Adaptations Day 3

Joe put a deer feeder on his 180-acre ranch in the Texas Hill Country. The feeder is 12' tall, battery-powered, and light-sensitive. It automatically scatters corn from a dispenser at dawn and dusk. Joe saw small, muddy footprints on the dispenser and knew that raccoons were climbing up the supports of the feeder and reaching their tiny hands into the dispenser to get the corn. This behavior of raccoons--

• is inherited

• is uniques only to these racoons

• is learned

• happened only one time

When birds fly south for the winter, they are exhibiting

• courtship.

• mimicry.

• learned behavior.

• instinctive behavior.

Which group contains only inherited traits?

• hair texture throwing a baseball reading weight

• length of hair ability to swim lung capacity clarity of vision

• baldness right-handedness food preference balance

• hair color eye color height shape of nose

• Plants need a supply of water

• Plants can be eaten by animals

• Plants cannot move to new places

• Plants must absorb sunlight to survive

The whiskers of a river otter and the antennae of a cockroach are shown here. How do structures such as whiskers and antennae benefit organisms? (5.10A)

• They help the organisms detect their surroundings.

• They help the organisms eat food quickly.

• They help the organisms fight predators.

• None of these

Some animals, such as lions, have pointed teeth, while other animals, such as cattle, have flat teeth. The difference in the shape of these animals' teeth is most closely related to--- (5.10A)

• the type of organisms the animals consume

• the sounds the animals make

• the habitat the animals live in

• the type of predators the animals have

What is the purpose of comparing the structures and functions of different species according to the learning material?

• To understand how these structures and functions help them in activities like sports

• To understand how these structures and functions help them live and survive in a specific environment

• To understand how these structures and functions affect their dietary habits

• To understand how these structures and functions influence their mating rituals

Bullfrogs are Florida’s largest frog. Frogs spend part of their life cycles in water and part on land. Which physical characteristic is most useful for a water environment?

• Thin skin

• Large eyes

• Webbed feet

• Long, strong legs

Which two traits best help a cactus conserve water in the dry conditions of a West Texas desert ecosystem? (5.10A)

• Large flowers and sweet fruit

• Sweet fruits and sharp spines

• Sharp spines and waxy stems

• Waxy stems and large flowers

The ocotillo is a desert plant with long, straight branches. Its leaves are small and appear for only a short time after a rain. Most of the time, the branches of the ocotillo do not have leaves. Maple trees grow in areas where water is more abundant than in the desert. Maple leaves can be very large and are present for most months of the year. Ocotillo plants are better adapted for surviving in the desert than maple trees because the characteristics of ocotillo leaves--- (5.10A)

• allow more sunlight to reach the soil

• prevent the plant from producing flowers

• encourage the release of carbon dioxide from the stems

• reduce the amount of water lost through evaporation