Adaptations Flashcards
Being adapted to an environment means…
an organism has features that increase its CHANCES FOE SURVIVAL AND reproduction, AND ALSO the chances of its offspring REPRODUCING SUCCESSFULLY.
These features are called…
ADAPTIONS and can be behavioural, physiological and anatomical.
Adaptions develop because…
of EVOLUTION by NATURAL SELECTION.
In each generation, the BEST ADAPTED INDIVIDUALS are more likely…
to survive and reproduce-passing their adaptions on to their OFFSPRING. Individuals that are less well adapted are more likely to DIE BEFORE OFFSPRING.
Behavioural adaptions, for example:
> possums sometimes ‘play dead’ -
If they’re being attacked by a predator they play dead to escape the attack. This increases their chances of survival.
Behavioural adaptions, for example:
> Scorpians dance before mating:
This makes sure they attract a mate of the SAME SPECIES, increasing the likelihood of successful mating.
Physiological adaptions, for example:
> Brown bear hibernate:
They LOWER THEIR RATE OF METABOLISM (all the chemical reactions taking place in their body) over WINTER.
This CONSERVES ENERGY, so they don’t need to look for food in the months when it’s scarce - increasing their chances for survival.
Anatomical (structural) adaptions:
STRUCTURAL FEATURES of an organisms body that increases its chances for survival. For example:
> OTTERS have a STREAMLINED SHAPE -
making it easier to GLIDE through WATER.
This makes it EASIER for them to CATCH PREY and ESCAPE PREDATORS, increasing their chances for survival.
Anatomical (structural) adaptions:
STRUCTURAL FEATURES of an organisms body that increases its chances for survival. For example:
> Whales have a thick layer of BLUBBER (fat)-
This helps them to keep WARM in the cold sea.
This increases their chances of survival in places where their FOOD is found.
Organisms from DIFFERENT TAXONOMIC GROUPS may have …
SIMILAR features even though they’re not closely related - for example whales and sharks.
Organisms may have similar feature, this is usually because the organisms have EVOLVED ….
in SIMILAR ENVIRONMENTS and to fill smilar ECOLOGICAL NICHES.
What is an ecological niche?
An ecological niche is the role of the organism within its habitat, e.g. what it eats, and when and where it feeds.
There are THREE DIFFERENT GROUPS of mammals. What are they?
Most mammals are PLAACENTAL MAMMALS while some are MARSUPIALS ( and a very few are egg -laying monometres)
Marcupials are found mainly in Australia and the Americas. They Divereged …
from placental mammals many MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO and have been evolving seperately ever since.
Marsupials mammals (e.g. Kangaroos)
> Have short…
Gestation Period (pregnancy)
