10.7 Adaptations

Question 1

What are adaptations?

Answer 1

Characteristics that increase an organism’s chance of survival and reproduction in its environment

Question 2

3 types of adaptations

Answer 2

Anatomical adaptations
Behavioural adaptations
Physiological adaptations

Question 3

What are anatomical adaptations?

Answer 3

Physical features - both internal and external

Question 4

What are behavioural adaptations?

Answer 4

Way an organism acts - can be inherited or learned from their parents

Question 5

What are physiological adaptations?

Answer 5

Processes that take place inside an organism

Question 6

Examples of anatomical adaptations

Answer 6

Body covering - hair, scales, spines, feathers and shells
Camouflage - outer colour of an animal allows blending into environment
Teeth - shape and type of teeth depend on diet
Mimicry - copying another animal’s appearance or sounds

Question 7

Marram grass

Answer 7

Xerophyte - adapted to live in areas with little water
Adaptations to reduce water loss:
- curled or rolled leaves, reduce surface area
- hairs on inside surface of leaves to trap moist air close to the leaf, reducing diffusion gradient
- stomata sunk into pits, less likely to open and lose water
- thick waxy cuticle

Question 8

Examples of behavioural adaptations

Answer 8

Survival behaviours - possums playing dead, rabbit freezing
Courtship - to attract a partner
Seasonal behaviours:
- migration - moving to different regions where conditions are more favourable
- hibernation - period of inactivity, lower temperature, heart rate, breathing rate to conserve energy

Question 9

2 categories for behavioural adaptations

Answer 9

• innate behaviour - ability to do this is inherited through genes
• learned behaviour - adaptations learnt from experience or from observing other animals

Question 10

Examples of physiological adaptations

Answer 10

Poison production - reptiles produce venom to kill prey and plants produce poison in leaves to prevent being eaten
Antibiotic production - bacteria produce antibiotics to kill other species of bacteria
Water holding - storing water in bodies/plants

Question 11

What are analogous structures?

Answer 11

Structures adapted to perform the same function but have different genetic origin

Question 12

What is convergent evolution?

Answer 12

Organisms evolve similarities because the organisms adapt to similar environments or other selection pressures

Question 13

2 subclasses of mammals

Answer 13

Marsupials

Placental mammals

Question 14

Marsupials

Answer 14

Start life in uterus
They leave and enter marsupium (pouch) while still embryos
Complete development by suckling milk

Question 15

Placental mammals

Answer 15

Placenta connects embryo to mother’s circulatory system in the uterus, nourishes embryo, so it is more mature before birth

Question 16

Examples of convergent evolution

Answer 16

Marsupial and placental mice - both are small, agile climbers that live in dense ground and forage at night for food
Flying phalangers and flying squirrels - both are gliders than eat insects and plants, stretched skin to provide large surface area
Marsupial and placental moles - both burrow through soft soil to find worms and grubs, have streamlined body shape and modified limbs for digging, but different fur colour