5.1 Adaptions

Question 1

What is adaption and what is it a result of?

Answer 1

An inherited characteristic that increases the likelihood of survival and reproduction when faced with changing conditions. Is a result of natural selection.

Question 2

What is natural selection?

Answer 2

When organisms that are best suited to their environment survive and reproduce, passing on their advantageous adaptions to their offspring.

Question 3

List 2 challenges to adaption and survival:

Answer 3

• Abiotic factors

- Biotic factors

Question 4

What are abiotic factors? List some examples:

Answer 4

Non-living components of an environment, such as water, temperature, pH, and salinity.

Question 5

What are biotic factors? List some examples:

Answer 5

Living components of an environment such as bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals.

Question 6

List the 3 broad categories of adaptions:

Answer 6

• Structural
• Physiological
• Behavioral

Question 7

List 6 examples of structural adaptions (external):

Answer 7

• A thick layer of fat to insulate an animal that lives in the cold
• Bright feathers to help attract mates
• Large ears to increase heat loss
• Small ears to reduce heat loss
• Webbed feet and flippers for swimming
• Organisms mimicking poisonous species by having similar patterns

Question 8

List 4 examples of physiological adaptions (internal):

Answer 8

• Shivering when its cold
• Kangaroos reabsorbing their embryo’s when conditions are harsh
• Bacteria adapting to eat unusual food sources
• Increased red blood cells in high altitudes

Question 9

What does torpor refer to? Give an example:

Answer 9

When the metabolic rate is lowered in an organism to save energy, enabling them to cope with the cold, heat, or when food is scarce.
Eg. Hibernation in mammals and birds, where their body temperature and heart rate is decreased

Question 10

List the 5 types of tropism in plants:

Answer 10

• Phototropism
• Geotropism or gravitropism
• Chemotropism
• Thigmotropism
• Hydrotropism

Question 11

What is phototropism?

Answer 11

Growth in response to light

Question 12

What is geotropism or gravitropism?

Answer 12

Growth in response to gravity

Question 13

What is chemotropism?

Answer 13

Growth in response to chemicals

Question 14

What is thigmotropism?

Answer 14

Growth in response to touch

Question 15

What is hydrotropism?

Answer 15

Growth in response to water concentration

Question 16

List the 3 types of nastic movement:

Answer 16

• Thigmonasty
• Photonasty
• Thermonasty

Question 17

What is thigmonasty? Give an example:

Answer 17

Movement in response to touch

Eg. Venus flie trap

Question 18

What is photonasty? Give an example:

Answer 18

Movement in response to a change in light intensity.

Eg. Flowers opening during the day and then closing during the night

Question 19

What is thermonasty? Give an example:

Answer 19

Movement in response to a change in temperature.

Eg. Tulip flowers opening in response to air temperature

Question 20

List 3 examples of behavioural adaptions:

Answer 20

• Migration
• Group social structures
• Huddling to maintain body temperature

Question 21

What is biomimicry?

Answer 21

An approach to the innovation and design of products modeled on structures and systems found in nature.

Question 22

List the 3 levels of biomimicry and give an example for each:

Answer 22

• Form level (Eg. Velcro)
• Process level (Eg. Engineering algorithms based on the behaviour of ants and bees)
• Systems level (Eg. Increased efficiency of wind turbines based on the movement of whale flippers in water)