adaptations

• • organisms have features to allow them to survive in conditions they live in
  • these are adaptations
  • adaptations can be: structural, functional and behavioural
• structural adaptations:

  • structural adaptations are features of the structure of the organism's body like shape or colour
  • examples in organisms are:
  • the artic fox has white fur to camouflaged in the snow, which helps them avoid predators and sneak up on prey
  • animals in cold conditions like whales have thick layer of blubber and a low surface area to volume ratio to help retain heat
  • animals in hot conditions like camels have a thin layer of fat and a large surface area to volume ratio to help lose heat
• functional adaptations:

  • functional adaptions work inside an organism's body - usually related to reproduction and metabolism
  • examples in organisms are:
  • desert animals conserve water by producing little sweat and small amounts of concentrated urine
  • brown bears hibernate over winter - they lower their metabolism to conserve energy, so they don't have to hunt when there is little food
• • microorganisms have many adaptations so they can live in many environments
  • some microorganisms are extremophiles
  • extremophiles are adapted to live in extreme conditions, like at high temperature (volcanic vents), high pressure (deep sea vents) or high salt concentrations (salty lakes)
  • an example of an extremophile is bacteria living in deep sea vents
• behavioural adaptations:

  • behavioural adaptations are behaviours which give organisms an advantage
  • an example is mating rituals, like a male peacock bird using its eathers to attract a female