Adaptations

Adaptations are unique features that arise from natural selection Adaptations are unique features that arise from natural selection. They help a species survive in their environment.

What are the simplest adaptations in biology?

They can be found in protists….

What are protists?

A group of single celled eukaryotes that can be either autotrophs or heterotrophs

Cilia are hair like projections from a cell that help move the cell, or help move things away from the cell. Example=paramecium

Pseudopod – projection of the cell, used for movement Pseudopod – projection of the cell, used for movement. Used in protists, which are single cell eukaryotes. Example - amoeba

The flagellum is a whip like tail found on some cells (like sperm and protists) it is used for movement. Ex – SPERM OR EUGLENA

An eyespot is an adaptation in some protists that is used to sense light and move towards it or away from it. This is called phototaxis. Ex- Euglena

Eukaryotes Prokaryotes Protists: Paramecium Euglena Algae Bacteria Animals Plants Fungi

How do plants disperse their seeds? Animals Carry seeds on fur or feathers Eat edible fruits that contain seeds and pass through digestive system to be deposited later Collect and bury seeds (ants and squirrels) other wind…winged seeds, puff seeds, tumbleweeds Water…float and travel to another location Fire…some pine cones open only with heat

Why do plants disperse their seeds?

Plants need their own personal space Plants need their own personal space. Specifically, they need to have space so they can have a good supply of light, air and water.

Mature Seed: -Consists of an embryo that is frequently surrounded by a food reserve and a protective coating. -Is capable of germinating under the proper conditions and forming a mature plant. Germinating: D. Seeds. Retrieved January 23, 2007, from Dierdra's Home Page Web site: http://students.usm.maine.edu/deidre.rice/student3.html

Seed Dispersal: Adaptive mechanism of plants that ensures seeds will be: -separated from the parent plants. -distributed over as large an area as possible to ensure the germination and survival of some of the seeds to adult plants. http://www.visualsunlimited.com/images/watermarked/306/306990.jpg

- Most flowering plants use animals to carry seeds. Dispersal by Animals: - Most flowering plants use animals to carry seeds. Overview.net.Ltd (1995). Retrieved January 26, 2007, from Microscopy-UK Web site: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/imgoct00/pjgb3.jpg

Dispersal by Animals -Some flowering plants produce edible fruits. Toucan eating fruit from a tree. -Some flowering plants produce edible fruits. -These juicy, tasty, sweet, colorful fruits often have seeds that are animal dispersed. (Jan 26,2007). Retrieved January 26, 2007, from Oeisoux.net Web site: http://www.oiseaux.net/oiseaux/piciformes/images/toucan.de.swainson.thbe.3g.jpg

Ripened and unripened banana fruits on banana tree Dispersal by Animals -When the seeds of the plant become mature, the surrounding fruit becomes softer and its sugar content increases. -Some fruits become fragrant and brightly colored to advertise their ripeness to animals. Ripened and unripened banana fruits on banana tree M. (April 16, 2004). Our Florida Garden. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from Welcome to Mimi's HomePage Web site: http://www.mchristi.wso.net/new_garden.html

Brown capuchin monkey (Cebus apella) snarling while eating fruit. Dispersal by Animal -Interactions with animals have helped flowering plants become the most successful plants on earth. Brown capuchin monkey (Cebus apella) snarling while eating fruit. Butler, R. (2007). World Travel Photos. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from Tropical Rainforest Conservation Web site: http://www.mongabay.com/images/peru/tambopata/Tambopata_1028_4366a.jpg

Dispersal by Animals Example #1: Animals eat fruits and defecate. The faeces acts as fertilizer and the seeds are spread. -When the animal ingests the fruit the animal digests the fleshy part. -The seed coat usually prevents the digestion of the seeds. -Many such fruits contain laxatives to help the process along. -The tough seeds usually pass unharmed through the digestive tract. -The animal deposits the seeds, along with a fertilizer supply, miles from the parent plant where the fruit was eaten.

Note: One of the most common colors of fruits is red, a color insects cannot see very well; therefore, most of the fruit is saved for animals large enough to disperse the seeds. (May 17, 2002). Black Cherries. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from Seed Dispersal Web site: http://www.units.muohio.edu/dragonfly/itb/index.htmlx Baskauf, S. (Jan. 22, 2007). Plant Features. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from Bioimages Web site: http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/biohires/m/hmoru2-frcloseup11062.jpg

Seeds traveling on animals: Example #2 - Some flowering plants have fruits modified as burrs that cling to animal fur or the clothes of humans. Cocklebur seeds on fur, seed dispersal Cavagnaro, D. (2007). Cockleburr on Fur. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from Visuals Unlimited Stock Photography Web site: http://www.visualsunlimited.com/browse/vu300/vu300400.html

Example #3: Animals bury seeds -Small animals collect seeds and bury them as food stores for a later date when food is scarcer. Occasionally, these animals do not return to collect these seeds, and they leave them planted in the ground.

Animals bury seeds cont’d -Squirrels bury oak acorns and sometimes forget where they buried them, thus planting a tree far away from the parent plant. natzoo.si.edu/Animals/.../ UrbanNatureWatch/Watches

Animals bury seeds cont’d -Blue Jays also bury acorns. They usually remember where they bury them, but at times they bury more than they need. This leaves some acorns in the ground, which may eventually sprout.

