Adaptations &You!

You are made of traits. What is a trait?

What’s the difference between an inherited and acquired trait? A trait is … a distinct characteristic (hair color, height, etc.) of an organism that may be inherited or acquired. What’s the difference between an inherited and acquired trait?

Acquired Trait … A characteristic that is learned or obtained through experience. It is not passed on to offspring.

Examples of acquired traits.

Inherited Trait … A characteristic that is passed from parent to offspring through the process of genetics.

Examples of inherited traits.

How do you get an inherited trait? An inherited trait is passed on during reproduction.

There are two types of reproduction … Asexual reproduction Sexual reproduction

Asexual reproduction is reproduction without sex. You only need one parent.

The offspring is/are identical to the parent. You can’t identify offspring or parent.

There are two types of asexual reproduction.

Fission – the parent splits into two or more identical organisms. Examples

Fragmentation/regeneration – the parent breaks into different fragments and each grow into a new organism. Examples

Reproduction with two parents – a male and female. Sexual Reproduction Reproduction with two parents – a male and female.

The female produces an egg. The male produces sperm.

When the egg & sperm unite, offspring are produced. Offspring are similar to, but different, from the parents.

Half of the genetic material comes from each parent.

Don’t have to find a partner Don’t have to raise offspring Asexual Reproduction Advantages Disadvantages Fast Easy Don’t have to find a partner Don’t have to travel Less can go wrong Don’t have to raise offspring No variety

Time raising offspring Sexual Reproduction Advantages Disadvantages Variety Slow Complex Have to have a partner May have to travel Much can go wrong Time raising offspring

They are responsible for survival in an environment. Now we know about traits, what do they do for us? They are responsible for survival in an environment.

Traits help an organism adapt to its environment. Adaptations - Characteristics that give an organism a better chance of survival.

There are two types of adaptations. The first type is structural adaptations. These are the inherited traits.

The second type is behavioral adaptations. These are the acquired traits.

Structural traits help an organism survive in certain environments.

Bird beaks are great examples of adaptations. Food Cracker Seed eater. The bill is strong and used to crack open seeds.

Beak Food Tweezers Insect eater. They are used to pick insects off leaves, twigs, and bark. Chisel Insect eater. Chisel is used to get insects under bark. Needle Nectar eater. Uses needle beak to get into flowers to get the nectar. Hook Meat eater. Used to bite the skull or neck; tears the body into pieces small enough to swallow.

When is a trait a disadvantage? When the environment changes.

Look at bird beaks again. What’s a seed eater to do if the seeds are gone? The beak is so strong it will smash insects & fruits.

What good is white fur if it never snows? Webbed feet are not that helpful on the land.

What are some unique adaptations & traits? How about mimicry? (resemblance of a species to another species or natural objects; provides concealment and protection from predators).

The Monarch and Viceroy The monarch is a bitter-tasting butterfly. The viceroy mimics the monarch.

The Honey Bee and Syrphid Fly The honey bee has a nasty sting predators avoid. The syrphid fly mimics the honey bee.

The Coral & Scarlet King Snakes The coral snake is poisonous. The scarlet king snake mimics the coral snake. "Red on yellow, kill a fellow. Red on black, won't hurt Jack."

The Orchid and the Mantid The orchid attracts insects for pollination. The orchid mantid mimics the orchid in order to catch prey.

We can selectively choose traits for plants and animals.

The original corn was tough and had little taste. We have selectively chosen corn traits; our corn is now soft and sweet.

Through selective breeding, cows give more milk than in the past. 100 years ago, cows gave less milk than they do today. Through selective breeding, cows give more milk than in the past.

Dogs have been selectively bred for desired traits. ?

Body structure is also adapted to a specific environment.

Birds have hollow bones and other specialized bones to aid flight.

Hair and blubber insults the body. The otter’s hair concentration is between 170,000 – 1,062,000 per square inch.

Hair and blubber insults the body.

The shape of a fish’s body helps it move through the water.

That’s a quick overview of adaptations.