Adaptation

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Adaptation

• Survival of the Fittest

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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.

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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.

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• 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

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Survival of the Fittest

• Offspring who dont 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.

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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

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Physical Adaptations

• Animals adapt to their environments through
  different physical characteristics.

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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

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Teeth

• Teeth adapt for functions such as grinding or
  tearing

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Legs

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

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Cold Weather

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

Bird migrating
Blubber for warmth
Whales migrating
Bear hibernating
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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.

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Beaks

• Beaks to perform different functions
• Bird Beak Site

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Scent

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

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Plants

• Plants develop spines for protections and to
  conserve water.

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Questions

• Why do plants and animals evolve over time?
• What do plants develop for protection and to
  conserve water?
• Name 2 ways animals use scent as an adaptation
• Name 2 animals that use camouflage as protection
  and what type of camouflage do they use?

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• 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?

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• 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?

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• 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.

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• 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.