adaptations - not mock

• define adaptation?

  features of an organism that increase its chance of survival and reproduction and its offspring reproducing successfully
• define behavioral adaptations?

  ways an organism acts that increases its chance of survival

  e.g. possums play dead if they're being threatened by a predator to escape attack

  e.g. scorpions dance before mating - ensures they attract a mate of the same species, increasing the likelihood of successful mating
• define physiological adaptations?

  processes inside an organisms body that increase its chance of survival

  e.g. brown bears hibernate - they lower their metabolic rate over winter = conserves energy so they don't need to look for food when its scarce

  e.g. some bacteria produce antibiotics - they kill other species of bacteria in the area = less competition
• define anatomical adaptations?

  structural features of an organisms body that increase its chance of survival

  e.g. otters have a streamlined shape = easier to catch prey and escape predators

  e.g. whales have a thick layer of fat - keeps them warm in cold sea
• why do organisms from different taxonomic groups have similar features?

  convergent evolution - the independent evolution of similar features in different species at different periods of time

  --> the organisms have evolved in similar environments with similar selection pressures and to fill similar ecological niches
• define divergent evolution?

  when 2 populations of the same species become separated by a barrier. they evolve to form 2 new species with distinct adaptations

  --> the species have homologous structures - appear superficially different but have the same underlying feature e.g. pentadactyl limb