Adaptions To Hot And Dry Environments Flashcards
How do animals minimise heat gain?
Spend day in shade or underground
Active at night
What do animals try to adapt to in hot environments?
Increasing heat loss
Reducing heat gain
How do animals increase heat loss?
Bath in water
What features do animals have that adapted to hot environments?
Small - large surface area to volume ratio
Large ears - heat loss through blood flow near surface
Store fat in one part of body so not insulated - camel hump
What do organisms adapted to dry environments try to do?
Minimise water loss
What features do plants in dry environments have?
Round leaves (small surface area)
Thick waxy layer and spines instead of leaves
Store water in stem
Lots of shallow roots - absorb water quickly over large area
What features do desert animals have?
Specialised kidneys - concentrated urine
No sweat glands
Burrow underground - cool moist air
