Surviving in an Ecosystem  Organisms could not survive unless they were adapted to the conditions of their surroundings.adapted  In order to meet their basic needs, plants and animals must change to fit into their environments.

Adaptations  An adaptation is a trait that enables an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment.  Many adaptations help organisms to:  obtain food.  enable them to avoid being eaten.  survive in different environments  reproduce.  Brightly colored petals are a reproductive adaptation of some plants.  The care that some animals give their young until the young can survive on their own is a reproductive adaptation.

Example-Mammals, Birds, Lizards Deceptive Coloration “Camouflage”

Example-Frogs, Snakes Alerts, Warning Colors

Example- Insects Mimicry

Example-Alligator Third, clear sideways eyelid that protects their eyes underwater. Wide flap of skin at the back of the throat, keeps water away from the lungs while swallowing underwater.

Example-Prairie Dogs “Kiss" and “Hug" when they meet to identify each other as family! Take turns keeping watch! If the watch dog sees danger. Sound an alarm call by stretching their heads into the sky and barking!

Traits  Most adaptations are traits or characteristics that offspring inherit from their parents.  Traits are determined by genes.  Genes are sets of information inherited by an organism’s parents.

Changes to an organism’s environment  Environmental changes affect the organisms that live in the environments.  If an organism’s environment changes, the characteristics that it has inherited help determine whether it can adapt.  If a niche disappears then an animal can go extinct!

Internal Adaptations  Allow organisms to function and survive in their environments.  Examples  Birds have hollow bones to make them light weight enough to fly  Fish have gills so they can breathe under water

Animal Behavior  Behavior consists of all the actions an animal performs.  Examples:  Things it does to get food  Avoid predators  Find a mate

Behaviors  Behavior is an important adaptation.  Most behaviors help an animal survive and reproduce.  An organism’s reaction to a stimulus is called a response. House Sparrows aggressively protect a small territory just around their nesting site.. House Sparrows use a set of postures and behaviors to communicate with others of their species. House Sparrows also have a set of vocalizations that are used to attract mates, deter intruders, and warn others.

Stimuli and Response  All behaviors are responses to stimuli.  Some stimuli come from outside the animal’s body, like a noise.  Some stimuli come from inside the animal’s body, like hunger.

Types of animal behaviors  Instinct-behaviors an animal is born being able to do.  Usually done correctly the first time. Ex:  A bird can build a nest.  A spider spinning a complicated web.  Earthworms crawling away from bright light  Learning-changes in behavior based on practice or experience.  Result from an animal’s experience and are not usually done perfectly the first time.  Learned behaviors depend in part on instincts.  Ex: Lion cub learns to hunt from his mother, birds learn songs from other birds

Patterns of Behavior  Scientists classify patterns of behavior into different types.

Aggression  Threatening behavior that one animal uses to gain control over another.  Competition for limited resources such as food, water, space, shelter, or mates.  Establish a territory, an area that is occupied & defended by an animal or group of animals.

Courtship behavior  Behavior in which males and females of the same species prepare for mating.  Courtship behaviors ensure that the males and females of the same species recognize one another, so that mating and reproduction can take place.

Living in groups  A characteristic that usually helps animals survive.  Protection  Find food  Society-A group of closely related animals, like “prides” of lions, “packs” of wolves, “herds” of elephants, “gaggles” of geese, “towns” of prairie dogs, etc… Society

Communication  Communication is used for sending information to other organisms.  Sounds for defense  Body positions and movements for courtship  Movements or body position to communicate information of food and resources  Scents

Behavior cycles  Some animal behavior occurs in predictable patterns  Nocturnal- active at night  Diurnal- active during the day.  Circadian Rhythms- daily behaviors

Other behavior cycles are related to seasons  Hibernation- state of greatly reduced body activity that occurs during the winter.  During the fall, animals eat more food than usual.  “Sleep” in nests, dens and burrows.

 Migration- periodic journey of an animal from one place to another and back again.  Animals travel for food.  Animals travel for a favorable environment for reproduction.

 Estivation- dormancy, or "sleep", occurs in hot or desert climates.  Heat and water are important.  Some animals need protection from high temperatures and drought.

Symbiosis  Close relationship between 2 organisms in which one organisms lives near or inside the other.

Commensalism  Relationship where one organism benefits and the other is not harmed.  Ex: Sparrows and Ospreys  Small bird benefits from larger hawks protection.  Ex: Tiny mites live at the base of the hairs of your eyebrows.  Mites get food, you’re not hurt

Mutualism  Relationship where both organisms benefit.  Ex: Bacteria in many animals intestines  Bacteria get food and shelter.  Animals get help digesting food.  Ex: Goby fish and snapping shrimps  Shrimp build homes for Goby and itself  Goby alerts shrimp to danger because shrimp is almost blind

Parasitism  Relationship where one organism benefits and the other is harmed.  Ex: Wasps and caterpillars  Certain wasps lay their eggs on caterpillars. Young wasps eat the caterpillars flesh but keep it alive so they can grow.  Ex: Heartworms and dogs/cats  Worms can kill pet by strangling their hearts.

Tropisms  A growth response to an environmental stimulus occurring in plants.  Positive= growth towards the stimulus.  Negative= growth away from stimulus.  Gravitropism- response to gravity.  Hydrotropism- response to water.  Phototropism- response to light.

Animals learn new behaviors in different ways  Imprinting – some newborn animals bond with the first moving object it sees (usually its mother).  Conditioning -connecting some sort of stimulus with a good or bad event. Conditioning  Trial-and-error learning- repeated practice, gaining more and more skill.  Insight learning – highest form of learning, this is problem solving by applying past experiences. Insight learning

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