5.1 Adaptions Flashcards
What is adaption and what is it a result of?
An inherited characteristic that increases the likelihood of survival and reproduction when faced with changing conditions. Is a result of natural selection.
What is natural selection?
When organisms that are best suited to their environment survive and reproduce, passing on their advantageous adaptions to their offspring.
List 2 challenges to adaption and survival:
- Abiotic factors
- Biotic factors
What are abiotic factors? List some examples:
Non-living components of an environment, such as water, temperature, pH, and salinity.
What are biotic factors? List some examples:
Living components of an environment such as bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals.
List the 3 broad categories of adaptions:
- Structural
- Physiological
- Behavioral
List 6 examples of structural adaptions (external):
- 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
List 4 examples of physiological adaptions (internal):
- 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
What does torpor refer to? Give an example:
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
List the 5 types of tropism in plants:
- Phototropism
- Geotropism or gravitropism
- Chemotropism
- Thigmotropism
- Hydrotropism
What is phototropism?
Growth in response to light
What is geotropism or gravitropism?
Growth in response to gravity
What is chemotropism?
Growth in response to chemicals
What is thigmotropism?
Growth in response to touch
What is hydrotropism?
Growth in response to water concentration
List the 3 types of nastic movement:
- Thigmonasty
- Photonasty
- Thermonasty
What is thigmonasty? Give an example:
Movement in response to touch
Eg. Venus flie trap
What is photonasty? Give an example:
Movement in response to a change in light intensity.
Eg. Flowers opening during the day and then closing during the night
What is thermonasty? Give an example:
Movement in response to a change in temperature.
Eg. Tulip flowers opening in response to air temperature
List 3 examples of behavioural adaptions:
- Migration
- Group social structures
- Huddling to maintain body temperature
What is biomimicry?
An approach to the innovation and design of products modeled on structures and systems found in nature.
List the 3 levels of biomimicry and give an example for each:
- 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)
