What Is Adaptation?

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(No Transcript)
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What Is Adaptation?

• Adaptation
• An inherited trait or set of traits that
  increases the chances of survival and
  reproduction of an organism in a particular
  environment.
• In different habitats, each species has its own
  set of characters for survival.

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What Is Adaptation?

• Natural Selection
• Survival of the fittest Selective Pressure
  (Charles Darwin, Origin of Species, 1859)
• Sexual selection (???)
• Ecological selection (????)

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Harsh Habitats in Our Biosphere

• South Poles (??)
• Tropical Rain Forest (????)
• Desert (??)
• Hydrothermal Vent
• (??)

http//www.learninglive.co.uk/srb-projects/interne
t/pages/habitat20adaptation/webpages/habitatindex
.html
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South Poles (??)

• Temperature -40oC in average, can be as low as
  -57oC
• Winds up to 100 mph

http//eosl.csl.uiuc.edu/home/images/SP/SouthPole_
Station5B15D.jpg
http//www.mreclipse.com/Store/LM1/image/LM1-01w.J
PG
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Tropical Rain Forest (????)

• Rainfall
• 250-1000cm/ year
• Temperature 35oC
• Climate
• Hot and wet

http//www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm
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Desert (??)

• Rainfall lt25cm/year
• Temperature gt40oC in daytime
• Climate
• Hot and dry

http//bama.ua.edu/liu025/photo/China20Phote/Ten
gGeli20Desert.JPG
http//midsun.uwaterloo.ca/images/msvi/asc/Desert.
jpg
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Hydrothermal Vents (??)

• Temperature 390oC
• High hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and methane (CH4)
  food sources of some organisms
• Geo-chemical energy

http//statusreports-atp.nist.gov/reports/images/d
eep-sea.jpg
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Case Study Penguin (??)

• Reasons for choosing this model
• Can be found in extreme environments (e.g. South
  Pole) and in other habitats (e.g. South Africa)
• Penguins in different habitats have different
  adaptation characteristics
• Video http//www.nationalgeographic.com/channel/h
  ighspeed/2004/08/20040823news.html?formatwmvid2
  0040823ngppenguins.asf  

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Evolution of Penguins
Phylogenetic Tree
http//www.adelie.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Evolution/e
volve.html
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What Problems Do Penguins Face?

• - Abiotic Factors (??????)
• - Biotic Factors (?????)

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Abiotic Factors (??????)

• Non-living factors affecting the life of
  organisms
• Light
• Temperature
• Atmospheric gases
• South Pole
• Temperature -40oC in average, can be as low as
  -57oC
• Winds Strong winds up to 100 mph

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Biotic Factors (?????)

• Environmental influences resulting from the
  activities of living organisms
• Competition (??)
• Interspecific competition (????)
• Intraspecific competition(????)
• Predation (??)

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Predation

• Penguins are preys of
• Leopard seals (??)
• Killer whales (???)
• Sharks (??)

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Leopard Seals
http//www.dougallan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/picpops/
images/lectures_da15.jpg
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Killer Whales
http//menua.aic.net/vvk/seaa/orc/orca11.jpg
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Sharks
http//www.laups.org/cgray/images/blue.jpg
http//seashadows.narod.ru/rus/images/im020.jpg
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How Do Penguins Adapt to the Environment?
http//www.adelie.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/PhotoIndex/
SPH_PICS.htm
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Adaptation of Penguins

• (1) Morphological (???)
• (2) Physiological (???)
• (3) Behavioral (???)

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(1) Morphological Adaptation

• Feather
• Bone
• Different colors in dorsal and ventral parts of
  the body

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Which Feather Belongs to Penguin?
http//www.seaworld.org/infobooks/ Penguins/physic
al.html
http//wings.avkids.com/Book/Animals/intermediate/
birds-01.html
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Feather

• 4 layers of feathers
• Shiny feathers uniformly overlap to cover the
  skin
• Highly specialized short, broad, and closely
  spaced
• Tufts of down on the feather shafts insulation
  (??)

