The environment is all the living and

nonliving things that surround a living thing.

Plants and animals are the living parts of an

environment.

Air, water, soil and sunlight are some of

the nonliving parts of an environment.
 Think about the surroundings outside of our school. This
is a kind of environment.

There is air and sunlight. There are sidewalks, roads,

and cars. (These are all non living objects.)

There are also many living things outside our school

such as plants and bugs.

Everything around our school is part of its environment.

 Around the world, there are many kinds of
places where plants and animals can live.
Every plant and animal likes things a certain
way. This means that different kinds of plants
and animals live in different environments.
Scientists who study the environment and its
living things are called ecologists.
 Ecologists name the different areas of the Earth
based on the type of environment.

Some environments are dry (desert areas) some are

wet (like swamps) and some are in between.

These different environments form

A is the place where a plant or animal lives.

 The term habitat refers to the specific
place where an organism lives, such as a
home or shelter, or even a
neighborhood.

Can you describe your home habitat?

 Georgia is divided into 5 different
regions.
1. Mountains
2. Piedmont
3. Coastal Plain
4. Swamp and Marsh
5. Atlantic Ocean
Each region has a different

kind of environment. The

map below shows the
different regions of
Georgia.
 A feature, or trait, that helps a plan or an animal
survive is called an adaptation.

There are two types of adaptations

1. Structural/Physical
2. Behavioral
Structural/Physical
Adaptation
Sharp spines
are one kind of
adaptation.
They protect
plants such as
cacti from
being eaten by
animals. Not
many animals
try to eat
plants that
have spines!
 Behavioral Adaptation
Some adaptations are
not parts. They are
ways plants or animals
behave or act that help
them survive.

Sunflowers turn slowly

during the day to keep
facing the sun. This
helps them to get as
much sunlight as they
can.
 Many things can change an environment. There can be natural
changes like the weather, or unnatural changes like pollution and
litter.

One example of a natural change is a drought. A drought is a long

period of time with very little rain.

Plants and animals have adaptations that help them survive in their
specific environments.

For example, cacti (the plural form of cactus) live in the desert
and store water inside of them. This helps them to survive long
droughts.

If the climate in a place changes, it affects all of the things that

live there.
 A fire can cause a lot of changes to an
environment. It can kill living things.
Sometimes a fire can help an environment. If a
tree burns, it is likely to fall. It leaves an open
space in the forest. New plants can get more
sunlight and have room to grow.
Fires can also be harmful. They can destroy
animals habitats.
These animals may not be able to survive in a new
habitat.
 Some plants have adaptations that help them
live in places that have fires.
There are many fires in grassland
environments. Grasses have many roots and
can grow back quickly after a fire.
Ashes from burned plants add nutrients to the
soil.
The nutrients help new plants grow.
 An environment is in balance when there are not
too many or too few of any kind of living thing.
The amount of plants/animals has to be just
right.
For example, if many of the plants in a forest
ecosystem died, the animals would have no food.
The animals will have to find new places to live,
or they will die.
A feature that helps a living thing survive
is called an _________.

a. Habitat
b. Environment
c. Balance
d. Adaptation
A______________ is the place where
a plant or animal lives.

A. Environment
B. Habitat
C. Ecologist
D. Ecosystem
An environment is in ___________ when
there are not too many or too few of
any kind of living thing.
a) Adaptation
b) Balance
c) Habitat
d) Drought
A ________ is a long period of time
with very little rain.
a. Balance
b. River
c. Drought
d. Flood
 Which is not a natural change?
a. Plants wilt during a drought.
b. Lightning starts a forest fire.
c. Trees are cut down to build new
homes.
d. A flood destroys the banks of a
river.
 Which change will most likely have the
greatest effect on an environment?
a) A tree is cut down.
b) A piece of trash is thrown into a pond.
c) A fire burns down a forest.
d) There is no rain for a week in a
desert.
The _____________ is everything
that is around a living thing.
a. Habitat
b. Environment
c. Ecologist
d. Piedmont Region
A______________ is the place where
a plant or animal lives.
A. Environment
B. Habitat
C. Ecologist
D. Ecosystem
Scientists who study the environment
and its living things are called
___________.
a) Ecosystems
b) Wetlands
c) Ecologists
d) Habitats
In which one of these habitats would you
MOST LIKELY find a fish?

a. Tree
b. River
c. Mountain
d. Valley
 A habitat includes both
_______ and ________ things.

A. big and little

B. living and nonliving
C. beautiful and pretty
D. magnetic and non-magnetic