Adaptations Flashcards
What are adaptations?
Certain features or characteristics that allow every organism to live successfully in it’s habitat.
What is an environment?
All the conditions that surround a living organism.
What is a habitat?
The place where an organism lives.
What does population mean?
All the members of a single species that live in a habitat.
What is a community?
All the populations of different organisms that live together in a habitat.
What is an ecosystem?
A community and it’s habitat.
What are some examples of adaptations?
Barbs, spines, poisons and warning colours that deter predators and herbivores.
Why must organisms compete with each other?
Habitats have limited amounts of resources needed by living organisms and organisms can only survive if they get enough of these resources.
What kind of resources do animals compete for?
Food
Water
Space
Why don’t plants need to compete for food?
Because they make their own food from photosynthesis.
What kind of resources do plants compete for?
Water
Space
Mineral Salts
Give an example of an animal that is adapted to a cold habitat.
A polar bear.
How is the polar bear adapted to it’s habitat?
A white appearance as camouflage from prey on the snow and ice.
Thick layers of fat and fur for insulation.
A small surface area for volume ratio, to minimise heat loss.
A greasy coat that sheds water after swimming.
Large, furry feet to distribute their load and increase their grip on the ice
Give an example of an animal that is adapted hot climates.
Camels.
How are camels adapted to hot climates?
They have large, flat feet to spread their weight on the sand.
Thick fur on the top of the body for shade and thin fur elsewhere to allow easy heat loss.
The ability to go for a long time without water. (They don’t store water in their humps, but they lose very little water through urination and perspiration)
The ability to tolerate body temperatures up to 42ºC.
Slit-like nostrils and two rows of eyelashes to help keep out sand.
