Introduction to Adaptation

what are adaptations?

organisms are specially suited to survive the living conditions in their habitats (recall: ants and fish)

adaptations

• traits or characteristics that help the organisms to survive their environments.

• (these traits are passed from parents to their young).

adaptations (two types)

• structures that an organism has to survive an environment

• what an organism does to survive an environment/ organisms behave in certain ways to survive their living conditions

adaptations

structural adaptations / behavioural adaptations

examples

• the frog is adapted to live in water

• the lizard is adapted to live in the desert

structural adaptation / frog

the frog has webbed feet to allow it to swim well

behavioural adaptation / lizard

lizards learn to stay in the shade to avoid heat from direct sunlight to survive in the hot environment of the desert