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Which Skeleton Design Makes Penguin a Good Diver?
http//octopus.gma.org/surfing/antarctica/penguin.
html
http//www.adelie.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/anatomon.ht
m
http//192.107.108.56/portfolios/h/harris_d/final/
sectns.htm
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Different Colors in Dorsal and Ventral Parts

• Ventral part(??) White
• Dorsal part (??) Black

Why different colors in dorsal and ventral parts?
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(2) Physiological Adaptation

• Characteristics unique in South Pole species
• Recycle of body heat
• Mechanism of diving
• Preservation of food

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Recycle of Body Heat
http//www.biology.ualberta.ca/courses.hp/bio366/I
mage71.jpg
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Mechanism of Diving
http//www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/animal
physiology/websites/2004/Gooch/index.htm
http//www.biology.ualberta.ca/courses.hp/bio366/I
mage71.jpg
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Mechanism of Diving

• The most important mechanism involved in diving
  is oxygen saving.
• Reduced heart rate
• Change in blood flow (by-passing) and reduced
  sensitivity to CO2

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Reduced Heart Rate
http//www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/animal
physiology/websites/2004/Gooch/oxygen.htmadl
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Change in Blood Flow and Reduced Sensitivity to
CO2

• Increased oxygen supply to skeletal muscle
• Reduced blood flow to brain, heart and lungs
• Prevent termination of breathing
• Reduce receptors sensitivity in brain to CO2

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Preservation of Food

• Proteins in stomach for preservation of food
• Antimicrobial peptides
• Example ß-defensins (Sugiarto et al., 2004 )
• Spheniscins (Landon et al., 2004)
• Work with other antimicrobial peptides
• Preserve food for several weeks during incubation
  of eggs

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(3) Behavioral Adaptation

• Characteristics unique in South Pole species
• Huddling
• Drawing neck and flipper tightly against the body
• Sharing parental duties

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Why Do Penguins Form Colonies in Winters?
http//www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid3524
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Huddling

• Density 10 individuals per m2
• Reduces heat loss up to 50
• Temperature inside the huddle can be as high as
  35oC
• Prolongs fat storage

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Huddling

• In windy days, individuals at the edge are
  exposed to the wind and therefore have a higher
  rate of heat loss.
• They shift from edge to center to keep their
  bodies warm.
• They move together with their chicks.

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Neck and Flipper Drawn Tightly against Body

• Why do penguins always draw their neck and
  flipper tightly against the body?
• Minimize surface area contact with the
  surrounding
• Reduce heat loss

http//englishnf.pinguins.info/
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Sharing Parental Duties

• Emperor Penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) incubate
  eggs without eating for 65 days
• Females search for food and help in incubation
• How can females find their partners?
• They recognize their partners by voice

http//www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/wildl
ife/penguins/adelie.shtml
Penguins call
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Sharing Parental Duties

• Parents can stop eating in turn for more than 3
  months to take care of the chicks
• Feeding chicks with fish and squid by
  regurgitation

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Sharing Parental Duties
http//www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid3524
http//www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid3524
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Summary

• Purpose of adaptation Increases the chances of
  survival and reproduction of an organism in a
  particular environment.
• Forms of adaptation Morphological,
  physiological, behavioral
• Case study Penguins
• Characteristics found in South Pole species
  different from those in South Africa

