heat. Long hair → protect from cold.
    💧 Water need Can survive without water (stores water in body). Same survival feature.

    🟡 Special Features of Camels

    • Store food in humps.
    • Excrete less urine, dry dung, do not sweat → save water.
    • Can survive many days without water.

    ✨ Key Idea

    • Biodiversity varies by region (desert vs. mountains).
    • Plants & animals adapt to survive local climate and resources.

    🌸 Rhododendrons in Different Regions

    • 🌺 Rhododendrons are plants with bright, beautiful flowers.
    • They are found in different mountain regions of India.

    🏔️ In Nilgiris (Shola forests – South India)

    • Rhododendrons are short in height.
    • Leaves are small.
    • Reason: To survive heavy winds on mountain tops.

    ⛰️ In Sikkim (Himalayan mountains – North-East India)

    • Rhododendrons are taller.
    • Have bigger leaves compared to Nilgiri ones.
    • Reason: Different climate & survival needs.

    ✨ Key Point

    👉 Even the same plant species can have different features in different regions. This is called adaptation to the local environment.

    🌍 Adaptations & Habitat

    🐋 Example from Andaman & Nicobar Islands

    • Sagar saw whales and colorful fish in the ocean.
    • 🐟 Fish have streamlined bodies → helps them swim easily in water.

    🌱 What are Adaptations?

    • Adaptations = Special features of plants and animals that help them survive in their surroundings.
    • Examples:
    • 🌲 Deodar tree → Conical shape & sloping branches help snow slide off.
    • 🌸 Rhododendron → Height and leaf size change with region (Nilgiris vs. Sikkim).
    • 🐪 Camel → Hump stores food, long legs help in desert sand.

    🏡 What is Habitat?

    • Habitat = The place where a plant or animal lives.
    • It provides food, water, air, and shelter for survival.
    • Examples:
    • 🐢 Sea turtle → Sea/ocean
    • 🐪 Camel → Desert (hot or cold)
    • 🌸 Rhododendron → Mountains
    • 👉 Many plants & animals can share the same habitat.

    ✨ Key Idea

    • Adaptations help survival.
    • Habitat decides biodiversity.
    • Different regions → different biodiversity.

    🌊 Aquatic and Terrestrial Habitats

    • Aquatic Habitat → Plants & animals living in water.
    • Examples: 🐠 Fish, 🐢 Turtles, 🐳 Whales, 🐊 Crocodiles, 🌾 Lotus
    • Terrestrial Habitat → Plants & animals living on land.
    • Examples: 🐐 Goat, 🐅 Tiger, 🐿️ Squirrel, 🌳 Mango tree

    🐸 Amphibians

    • Animals that live both on land and in water.
    • Example: Frog 🐸

    ❌ Damage to Habitats → Loss of Biodiversity

    If habitats are destroyed:

    • 🌱 Plants and 🐾 animals lose food, water, shelter.
    • Example:
    • Goat without grass = cannot survive 🐐
    • Fish without water = dies 🐟
    • 👉 This results in loss of biodiversity.

    ✨ Activity idea for students

    Ask parents or grandparents which animals/birds they saw often in childhood but are rarely seen now (like sparrows 🐦). Reason: Habitat destruction by humans.

    🟡 Important Terms

    • Biodiversity – Variety of life in an area
    • Habitat – Place where living things survive
    • Adaptations – Special features to survive (camel’s hump, cactus storing water)
    • Herbs, Shrubs, Trees – Plant types
    • Venation – Pattern of leaf veins
    • Dicots & Monocots – Based on seeds

    🔴 Summary Points

    • ✔️ We see variety in plants & animals = Diversity
    • ✔️ Grouping helps study better
    • ✔️ Plants → Herbs, shrubs, trees, dicots, monocots
    • ✔️ Animals → Grouped by movement, food, habitat
    • ✔️ Adaptations help survival (camel in desert, fish in water)
    • ✔️ Biodiversity differs from region to region
    • ✔️ Protecting biodiversity is essential 🌍

    🎯 Quick Questions for Practice

    1. 🌱 Name two plants with parallel venation.
    2. 🐪 Why can camels survive without water for many days?
    3. 🌲 Why are deodar trees conical in shape?
    4. 🐦 Which scientist is called the “Birdman of India”?
    5. 🐸 Give one example of an amphibian.

    🔬 Class 6 Science – Visit More Notes

    🌍
    Chapter 1

    The Wonderful World of Science

     🦁
    Chapter 2

    Diversity in the Living World

     🥗
    Chapter 3

    Mindful Eating: A Path to a Healthy Body

     🧲
    Chapter 4

    Exploring Magnets

     📏
    Chapter 5

    Measurement of Length and Motion

     🧱
    Chapter 6

    Materials Around Us

     🌡️
    Chapter 7

    Temperature and its Measurement

     💧
    Chapter 8

    A Journey through States of Water

     ⚗️
    Chapter 9

    Methods of Separation in Everyday Life

     🐾
    Chapter 10

    Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics

     🌿
    Chapter 11

    Nature's Treasures

     🚀
    Chapter 12

    Beyond Earth
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