Adaptations

Why might we find plants with very large leaves in rainforests while we find plants with very sharp thorns in deserts?

On all areas of Earth…  You may find biomes with various ecosystems.  You may observe that plants and animals in those ecosystems have various sizes and shapes.  You may observe that plants and animals have similar sizes and shapes in similar ecosystems.

In order to survive in an ecosystem, plants and animals must have:  Internal Structures  External Structures

Internal Structures and External Structures of biotic factors in an ecosystem may help them survive in that ecosystem …  Over a very long time, animal and plant bodies form structures to help them survive in that ecosystem.  This is called…

Adaptation

* S o cial Studies Connection *  The Channel Islands are located off the coast of California near Santa Barbara.  The islands have been inhabited by Native Americans, who had to use local resources to survive on the islands.

* S o cial Studies Connection *

The Channel Islands Ecosystems  Mostly Grassland and Coastal Chaparral  Over years, animals and plants from the mainland became isolated on the islands, causing them to adapt to the different island ecosystems.

Examples of Adaptations on the Channel Islands…

 Desert Night Lizard  Native to parts of Southern California  Adapted to blending into its surroundings by changing its color.  Island Night Lizard  Lives only on one of the Channel Islands  Adapted to living in small spaces and having low energy.

 Gray Fox. Lives  Native to the Americas.  Adapted to climbing trees to avoid predators such as the coyote.  Island Fox. Descendant of the Gray fox  Lives only on the Channel Islands.  Adapted to small ecosystems by shrinking in size over many years.

Why might we find plants with very large leaves in rainforests while we find plants with very sharp thorns in deserts?

One general reason is that leaves lose water when exposed to sunlight. Rainforest leaves have plenty of water in their ecosystems. Desert plants need to hold on to their water, so their plants should not have leaves.