Habitats and Survival

A habitat is the place where living things live. It is more than just a home it includes the whole surrounding area. The habitat provides the animal or plant with food or shelter.

People and their Habitats People can live all over the world.

We can do this because we are able to build homes for different conditions.

Also we can change our clothes to best suit the temperature around us. Animal skin and fur act as insulators and keep heat in. White clothes reflect the heat

Animals and Plants Most plants and animals are specially adapted to survive in a particular habitat. They have developed special features to suit the demands of their environment. This is called adaptation (sometimes adaption).

All birds have similar characteristics. But many water birds have features that are different from those birds live on land. Long legs are good for wading These wings act as flippers Webbed feet for swimming

Some animals are camouflaged to blend in with their surroundings. This keeps them safe as it is more difficult for other animals to see them or catch them for food. This lion blends in well with the grassy background. These zebra could easily be mistaken for bushes from a distance. This lizards skin is so similar to the rock colour.

Aquatic animals have streamlined bodies to move more easily in the water.

These animals have adapted to live in the hot climate of the desert. Camels store water in their humps. Ostriches have long eyelashes to keep out the sand. Snakes glide across the hot sands and can shed their skin

These animals have adapted to be more suited to cold temperatures. Layers of fat keep the seals body warm, and small ears stop heat loss. Polar bears are kept warm by their body fat. Deer have a warm layer of fur.

Even plants have adapted to their habitats. The cactus has fleshy stems that store water. Dandelions seeds are easily dispersed. The water provides support for this lily as it has less developed roots to hold it in place.

Animals and plants help each other Protection Plants and animals depend on each other for a wide variety of things. Nests to reproduce Shelter Food Gas exchange

Structural Adaptations (chapter 9): There are three main types of adaptations: Structural Adaptations (chapter 9): The physical features of an organism such as their shape, body, or any other structure in relation to the body. For example the polar bears big feet allow them to swim in the water and hunt for food.

Physiological Adaptations (chapter 10): A physiological adaptation is the response of an organism or element to a specific external stimulus in order to maintain equilibrium. Physiological adaptations are generally narrow in scope and involves response of an individual to a particular, usually narrow, range of stimuli. Examples of physiological adaption are tanning of skin and callouses forming on hands.

Behavioural Adaptations (chapter 11): A thing that organisms do to survive in a particular environment, such as the way they feed, breed or move. For example, take dogs. They were carnivorous beings that were tamed by man. Over the years they have lived with men, and now have changed their behavior and have shed their carnivorous and hunting tendencies. Instead they depend on man for food.

From this year’s exam…. Flying foxes are mammals that are capable of flight. The wing membranes are a structural adaptation consisting of a double layer of very thin almost hairless epidermis. These wing membranes contain blood vessels, nerves, some skeletal muscle and a network of elastin fibres. Their main predator is a snake that uses heat senses to detect them.

QUESTIONS: What is a structural adaptation? (1 mark) Suggest a function of the elastin fibres in the wing membranes. (1 mark) Flying foxes are capable of increasing blood flow to their wings and at the same time fanning them out. They are also able to reduce the blood flow to the wings and at the same time wrap their wings around them. Explain the reason for each of these behaviours. (2 marks) The Queensland blossom bat has the ability to drop its body temperature from the normal 34.5 ̊ C to 18 ̊ C when at rest. They can rewarm themselves very fast at the rate of 1 ̊ C per minute. Give two benefits for this behavioural ability. (2 marks)

Now it’s your turn….. http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/adaptations