Adaptation

“Survival of the Fittest”

Adapting to the environment

• Species (both plants and animals) evolve or change over time in response to changes in their environment.

• These changes make them better suited to survive.

Species adapt through natural selection in the following way

• Individuals in a population have different characteristics.

• The individuals with characteristics that are suited to the environment will survive and produce offspring.

• The offspring that inherit the characteristics that made their parents survive will also live to reproduce.

• Over many generations, the offspring who continue to inherit the characteristics will reproduce and survive

Survival of the Fittest

• Offspring who don’t inherit these characteristics will be less likely to survive and reproduce.

• Over time the poorly suited characteristics may disappear from the population.

• The changes the population have gone through are called adaptations.

Environments

• Different environments create special problems for the plants and animals living in them.

• Dry environments require living things to find and store water

• Surviving the desert site

• Cold environments require living things to find ways of keeping warm

Physical Adaptations

• Animals adapt to their environments through different physical characteristics.

Feet

• Bird feet are different shapes to perform different functions

• Feet carry birds to their food and some help deliver food to the bird.

• They are designed for running, perching, grasping, wading, paddling

• Bird Feet Site

Teeth

• Teeth adapt for functions such as grinding or tearing

Legs

• Leg bones develop differently depending on if the animal walks upright or on four legs.

Cold Weather

• Animals in cold climates develop ways of insulating themselves (blubber, waterproof coats, hibernation, migration)

Bird migrating

Whales migrating

Blubber for warmth

Bear hibernating

Coloring and Camouflage

• Coloring to protect them from predators (camouflage) or scare predators away

• A few animals are even poisonous or unpleasant-tasting, and predators soon learn to leave these animals alone.

• These poisonous kinds of animals are often brightly colored, as well, which acts as a warning to predators.

Beaks

• Beaks to perform different functions

• Bird Beak Site

Scent

• Some animals use chemicals which they spray from various parts of their bodies to deter predators or attract a mate.

Plants

• Plants develop spines for protections and to conserve water.

Questions

1. Why do plants and animals evolve over time?

2. What do plants develop for protection and to conserve water?

3. Name 2 ways animals use scent as an adaptation

4. Name 2 animals that use camouflage as protection and what type of camouflage do they use?

5. How does the camouflage protect them?6. Describe why a cheetah has the legs it

does? How does it help him to survive?7. Look at the pictures of the 4 animals on

the teeth page, explain how each of their teeth would help them survive in their environment.

8. Which individuals will survive and produce offspring?

9. What are adaptations?

10. What happens to poorly suited characteristics?

11. Go to the surviving in a dry climate site, how do cacti survive in a dry climate?

12. What adaptations do animals have to help them survive in a desert environment?

13. What is the most important thing for animals in a cold environment for survival?

14. Name 4 ways animals adapt and survive cold weather.

15. Name 3 things feet are used for in adaptation and survival.

16. Go to the website on the “feet” slide. Describe 3 types of feet and how they help a bird survive.

17. Go to the “beak” slide and describe 3 types of beaks and how they help a bird survive.

18. Go to the “environments” slide. Click on the link for dry environments. How do reptiles survive in the desert? Describe 2 ways.

19. On the same slide, click on the cold climate link. Pick 2 of the ways animals survive in the winter and describe them.

20. Go to the “physical adaptations” slide. List the adaptations for the 3 animals shown and how these adaptations might help the animal survive and adapt to its environment.