LIVING THINGS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT Notes, Quizzes & Revision

1. What are "living things"?

Living things (organisms) are plants, animals and microorganisms that show certain life processes such as growth, movement, nutrition, breathing (respiration), reproduction, sensitivity to the environment and excretion.

2. The environment

The environment is everything around a living thing that affects it: air, water, soil, other plants and animals, sunlight and climate. Examples in Kenya: savannahs (Maasai Mara), mountain forests (Mount Kenya, Aberdare), lakes (Victoria, Turkana), coastal shores (Mombasa), and urban areas (Nairobi).

3. Characteristics of living things (simple checklist)

• Movement — animals move from place to place; plants can move parts (e.g., leaves toward light).
• Growth — increase in size or number of cells (seed → seedling → tree).
• Nutrition — how organisms get food. Plants make food by photosynthesis; animals eat plants or other animals.
• Respiration — organisms use oxygen to release energy from food.
• Reproduction — making young: seeds, eggs, live births.
• Sensitivity — respond to changes (light, temperature, sound).
• Excretion — removal of waste (e.g., animals urinate; plants remove gases and extra water).
• Adaptation — features that help survival (giraffe long neck, camouflaged skin).

4. Types of living things — with Kenyan examples

• Plants: grass in savannah, acacia trees, tea bushes on Kenyan highlands, mangroves on the coast.
• Animals: elephant, lion, giraffe, zebra, ostrich, tilapia (Lake Victoria), fish in Indian Ocean.
• Microorganisms: soil bacteria, fungi (decomposers), yeasts used in local foods.

5. Habitats and ecosystems

Habitat — the place where an organism lives (e.g., river, forest, grassland). Ecosystem — a community of living things interacting with each other and with non-living things (soil, water, air, sunlight).

Kenyan ecosystems: savannah (Maasai Mara), mountain forests (Mt. Kenya), freshwater (Lake Victoria), coastal/marine (Mombasa), arid lands (Kajiado).

6. Food chains and food webs (simple visual)

A food chain shows how energy moves from one living thing to another.

7. Interdependence and balance

Organisms depend on each other. Bees pollinate flowers (plants need bees). Trees provide shade and food for animals. If one type of organism disappears, the whole ecosystem can be affected.

8. Adaptations (short examples)

• Giraffe: long neck to reach leaves high on trees.
• Elephant: large ears to cool the body and a trunk to pick food and drink water.
• Zebra: stripes may help confuse predators and reduce insect bites.
• Mangrove trees: roots that stand above water to breathe in coastal mud.

9. Human effects on the environment (Kenya examples)

• Deforestation for farming and fuel wood — loss of forests like Mau and Aberdare patches.
• Pollution of rivers and lakes — affects fish in Lake Victoria.
• Overfishing and illegal fishing methods — reduce fish stocks.
• Urban growth — loss of natural habitats around cities like Nairobi.

10. Conservation and what learners can do

Protecting living things keeps ecosystems healthy. Simple actions:

• Plant trees and protect existing forests.
• Reduce, reuse and recycle waste; avoid polluting water.
• Follow fishing and hunting laws; support community conservancies.
• Save water and practice soil conservation on farms.

Key terms (quick)

Producer: makes its own food (plants). Consumer: eats other organisms. Decomposer: breaks down dead matter. Habitat: where an organism lives.

Quick check — questions

1. Give two examples of living things in Kenya. (Answer: e.g., elephant, acacia tree)
2. What is a food chain? (Answer: A sequence showing how energy moves from one organism to another.)
3. Name one human activity that harms habitats and one way to help. (Answer: Deforestation harms habitats; plant trees to help.)