Adaptations 10.7

Question 1

what are adaptations

Answer 1

Adaptations are characteristics that increase an organisms chance of survival and reproduction in its environment

Question 2

what 3 groups can an adaptation fall into

Answer 2

• anatomical adaptations-physical features (internal and external)
• behavioural adaptations-the way an organism acts. these can be inherited or learnt from their parents.
• physiological adaptations-processes that take place inside an organism

Question 3

what are some examples of anatomical adaptations

Answer 3

• body covering, animals have a number of different body covering such as hair, scales, spines, feathers and shells. These can help the organisms in a number of ways.
• camouflage, the outer colour on an animal allows it to blend into its environment
• teeth, the shape and type of teeth present in an animals jaws are related to its diet
• mimicry, coping another animals appearance or sounds allows a harmless organism to fool predators into thinking it is poisonous or dangerous

Question 4

what are some examples of behavioural adaptations

Answer 4

• survival behaviours, for example an opossum plays dead and a rabbit freezes when they think they have been seen
• courtship, many animals exhibit elaborate courtship behaviours to attract a mate (scorpions a dance to attract a partner, it increases the organisms chance of reproducing)
  -seasonal behaviours, these adaptations enable organisms to cope with changes in their environment (such as migration and hibernation)

Question 5

what 2 categories can behavioural adaptations fall into and what do they mean

Answer 5

• Innate (or instinctive) behaviour, the ability to do this is inherited through genes. For example spiders build webs and woodlice avoid lice, this allows organisms to survive
• Learned behaviour , these adaptations are learnt from experience or from observing other animals. An example is the use of tools such as sea otters using stones to hammer shells off rocks

Question 6

what are analogous structures

Answer 6

structures that perform the same function but have a different genetic origin
such as the fins of a whale and a fish

Question 7

what is convergent evolution

Answer 7

convergent evolution takes place when unrelated species begin to share similar traits. These similarities evolve because the organisms adapt to similar environments and selection pressure

Question 8

what is an example of convergent evolution in both animals and plants

Answer 8

flying phalangers and flying squirrels- both are gliders that eat insects and plants. Their skin is stretched between their forelimbs and hind limbs to provide a large surface area for gliding from one tree to the next
Aloe and agave appear similar as they have both adapted to survive in the desert. However these species developed entirely separately from each other