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Major References

1. Akwarium Gdynskie, http//www.aad.gov.au/default.a
   sp?casid3524
2. Animal, http//wings.avkids.com/Book/Animals/inter
   mediate/birds-01.html
3. Animal explore discover connect,
   http//www.seaworld.org/infobooks/Penguins/physica
   l.html
4. Animal diversity web, http//animaldiversity.ummz.
   umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Sphenisciforme
   s.html
5. Antarctic connection, http//www.antarcticconnecti
   on.com/antarctic/wildlife/penguins/adelie.shtml
6. Australian Antarctic Division, http//www.aad.gov.
   au/default.asp?casid3524
7. BBC weather center, http//www.bbc.co.uk/weather/f
   eatures/weatherbasics/zones_desert.shtml
8. Boreal Ecology, http//www.biology.ualberta.ca/cou
   rses.hp/bio366/Image71.jpg
9. Charles Darwin, The Origin of species, Modern
   Library. P.108-117
10. Diving mechanism in Penguins, http//www.bio.david
    son.edu/people/midorcas/animalphysiology/websites/
    2004/Gooch/oxygen.htmadl

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Major References

• Landon C, Thouzeau C, Labbe H, Bulet P, Vovelle F
  (2004). Solution structure of spheniscin, a
  beta-defensin from the penguin stomach. J Biol
  Chem. 2004 Jul 16279(29)30433-9
• Paul and Bernice Noll's Window on the World,
  http//www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Birds/Avian-Skeleto
  n.html
• Penguins around the world, http//www.siec.k12.in.
  us/west/proj/penguins/species.html
• Pete Barbs Penguin Pages, http//www.adelie.pwp
  .blueyonder.co.uk/anatomon.htm
• Rezende EL, Swanson DL, Novoa FF, Bozinovic F
  (2001) Passerines versus nonpasserines so far,
  no statistical differences in the scaling of
  avian energetics. The journal of Experimental
  Biology 205, 101-107 (2002)
• Sugiarto H., Yu PL (2004), Avian antimicrobial
  peptides the defense role of ß-defensins.
  Biochemical and Biophysical Research
  Communication 323 (2004) 721-727
• Tropical Rain forest, http//www.blueplanetbiomes.
  org/rainforest.htm
• The climate of tropical rain forest,
  http//www.cdli.ca/CITE/rainforest_climate_student
  s.htm
• Wikipedia, http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological
  _selection
• World Habitat, http//www.learninglive.co.uk/srb-p
  rojects/internet/pages/habitat20adaptation/webpag
  es/habitatindex.html

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Enjoy the nature
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Acknowledgements

• Prof. K.L. CHOW
• Prof. Philip I.K. SOU
• Prof. Michael K.Y. WONG
• Dr. T.K. GOH
• Dr. Maggie LI
• Dr. Ice KO
• Dr. Y.Y. REN
• Mr. Wilfred LEUNG
• Mr. Jack LI
• Center for Enhanced Learning and Teaching
• This project is funded by the Center for
  Enhanced Learning and Teaching of HKUST.

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Preservation of Food Spheniscins

• 38 amino acids
• Work together with other antimicrobial substances
  in the stomach for preservation of food
• Inhibit growth of or kill the microbes

3D structure of Spheniscins
http//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Structure/mmdb/mmdbsrv
.cgi?form6dbtDoptsuid27989
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Sexual Selection

• The most successful individuals pass their
  genetic materials to their offspring.
• The less successful individuals genes are
  eliminated and they cannot pass their genes to
  the next generation.
• It depends, not on a struggle for existence in
  relation to other organic beings or to external
  conditions, but on a struggle between the
  individuals of one sex
• The result is not death to the unsuccessful
  competitor, but few or no off-spring
• The most vigorous males. Those which are best
  fitted for their places in nature

Origin of species, Charles Darwin
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Ecological Selection

• Strictly ecological processes that operate on a
  species' inherited traits without reference to
  mating or secondary sex characteristics
• Inheritance of specific traits is determined by
  ecology alone without direct sexual competition,
  when e.g. sexual competition is strictly
  ecological or economic, there is little or no
  mate choice, females do not resist any male who
  wishes to mate, all traits will be equally
  propagated regardless of mating, or the species
  is hermaphroditic or asexually reproduction, an
  ecological selection is taking place. Example
  Giant panda.
• (http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_selectio
  n, Wikipedia)