Wind Dispersal -Small, hard, dry fruits are often dispersed by wind. These plants have seeds within fruits acting as kites or propellers. Seed dispersal from the Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), North America. Leroy Simon / Visuals Unlimited

Wind Dispersal cont’d: Overproduction -Most of these plants produce a large number of seeds, but most of the seeds will not produce mature plants. -Their large number and ability to disperse to new habitats ensure that at least some will grow and eventually produce seeds themselves. www.painetworks.com/pagesrf/ii/ii0822.html

Wind Dispersal cont’d: Maple winged fruits -Some plants have seeds within fruits acting as kites or propellers that aid in wind dispersal. www.oplin.lib.oh.us/tree/.../ maple_hedge.html

Wind Dispersal cont’d -The entire tumbleweed plant dries up and is blown across fields and roads, dispersing seeds as it tumbles. http://waynesword.palomar.edu/images/tweed3b.jpg

-Pine cones use wind to disperse their seeds: -After one to three years of maturing, the pine cone opens up and the winged seeds travel on the wind. http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/pkenlan/HTML/Pinaceae/pinus_rigida.html

-Where natural fires are common, many seeds require intense heat to break dormancy. -Seedlings are therefore most abundant after fire has cleared away competing vegetation. Ex: Pitch pine cone: during a fire the pitch pine cones will open in extreme heat. http://www.campton.sau48.k12.nh.us/neflora/images/neflora/3-29_Pitch_Pine_Cone_small.JPG

Water Dispersal -Some small, hard fruits are also dispersed by water. These plants have seeds that float and travel on the water until washed up on shore. -Fruits such as the large seeded pod of the 'Black bean' Castano-spermum australe (below) float well in water. Water dispersal of seeds in the rainforest http://rainforest-australia.com/Fruits_and_Seed_Dispersal.htm

Water Dispersal cont’d - Some plants produce a moderate number of very large seeds with a high amount of nutrients, which ensures the survival of most of the offspring. Coconut Palm http://www.ericandleandra.com/photos/cancun/images/1_coconut_tree.jpg

Water Dispersal cont’d http://waynesword.palomar.edu/pldec398.htm#crab -Box fruits, Barringtonia asiatica, are widespread drift fruits in the tropical Pacific, remaining buoyant for more than two years. They are common in the turquoise-blue waters of French Polynesia.

Popping Seeds -Some seeds have evolved a popping mechanism for short distance dispersal. -As the seed matures, the pod or husk dries out and may start to shrink around the seeds. - After it shrinks so far, it may “pop” and scatter the seeds around. Touch-me-nots are aptly named. The seed capsules develop from mid summer through fall. If touched, picked or otherwise disturbed, they rupture like a broken spring; projecting their seeds several feet. http://www.isledegrande.com/giimages9/touchmenotseedpod.jpg

Humans have arteries and veins. Plants have xylem and phloem Humans have arteries and veins. Plants have xylem and phloem. These kinds of tube are called vascular tissue.” Xylem – a kind of vascular tissue in plants that carries water. Phloem – a kind of vascular tissue in plants that carries phood…or food.

Innate behavior or instinct: A kind of behavior you’re born with and can do automatically. Learned behavior: Behavior that you learn from somebody else or by trial and error, you’re not born with this.

Animal behaviors

Warmup With your tablemate, brainstorm how you think new information is learned? What are the different kinds of learning you can think of? Write the results of your conversation at the bottom of your notes.

Animal Behaviors A behavior is anything an animal does in response to a stimulus (stimuli) in its environment. When an animal responds to a stimulus, body systems – including the sense organs, nervous system, & muscles – interact to produce the resultant behavior!

Stimuli Stimuli

Animal Behaviors Battle at Kruger While watching the video, list the types of animal behaviors observed. Record the stimuli and the responses that define the behaviors.

There are two basic types of behavior: Innate (think instinct) Learned Which one is this:

Innate behaviors A behavior that appears in fully functional form the first time it is performed. An instinct

Examples of Innate Behaviors Hibernation refers to a season of rest characterized by low body temperature, slow breathing and heart rate, and low metabolic rate. Low metabolic rate = slow down energy usage.

Examples of Innate Behaviors Estivation is a long period of rest, usually underground, during hot periods of weather.

Examples of Innate Behaviors Taxis: automatic directional movement of an organism in response to a stimulus ex light or chemicals phototaxis and chemotaxis

Examples of Innate Behaviors Migration the large-scale movement of species from one environment to another

Learned behaviors Chimpanzee using a tool Little baby Albert A behavior that an animal acquires during its lifetime Chimpanzee using a tool Little baby Albert

Types of Learned Behaviors Imprinting- when an animal forms a social attachment to another object. Conditioning-response to a stimulus learned by association with a specific action (example: bell rings?) Classical conditioning vs. Operant conditioning Trial and Error Habituation- stop responding to a stimulus (ex. Strong odors?)

Imprinting- when an animal forms a social attachment to another object.

Conditioning-response to a stimulus learned by association with a specific action (example: bell rings?)

Trial and Error A way of learning that involves repeated failure, and changing your approach, until you figure out the right way. 

Habituation- stop responding to a stimulus (ex. Strong odors?)

Social Behaviors Behaviors that are in response to other animals. Examples: -territorial -courtship -communication

Territorial Aggressive behavior to defend space.

Courtship Behavior to attract a mate.

Communication Behavior to exchange information. Dance Pheromones/odors – chemicals secreted that give off a message (usually for attraction)