4.7.1 adaptations, interdependence, and competition Flashcards
An adaptation is
a special feature that helps an organism survive its habitat
Adaptations can be one of three types
structural, behavioural, functional
Structural adaptations are
physical features e.g. size of ears, eyes, sharp teeth, fur colour
Behavioural adaptations are
specific behaviours displayed by an organism e.g. migration, courtship dances, making pretty nests, travelling in packs
Functional adaptation are
processes that an organism completes inside their bodies to help them survive e.g. venom production
how is a cacti adapted to living in dry conditions
spines, deep extensive roots, fleshy stem, thick waxy cuticle
Why does a cacti need to be adapted to living in dry conditions
to reduce water loss
What is an extremophile is
an organism (microorganism) that can live in extreme environments e.g. High temperatures, freezing temperatures, highly acidic or alkaline
What is an extreme environment is
one that is challenging for most organisms to live in e.g. volcanic vents, moon, planets in our solar system!
The best adapted organisms are the ones that can
SURVIVE, reproduce and pass on favourable alleles!
An abiotic factor is
the non living part of the environment
A biotic factor
is the living part of the environment
An Ecosystem is
interactions of all the living and non living components
The two forms of competition are
intraspecific and interspecific
Intraspecific competition is
competition between organisms of the SAME speecies
Interspecific competition is
competition between organisms of DIFFERENT species
A species is
a group of similar organisms that can breed successfully and produce fertile offspring
A community is
A group of 2 or more populations of species that live in a particular area
A population is defined as
The total number of all the organisms of ONE species living in a particular area
Animals compete for
mate, water, food, territory
Plants compete for
space, water, sunlight and ions
Examples of abiotic factors include
water, sunlight, wind speed, ion content of the soil, temperature, carbon dioxide levels, oxygen levels (aquatic organisms)
Examples of biotic factors include
predation, disease, food availability, competition
Within a community species depend on each other for what..
food, shelter, pollination and seed dispersal
