Question 1.

Differentiate between autotrophs and

heterotrophs.
or
Differentiate between
producer and
consumer. Answer:
Autotrophs/Producer Heterotrophs/Consumer
(i) These are the (i) These are the
organisms capable of organisms that depend
synthesising their own on other organisms for
food. their food.
(ii) They are producer in (ii) They can be
an ecosystem. consumers, or
decomposers.
(iii) For example, green (iii) For example, all
plants. animals and
microorganisms

Question 2.
Give an example of food chain.
Answer:
Grass is eaten by insects, which in turn, is taken
by the frog. The frog is consumed by snakes. This
is an example of food chain.
Question 3.
Name any four birds which you expect to see in a
forest.
Answer:
Kingfisher, blue jay, hornbill and jungle crow.
Question 4.
How does the forests floor look like?
Answer:
The forest floor looks dark-coloured and covered
with a layer of dead and decaying fruits, plants,
leaves, twigs and small herbs, which is quite moist
and warm.
Question 5.
What do you mean by deforestation? Give some
causes of deforestation.
Answer:
The excessive cutting of trees for personal or
commercial purposes is called deforestation.
Two causes of deforestation are as follows:
 • Land is required to be cleared for cultivation,
construction of houses, road, etc.
• Forest fires cause huge loss to forest cover
which may be natural or by man.
• Overpopulation too directly affects forest
covers with the expansion of his habitat.
• Felling of trees recklessly for obtaining timber
also causes deforestation.
Question 6.
What is the importance of dense bushes and tall
grasses for animals living in the forests?
Answer:
The dense bushes and tall grasses provide the
animals with food and shelter. Moreover, they
protect the herbivores from carnivores living in
the forest.
Question 7.
Why is it dark
inside a forest?
Answer:
It is dark inside the forest because sun rays are
hardly able to penetrate through the dense
covering of leaves. The canopy of tall trees form a
roof over the other plants. The trees also get
covered with different types of creepers and
climbers.
Question 8.
How does photosynthesis and respiration
maintain the 02-C02 balance in the atmosphere?
Answer:
Photosynthesis is the process in which carbon
dioxide gas is used and as a by-product oxygen is
given out. This oxygen is used by the animals for
respiration and carbon dioxide is given out which
is again used by green plants for photosynthesis.
Question 9.
How do forests help in bringing rain?
Answer:
Trees absorb water from the soil through their
roots, and the excess water is released in the
atmosphere through transpiration in the form of
water vapour. This released water vapour forms
clouds which later bring rainfall.

Question 10.
Why are forests called green lungs?
Answer:
Forests, like lungs, maintain the 02-CO2 balance in
the atmosphere. Therefore forests are called
green lungs.
Question 11.
Write the importance of forests.
or
Why forests are also known as our ‘lifeline’?
Answer:
The major importance of forests are following:
• They maintain the 02-C02 balance in the
atmosphere.
• They maintain ground water level.
• They prevent the soil from getting eroded.
• They provide us with food, shelter, medicines,
timber, wood and other useful products.
• They maintain water cycle in the nature.
Question 12.
How does forests sustain a large variety of
animals?
Answer:
Different types of animals live in the forest, like
herbivores, carnivores, scavengers, etc. Forest
provides them with suitable living conditions. The
animals get their food in the forest itself.
Herbivores feed on plants. Carnivores eat
herbivores and thus survive. When these animals
die, various scavengers like vultures, eagles, etc.,
feed on their dead bodies.
Numerous microorganisms also live in the forest
that convert dead and decaying plant and animal
tissues into humus. They are called decomposers.
Thus, they provide a hostile condition for all the
animals.
Question 13.
How do forests prevent soil erosion? Explain.
Answer:
The removal of top layer of fertile soil by the
action of wind, river or rain is known as soil
erosion. This can change a fertile land into a
desert. This happens in areas which are not
covered with vegetation like trees and plants.
The roots of plants and trees bind the soil
particles together firmly. Owing to this, strong
winds and flowing rivers find it very difficult to
take away the particles of soil. In this way soil
erosion is prevented.
When it rains heavily in a forests, the rainwater is
first intercepted by the canopy and then it comes
down through stem, branches and leaves of the
forest plants. Over this process the speed of the
rainwater slows down. In this way, the rainwater
does not hit the floor of the forest directly. The
forest floor covered with fallen, leaves and twigs
absorbs water readily and do not allow it to flow
and thus, also prevent soil erosion.
Question 14.
As an active citizen, elaborate your role in
protecting the forests?
Answer:
At my level I will do the following things to protect
the forest:
• Use less paper and try to recycle it.
 • Do not buy any products made up of or
obtained from killing of wild animals.
• Try to plant as many trees as I can.
• Aware people about the importance of forest
in our lives.
• Reduce use of artificial items as it also create
stress on the forest.
Question 15.
How do trees grow in the forest without human
interference? Explain.
Answer:
Forest is a self-sustaining system. Forest floor is
fertile due to presence of humus. Various agents
like animals, wind, water, etc., disperse the seeds
of many plants. When these seeds get the
favourable conditions, like nutrient, water and
proper temperature germinate into a seedling
and gradually into a plant. Thus, no human
interference is required for trees to grow in a
forest.

Question 16.
Explain why a forest is
called a ‘dynamic living
entity’. Answer:
Forests are called dynamic living entity because of
the various plants, animals and microorganisms.
The wide variety of animals helps the forest to
regenerate and grow. Decomposers help in
maintaining the supply of nutrients to the growing
plants in the forest. Thus, in a
nutshell forest is a dynamic living entity, full of life
and vitality.
Question 17.
How do you think a bunch of seedlings sprouting
on a heap of animal dropping in a forest will be
benefitted?
Answer:
The decaying animal dropping will provide
nutrients to the growing seedlings.
Question 18.
It is a matter of concern if any plants or animals
perish from forest. Explain, why?
Answer:
Every component of a forest is dependent on
other. If any of these components perish due to
any adverse condition all other components of
the forest get affected. For example, if herbivores
are eliminated from the forest, then the forest
will grow very dense due to no one to eat them
and the carnivores will perish due to unavailability
of food.
Question 19.
Sonya likes to buy books and copies. To finish a
copy she wastes a lot of space and leave most of
the pages blank. When she finds that her book
shelf is full with old copies and books she just
throw then in the dustbin. Once her cousin
Abhishek visited her home. On seeing such a
wastage of papers he said to her that this practice
of hers is actually the cause of deforestation and
she must stop this immediately.
(a) How wasting of
papers are the cause of
deforestation?
(b) How
can we
save
papers?
Answer:
(a) Papers are obtained from tree fibres. Making of
papers causes felling of trees on a large scale. So
wasting of papers mean making more papers
which cause deforestation.
(b) We can save papers by following ways:
• By recycling papers and using recycled papers.
• By writing on both sides of papers.
• By using all the space available on the paper.
• By using paperless technologies like using
phone or email to communicate, etc.