Adaptations Flashcards
What are adaptations?
Adaptations are features of species or organisms that help them to survive or reproduce in their habitat, gradually becoming better acclimated to their environment.
Where is the Sonoran Desert located?
The Sonoran Desert is in Arizona, in the USA.
Why is the desert a challenging place for organisms?
Deserts receive very little rainfall, making them hard places for animals and plants to live. However, the organisms that live there have adaptations to help them survive with little water.
How do Saguaro cacti adapt to the desert?
Saguaro cacti grow very slowly and have roots that spread out widely just below the soil, ready to absorb any rain that falls.
How do Gila woodpeckers adapt to living in the desert?
Gila woodpeckers and other animals live among cacti and other desert plants. They make holes in the cacti to make their nests, which other birds also visit.
How do cactus wrens protect their nests?
Cactus wrens use teddy bear cholla (another type of cactus) to make their nests, as it is so spiky that other animals tend to avoid it, protecting the cactus wren’s eggs and young ones from predators.
How do animals like lizards and tortoises survive hot desert days?
During the hot days, lizards, tortoises, and other animals rest in the shade of plants or burrow into the soil where it is cooler.
What happens after rainfall in the Sonoran Desert?
It usually rains heavily at least once a year in the Sonoran Desert, and when it rains, many plants quickly produce flowers.
What is nectar, and how does it help plants?
Nectar is a sugary liquid made by flowers to attract insects for pollination.
What is pollen?
Pollen is a tiny grain made by flowers, which contains male gametes.
What does pollinating mean?
Pollinating is moving pollen from where it is made to a stigma.
How do insects and bats help plants reproduce?
Insects help plants reproduce by pollinating them after feeding on the nectar and pollen in the flowers, and bats feed on nectar from the flowers of agave plants at night.
How do organisms interact in the Sonoran Desert?
In the Sonoran Desert, all the different animals and plants depend on each other. The different organisms interact with each other, one of their actions affecting another.
How do seeds grow in the Sonoran Desert?
Seeds fall to the ground and are collected by ants to take into their nests and provide a food store. Some of the uneaten seeds may germinate to produce new plants.
How do some plants protect themselves from being eaten?
Some plants protect themselves by having spines or thorns, which deter predators.
