Adaptation for Survival Flashcards
What do organisms require to survive and reproduce?
They require materials from their surroundings and from other organisms living there
What do plants require to survive and reproduce?
- Light
- Carbon dioxide
- Water
- Oxygen
- Nutrients, such as mineral ions from the soil
What do animals require to survive and reproduce?
- Food from other organisms (either plants or other animals)
- Water
- Oxygen
What do different microorganisms need to survive and reproduce?
- Some are like plants and require what they do
- Others are like animals and require the same as them
- Some don’t need oxygen or light to survive
What are adaptations?
Special features that make an organism particularly well suited to the enviornment that it lives in
How have herbivores and carnivores adapted to their respective diets?
Their teeth and mouthparts have adapted/changed shape to fit with the type of material they eat
Give an example of how plants have adapted.
To obtain light and other materials efficiently in order to make food by photosynthesis
What are extremophiles?
Organisms that have adapted to live in environments that are very extreme (e.g. very hot/cold) and where enzymes wouldn’t work because they would denature
An example is the tardigrade (water bear)
Where do most organisms live and why?
In temperatures below 40° so their enzymes can work (not denature)
What would happen if animals were not adapted to the areas they live in?
They’d die
What adaptations do animals that live in cold climates (such as the Arctic) have?
- Thick fur and fat (blubber) under the skin to keep them warm
- Some (Arctic fox + hare) are white in the winter and brown in the summer so they are camouflaged all year round
- Bigger animals have smaller surface areas compared to their volumes. This means they can conserve more energy as less heat is lost
What adaptations do animals that live in warm, dry climates (such as the desert) have?
- Hunt or feed at night so they can remain cool during the day
- To conserve water (camel’s humps)
- Large surface area to volume ratio so they can cool down easily
Why do plants need to collect and conserve water?
For photosynthesis and also because it is lost through the stomata
What are stomata?
Openings in the leaves of plants which allow gasses (and water) to enter + escape (gas exchange). They are controlled by the guard cells
How can plants collect water?
Through an extensive root system
How can plants conserve water?
If it has very small or waxy leaves. A plant may also have a swollen stem to store the water
What adaptations do plants living in hot, dry environments (such as the desert) have?
- Cacti are well adapted to storing water. They store it in their stem and have a thick, waxy cuticle to stop it escaping
- The mesquite tree has an extensive root system to collect water
- Cacti have also developed spikes/spines to stop animals eating them
How have plants adapted to stop themselves being eaten by animals?
They have developed…
- Thorns
- Poisonous chemicals
- Warning colours
to put animals off
What do animals compete with each other for?
- Water
- Food
- Space
- Mates
- Breeding sites
What is competition?
The process by which living organisms compete with each other for limited resources
(e.g. food, water, space, mates)
What is an animal’s territory?
An area where an animal lives an feeds. It may mark it out and defend it against other animals
What will an animal’s territory be large enough to do?
- Find water
- Find food
- Have space for breeding/raising young
How do predators compete with their pray?
Predators want to eat their pray. This is competition
What adaptations may both predators and prey have, and how would this help them be a better competitor?
They may be camouflaged so they are less easy to see
Who else do prey compete with and how/why?
Prey compete amongst each other to escape from predators and find food for themselves
How have some animals adapted to avoid being eaten?
Caterpillars have adapted in the following ways to avoid being eaten:
- Warning colours
- Poisonous
Other animals have developed other adaptations, such as:
- Speed
- Horns
- Tough skin/not nutritious for other animals to eat
What do plants compete for?
- Water
- Nutrients
- Light
- Space to grow
Why do some plants in woodlands flower before there are leaves on the trees?
So they can get enough light, water, and nutrients (aren’t blocked by the leaves)
Snowdrops do this
Complete the sentence:
Well adapted plants and animals are…
… good competitors
Give a way in which plants can compete for water.
They can grow deep roots to reach underground water better than those with shallow roots
Why do some plants spread their seeds over a wide area?
So they do not have to compete with themselves/their offspring.
Generally, they make sure there is less comeptition for themseleves!
Give examples of ways in which plants can spread their seeds.
- Use animals (animals eat fruits/plants, then seeds are depositied in poo. Poo acts as fertiliser)
- Use the wind (e.g. sycamore)
- Mini-explosions (e.g. broom)
How else might plants compete?
- Grow quickly to gain as much light/root space as possible
- Grow at a time when other plants are dormant (e.g. snowdrops)
What is an ovipositor?
A pointed tube found in many female insects that is used to lay eggs
How have fig wasps adapted?
- The females have special shaped heads for getting into fig flowers
- They also have ovipositors allowing them to place eggs deep inside the flower
- Some males spend their lives inside the flowers waiting for a female
What is the advantage to the fig tree of attracting the right kind of wasp?
The wasps pollinate the tree with the right sort of pollen
How have star-nosed moles adapted?
- They live underground and are almost blind
- They are very sensitive to touch and smell
- They have ‘feelers’ on their nose which they use to navigate tunnels
How have Venus Fly Traps adapted?
- They trap and eat insects
- They have a sweet, sticky nectar to attract insects
- They are bright red inside to attract insects
- Some have digestion fluids which insects fall straight into
- Some have sides which are very slippery so insects can’t escape
- Some close their ‘mouths’ on insects so they can’t escape
What do changes in the environment affect?
The distribution of living organisms
What non-living environmental changes might affect living organisms?
- Temperature
- Rainfall
- Light Levels
- Oxygen Levels
What living environmental changes might affect living organisms?
- Arrival of a new predator
- Arrival of a new disease
- Induction of new plants which may provide new food or habitats
What is an indicator species?
Lichens or insects that are particularly sensitive to pollution so can be used to indicate changes in the environmental pollution levels
Describe how lichens can be used as an indicator species
- Lichens indicate the level of air pollution, particularly sulfur dioxide
- The more species of lichen growing, the cleaner the air
Describe how freshwater invertebrates can be used as an indicator species
- They indicate the level of water pollution, particularly the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the water
- The wider the range of these invertebrates, the cleaner the water in streams, rivers, or ponds
- Some will only live in polluted water
What can be used to monitor non-living changes in the environment?
- Rain gauges
- Thermometers
- pH sensors
- Oxygen sensors
- Data loggers
Why might some birds fly further North and what might this lead to?
To find new nesting sites if the climate gets warmer.
This may then lead to other birds having new competitors
What might have caused the large fall in the bee population?
- The use of chemical sprays by farmers
- A viral disease
- Changes in flowering patterns in plants due to climate change
