AG-WL-4 WILDLIFE CHARACTERISTICS & BEHAVIOR

ANIMAL ADAPTION Over time, animals will adapt to their changing habitat or they will become extinct Adaptation Change in an animal’s physical structure or behavior that helps an animals to survive in their habitat Physical adaptations do no develop during one lifetime, but over many generations

ADAPTATIONS MAY BE IN THE FORM OF… Structural Adaptation Involves some part of an animal’s body Teeth, body coverings, movement, foot webbing, length of leg, beak shape Protective Coloration Allow animals to blend in environment Camouflage Mimicry Allows animal to look, sound, or act like another animal to fool predator into thinking it is poisonous or dangerous

ADAPTATIONS MAY BE IN THE FORM OF… Behavior Adaptation May be learned or instinctive Social behavior Migration Involves animal moving from one region to another and then back again May migrate for: Better climate Better food Safe place to live Safe place to reproduce Hibernation Deep sleep in which an animal’s body temp drops, body activities are slowed to conserve energy

PHYSICAL ADAPTATION How do physical adaptations affect Predator/Prey Relationships? Adaptations are beneficial to prey to ensure that their species will survive. Adaptations confer a reproductive advantage. As the offspring display these positive characteristics, they have a greater chance of surviving. Process of Natural Selection Adaptations are also beneficial to predators to make finding and capturing prey less difficult.

WHY ARE PREDATOR/PREY RELATIONSHIPS IMPORTANT? Review Predator is an organism that feeds on prey as a source of nutrition The relationship is important to maintain balance among different animal species Without predators, certain species of prey would drive other species to extinction through competition. Without prey, there would be no predators. Predation is a mechanism of population control. When predators are scarce, the number of prey should rise. Predators should then be able to reproduce more and possibly change their hunting habits. As the number of predators rise, the number of prey decrease. This results in food scarcity for predators that may lead to death or migration of predators.

HOW ARE ANIMAL BEHAVIORS RELATED TO LIFE PROCESSES SUCH AS ADAPTATIONS AND PREDATORY/PREY RELATIONSHIPS? Animal behavior is centered on their ability to move. To seek water, food, and cover To seek mates Behavior results from a reaction to a stimulus A stimulus is a detectable change in the animal’s internal or external environment. For instance: hunger, sound, pain, visual cures, or hormonal changes

WHAT INFLUENCES BEHAVIOR? Environmental pressures. Internal influences such as hormones. Learning. Genetic predisposition (sometimes referred to as “instinct”). * There isn’t a definite combination of these influences that affects all behavior. *

WHAT ARE TWO TYPES OF BEHAVIOR? Instinctive Performed without being learned Learned Responses change with experience Types of learned behaviors Imprinting Insight learning Spatial learning

ACTIVITY You will need: 30, 2 ½” x 2 ½” squares cut from colored paper (1 color) 75, ½” x ½” squares cut from (a DIFFERENT color) One sheet of blue LONG paper FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS AND ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS COMPLETELY!!