Adaptation and Survival of a Species Why do we have certain animals present now while other have gone extinct? © Copyright 2015 - all rights reserved. www.cpalms.org

What are we trying to do? Explore the scientific theory of evolution by relating how the inability of a species to adapt within a changing environment may contribute to the extinction of that species. © Copyright 2015 - all rights reserved. www.cpalms.org

What do all of these organisms have in common? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dodo_Natural_History_Museum_London_England_03.jpg What do all of these organisms have in common? https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AWoolly_mammoth.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Tasmanian_wolf.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steller%27s_Sea_Cow.jpg © Copyright 2015 - all rights reserved. www.cpalms.org

What is Variation? Variations are differences in the traits of a population that makes individuals unique. Physical Examples: Eye colors, dog fur colors, height Behavioral Examples: Preferred food source, nest location, migration timing © Copyright 2015 - all rights reserved. www.cpalms.org

What is adaptation? Adaptation is a change in an organism’s physical structure or behavior that helps an animal to survive in their habitat. Example: Color of an animal’s fur, beak shape, webbed paws, hibernation © Copyright 2015 - all rights reserved. www.cpalms.org

When do adaptations occur? Adaptations do not occur in just one lifetime. Adaptations develop over many generations. © Copyright 2015 - all rights reserved. www.cpalms.org

Why do adaptations occur? Adaptations occur to help the species survive in their environment. Adaptations happen as a result of variation and a trait being more favorable to survival, allowing individuals pass on genes. Example: Arctic foxes have adapted to have white fur in the winter to be able to blend in with the snow. https://www.flickr.com/photos/thepitcher/5509146216 © Copyright 2015 - all rights reserved. www.cpalms.org

Examples Drought causes seeds to become thicker  birds with larger beaks are able to eat the seeds, allowing them to survive and pass the trait on to their offspring. Climate changes and temperatures increase  species that are adapted to colder temperatures will need to migrate north or move to higher elevations. © Copyright 2015 - all rights reserved. www.cpalms.org

What happens if an organism does not adapt to its environment? If a species is unable to adapt to a changing environment, that species could go extinct. Example: As the ice age ended and vegetation changed, wooly mammoths were unable to adapt to the new, less-nutritious grasses and increased hunting by people. © Copyright 2015 - all rights reserved. www.cpalms.org

Florida Panther https://www.flickr.com/photos/myfwcmedia/9140904545 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Everglades_National_Park_Florida_Panther.jpg https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwshq/7013874693?ytcheck=1 © Copyright 2015 - all rights reserved. www.cpalms.org