YOU ARE LEARNING:
Adaptation
Adaptation
Organisms are specially adapted to the places that they live - they have developed characteristics that make it easier to survive. These features can be structural, functional, or behavioural.
All organisms must be able to survive in their habitats if they are to successfully breed and pass on their genes to the next generation. To do just that, each species has adapted in different ways.
Polar bears live in the extreme environment of the Arctic. What physical adaptation do they have that helps them survive the low temperatures in these conditions?
White fur, a thick fat layer and claws are all features of polar bears that help them survive. What kind of adaptations would you say they are?
Dolphins have several physical adaptations to allow them to survive in the marine environment.
For example, they no longer have arms and legs like land mammals, from which they originally evolved.
They also have a thick layer of fat under their smooth skin. Why do you think they have this layer of fat?
A) Streamlining. B) Thermal insulation. C) Aiding swimming at speed.
Which of these are also examples of the dolphin's structural adaptations to its environment? Pick all the options you think are correct.
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The image shows a chimpanzee using a stick as a simple tool to help it forage for food.
They push the stick into the nests of ant and termites. The ants and termites then cling to the stick. The chimpanzee pulls the stick out of the nest and then licks the insects off the stick.
This is an example of a _________________ adaptation.
Which of these would also be considered a behavioural adaptation that aids survival?
Plants also have to adapt to survive in their environment. One of the hazards for a plant is the risk of being eaten. Unlike an animal, they can't run away, so instead they must be able to defend themselves. Some do this by producing toxins to discourage animals from grazing on them.
Atropa belladonna is a common plant in the UK. It has jet-black berries, and is also known as deadly nightshade. ** All parts of the plant contain tropane alkaloids which can be lethal, even to humans. What form of adaptation is this production of poison?
Which of these is an example of how a plant uses a functional adaptation to improve its chances of survival?
Many of the more obvious adaptations can be seen in organisms that inhabit extreme environments. Polar bears in the Arctic for example, and bacteria that can live in the hot springs from a volcano. We call these organisms extremophiles. What is another example of extremophiles, do you think?
Which of these abiotic conditions might make a habitat an extreme environment that requires special adaptations to survive? Pick all the options you think are correct.
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One of the most extreme environments on Earth are to be found along the volcanic mountains at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. These are the hydrothermal vent communities along the North Atlantic Ridge. They are found at depths between 2 and 5 kilometres below the surface of the ocean!
At these depths there are specialist bacteria, shrimps, crabs and fish species. What sort of physical (abiotic) challenges do you think they have to be adapted to, in order to survive at depths of up to 5 kilometres?
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