1. Adaptation and Extinction
Chapter 7
Adaptation and Extinction
Lesson 1

2. Science Essential Question
How does a system of living and non-living things operate to meet the needs of the organisms in an ecosystem?
Science
Essential
Question

7. Vocabulary For Today
Adaptation – a physical feature or a behavior that helps a living thing survive
Camouflage – the physical appearance of an animal that helps it blend in with its surroundings
Habitat – where an organism lives
Hibernate – to go into a deep sleep during which an animal uses very little energy and usually does not need to eat
Mimicry – an adaptation that allows an animal to protect itself by looking like another kind of animal or animal or like a plant
Niche – the role a plant or animal plays in its habitat
Enter these words on the Vocabulary foldable and glue in your notebook.

8. MAIN IDEA
To survive, plants and animals must be adapted to their environment. Their adaptations help organisms obtain food, hide from other animals, and generally survive the conditions of their environment.

9. Plant and Animal Adaptation
Different plants and animals survive in different environments.
The place where a plant or animal lives is called its habitat.
Plants and animals have adaptations that help them survive.
An adaptation can be a physical feature or a behavior that helps a plant or animal survive.

10. Niche
The role a plant or animal plays in its environment is called its niche.
A niche includes the kind of food an organism uses for energy.
It also includes the conditions the organism needs to survive.
Many organisms can share a habitat, but each organism has its own niche.

11. Camouflage
Camouflage is the coloring, marking, or other physical appearance of an animal that helps it blend in with its surroundings.
Animals use camouflage to hide from predators and prey.
Some animals change color as their environment changes.
An arctic fox’s coat is gray in the summer to blend in with the rocky ground and in the winter, it turns white to blend in with the snow-covered surroundings.

13. Color and Mimicry Some animals protect themselves by using mimicry.
Mimicry is an adaptation that allows an animal to protect itself by looking like another kind of animal or like a plant.
Mimicry is also useful to animals that hunt. By looking like an animal that is not a threat, a predator can find its prey.

17. Behavior
Behavior as well as appearance can help a predator as it hunts prey. For example, wolves hunt in groups. The group surrounds the prey so it cannot easily escape.
Behavior also helps prey survive. For example, a rabbit runs in a zigzag pattern to dodge predators.
Some animals like bats, frogs, and chipmunks have an adaptation that helps them survive the cold winter.
They hibernate which means they go into a deep sleep where they use very little energy and usually do not need to eat.

21. Games to Play - Adaptation