B7 Adaptations (page 85) Flashcards
What is meant by Adaptations with organisims?
Adaptations allow organisms to survive.
(life exists in so many different environments because the organisms that live in them have adapted to them).
Organisms, including microorganisms, are adapted to live in different environmental conditions, why?
The features or characteristics that allow them to do this are called adaptations.
List what Adaptations can be?
1) Structural
2) Behavioural
3) Functional.
What are Structural Adaptations?
These are features of an organism’s body structure - such as shape or colour.
Give example of Structural Adaptations for Artic Animals - like Arctic fox?
Artic animals like the Artic fox have white fur so they’re camouflaged against the snow. This helps them avoid preditors and sneak up on prey
Give example of Structural adaptations for Animals that live in cold places, like whales?
Animals that live in cold places, like whales have a thick layer of blubber (fat) and a low surface area to volume ratio to help them retain heat.
Give example of structural adaptations for animals that live in hot places, like camels?
Animals that live in hot places like camels have a thin layer of fat and a large surface area to volume ratio to help them lose heat.
What is Behavioural adaptations?
These are ways that organisms behave. Many species (e.g. swallows) migrate to warmer climates during the winter to avoid the problems of living in cold conditions.
What is Functional Adaptations?
These are things that go on inside an organism’s body that can be related to processes like reproduction and metabolism (all the chemical reactions happening in the body).
Give example of Functional adaptations for animals that live in the Desert?
Aniamals that live in the Desert conserve water by producing very little sweat and small amounts of concentrated urine.
Give example of Functional adaptations for Brown bears hibernate over winter?
Brown bears hibernate over winter, they lower their metabolism which conserves energy, so they don’t have to hunt when there’s not much food about.
Some Microorganisms (e.g. bacteria), are known as extremophiles, explain what this is?
They’re adapted to live in very extreme conditions.
e.g. some can live at high temperatures in super hot volcanic vents, and others can live in places with a high salt concentration - very salty lakes, or at high pressure - deep sea vents.
(Microorganisms have a huge variety of adaptations - so that they can live in a wide range of environments).
In the exam, you might have to say how an organism is adapted to its environment, what should you be explaining?
Look at it’s characteristics (e.g. colour/shape) as well as the conditions it has to cope with (e.g. predation/temperature).
The diagram on Q1 on page 85 shows a penguin. Penguins live in the cold, icy environment of the Antartic. They seim in the sea to hunt for fish to eat. Some Penguins also huddle together in large groups to keep warm.
a) What type of adaptation is being described when penguins ‘huddle together’? (1 mark)
b) Explain one structural adaptation a penguin has to its environment (2 marks)
a) A behavioural adaptation (1 mark)
b) E.g. it has flippers ( mark so it can swim for food (1 mark)
A thick layer of fat (1 mark) so it retains heat (1 mark)
A low surface area to volume ratio (1 mark) so it retains heat (1 mark).
