7.1.1 Adaptations

Adaptations

7.1.1

Please make sure you are completing and submitting your knowledge check before submitting your lesson! The rest of your lesson may be blank, except the knowledge check.

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Knowledge Check

Objectives

Learners can:

• identify different types of adaptations including structural, behavioral, and physiological adaptations

• determine how different environments impact adaptations

• explain the connection between adaptations and evolution

• biodiversity

• environment

• habitat

• niche

Prerequisite Vocab

• adaptation

• camouflage

• mimicry

New Vocab

Vocabulary

​an inherited trait that helps an organism survive in its environment

Adaptation

physical appearance that helps an organism blend in with its surroundings

Camouflage

adaptation in which one species physically resembles another species

Mimicry

Match

Match the vocabulary word to its definition.

• environment

• niche

• biodiversity

• habitat

a living things surroundings

an organism's role in its habitat

all of the variety of life on Earth

where an organism is naturally found

• a living things surroundings

• an organism's role in its habitat

• all of the variety of life on Earth

• where an organism is naturally found

Open Ended

Think about all of the organisms you just saw, why do you think they have such distinct features?

Types of Adaptations

An adaptation is an inherited trait that helps an organism survive in its environment. Adaptations can be structural, behavioral, or physiological and result from evolutionary processes acting on populations over time.

Structural adaptations are physical features that help an organism survive in its environment. Structural adaptations can include modifications in body shape, coloration, or the presence of specific organs or appendages.

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Structural Adaptations

Behavioral adaptations refer to specific actions or behaviors organisms exhibit that enhance their survival chances.


Behavioral adaptations can include feeding habits, mating rituals, or mechanisms for escaping predators.

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Behavioral Adaptations

Physiological adaptations involve internal processes or physiological mechanisms that allow organisms to function effectively in their environments. Physiological adaptations can include changes at the cellular or metabolic level.

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Physiological Adaptations

Categorize

Options (3)

Bees perform a "waggle dance" to communicate the location of food sources to their hive mates.

The sharp claws of a tiger aid in hunting and climbing.

Penguins have a specialized circulatory system to warm their extremities in freezing temperature

Match the example with the type of adaptation that is being described.

structural adapatation

physiological adapatation

behavioral adaptation

Environmental Factors

Adaptations are the result of evolutionary processes that enable organisms to survive and reproduce in their specific environments. These adaptations can be influenced by various factors, including climate, temperature, availability of food and water, predators, and competition.

Organisms in cold environments, such as the Arctic, have adaptations that help retain heat and reduce heat loss. Organisms in hot climates have adaptations to cope with high temperatures, such as physical features to dissipate heat or behavioral adaptations to avoid extreme heat.

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Climate and Temperature

In environments with limited resources, organisms may evolve specialized feeding structures or behaviors to access specific food sources.

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Availability of Food and Water

The presence of predators exerts pressure on prey species, driving the evolution of defensive adaptations. Camouflage is a common adaptation many organisms use to blend into their surroundings and avoid detection. Some organisms also have evolved warning coloration to signal their toxicity to potential predators.

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Predators

Competition for resources, including food, territory, and mates, drives adaptations to obtain and maintain an advantage over competitors. This can lead to the development of specialized traits that allow organisms to exploit unique niches within their habitats, such as the extensive root system of big bluestem grass found throughout the United States, which provides a growing advantage in dry and nutrient-poor soils.

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Competition

Match

Match the environmental factor with the adaptation example that addresses that factor.

• predators

• availability of food

• competition

• climate and temperature

camouflage in chameleons

the strong woodpecker beak

extensive root systems of prairie grass

thick fur and blubber in Arctic animals

• camouflage in chameleons

• the strong woodpecker beak

• extensive root systems of prairie grass

• thick fur and blubber in Arctic animals

Plant Adaptations

While plant species show a great deal of diversity, most plants have three main structural features:

• roots-used for anchoring and absorbing water/nutrients

• stem-provides support and transports water/nutrients

• leaves-capture sunlight

Animal Adaptations

Animal adaptations include a variety of structural, physiological, and behavioral modifications that allow them to thrive in their respective environments. Each adaptation serves a specific purpose in increasing an animal's chances of survival.

A giraffe's long neck and legs enable them to...

Giraffe

​The beak of a heron is adapted to allow it to...

Heron

Predator animals, such as lions, possess sharp, curved claws that...

Lions

Animals like zebra have adaptations such as patterned fur to help...

Zebra