Forest – our lifeline
D: very short answers
1. Name two trees that are the source of timber
Sal and Ma|ho|gany
2. Name three wood based products other than timber.
Plywood, saw dust and paper
3. Name four plants that are used in making ayurvedic medicines.
Acacia, neem, amla, and eucalyptus
4. Define food web.
Number of food chains - exist together - in a forest - to form a food
web.
E: short answers
1. What role does forest play in the prevention of floods?
Forest acts as a natural absorber of rainwater and allow it to seep
underground. Thus they maintain water table.
They help in controlling floods, do not allow water to stagnate and
maintain flow of water in the streams. (control – does not allow –
maintain)
2. How does global warming occur?
Global warming occurs due to increase in the carbon dioxide level in
the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide traps some of the heat from the sun and prevents it
from escaping into space.
More heat is being trapped and the atmosphere has become hotter.
This is known as global warming.
4 With the help of an example, show how animals and plants are
interdependent?
The animals and plants are interdependent as the small grasses are
eaten by the small insects, small insects are the food of big insects.
Big insects are eaten by some small animals like snakes. Snake is also
a food of some birds like eagle.
After death of plants or animals, their nutrients are released into the
soil
These nutrients are absorbed by the roots of living plants.
5. Why are plants called air-purifier of nature?
Plants takes in carbon dioxide in photosynthesis and converts it to
oxygen. In this way, it purifies air.
6. Suppose all the microorganism are destroyed. Now what will
happen in the earth’s atmosphere?
Some microorganisms convert the dead plants and animals to
humus.
The presence of humus ensure that the nutrients of the dead plants
and animals are released into the soil.
If all the microorganisms are destroyed, the dead animals and plants
will not be decomposed.
Hence the earth will be covered by the dead animals and plants.
F: long answer
2 What do you mean by food chain? What will happen if one of
the links in the food chain is disturbed. Explain with example.
The transfer of energy from green plants to decomposers through a
sequence of organisms in which each organism eats the one below it
in the chain and is eaten by the one above is known as food chain.
This interdependence of the population within a food chain helps to
maintain the balance of plant and animal populations within a
community. The herbivorous animals depend upon plants for food.
The carnivorous depend on the herbivorous for food and so on.
When there are too many deer, there will be insufficient shrubs for all
of them to eat. Many deer will starve to death. Fewer deer will lead
to shortage of food for the lions and foxes and some of them will
starve to death.
