ADAPTATIONS

1. ADAPTATIONS TO A HABITAT

2. INTRODUCTION
• Every living thing has a special feature to survive in its surroundings
• Those features are called as ADAPTIVE FEATURES
• Ability of the species to survive in the environment is called as
ADAPTATION
Example-
• Flowering plant in windy habitat has short stem- prevent from blown
over
• HERON BIRD- Long legs and pointed spear shaped beak

3. ADAPTATIONS TO THE SEASONS
• In most of the habitat there are periods in the year called
SEASONS
• Habitat may have dry season, wet season or cold weather
of the winter or warm weather of the winter

4. SEASONS IN EUROPEAN WOODLAND
• In Europe, there are four seasons- winter,
spring, summer & autumn
WINTER
DECIDUOUS TREES-
• Lose their leaves They have flat, broad leaves
which lose lots of water
• ICY CONDITION- Roots will be unable to
absorb water as ground will be frozen
• If trees kept their leaves, they would lose water
but not able to replace it
• They dry out and die

5. INSECTS-
• Spend egg & pupa stages in the winter
• They wont move
ANIMALS
• Hedgehogs, bats which feeds on insects hibernate
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS

6. EUROPEAN WOODLAND- ADAPTATION IN SPRING
• As the ground warms up, snowdrops & bluebells grow from bulbs & produce leaves,
flowers
• Plants use sunlight coming through bare branches to make food
INSECTS
• They will pollinate the flowers
DECIDUOUS TREES
• They put on the leaves & flowers
ANIMALS
• Wake up in search of food
BIRDS
• Build nests & ready for rearing young ones

7. • The leaves form a shady canopy over the woodland floor
• Few plants will have flower now
• Birds may lay second or third cluches of eggs & raise more young
• Caterpillar feed on leaves
EUROPEAN WOODLAND- ADAPTATION IN
SUMMER

8. AUTUMN
• The weather becomes cooler again
• Trees produce fruits such as nuts, berries
• Leaves of the deciduous trees lose chlorophyll
• Brown & yellow pigment of the leaves gives them colour
• Trees release waste product in the leaves- leaves fall
• Animals hibernate gorge themseleves for food to build up fat
• This energy they will make use in winter
EUROPEAN WOODLAND- ADAPTATION IN
AUTUMN

9. ANIMALS IN POLAR REGIONS

10. ANIMALS IN POLAR REGIONS

11. SEASONS ON AN AFRICAN
GRASSLAND
• There are wet and dry seasons
• The plains are covered by long grass, which is eaten by zebras
• Zebras eat the tough tops to the grass stalks
• WILDEBEEST- Feed on the succulent leaves lower down the plant
• Young shoots & seeds on the ground are eaten by GAZELLES
WET SEASON
• Animals migrate to the drier parts of the plains
• At the beginning of dry season, they migrate to the west where there is little rainfall
and grass is thick
• Middle of the dry season, they move to a region where soil is fertile.

12. ADAPTATIONS TO A
HABITAT
MANGROVE SWAMP
 It occurs along the coasts of many countries in tropical
climates.
 The mud in which plants grow is moved by rising and
falling of the tides
 ADAPTATIVE FEATURE- The roots will grow from their
trunks
 Roots spread out over a wide area & dip down in the mud
to hold the tree in place.
 They have seeds that are adapted for survival in this
habitat of moving mud.
 The seed germinates using moisture in the humid air, &
seedling grows to about 25cm before it leaves the tree.

15. TROPICAL RAINFOREST
• MAIN FEATURE- Thick forest canopy of
branches and leaves
• When the seeds fall to the ground &
germinate, the seedlings that are produced
struggle for light & as a result die.
• Seeds of STRANGLER FIG are capable of
growing in the compost that develops in
the forks of the tree branches.
• As the seed is nearer the canopy it has
greater chance of receiving enough light to
survive.

18. KEYSTONE SPECIES
Gopher tortoise: This tortoise makes large burrows which are used by more
than 350 species, including owls, snakes and frogs.
• Strangler fig is an example. Its fruit provides food for hornbills, monkeys,
parrots, pigeons and many insects. The fruit is often produced at times when
other plants are not producing fruit, so it helps to provide a constant food
supply to many rainforest herbivores.
• If strangler fig was removed from a forest many other species would suffer
and become extinct.
•If the keystone is removed from a habitat, the habitat is dramatically changed.
•All other species are affected or some may disappear from the ecosystem or
become extinct

19. ADAPTATIONS TO A FAST-FLOWING RIVER
• Problem of animals living in that habitat is the water current,
which will carry them away.
• Many invertebrates have found a solution for this
• They develop the ways of holding on to the riverbed & giving
small surface area to the water rushing by them
• STONEFLY & MAYFLY NYMPHS have legs- for gripping rocks
• Their bodies are flat & held close to the rocks so that water
flows over them
• LEECHES- Have suckers to hold on to the rocks.
• FRESHWATER LIMPETS- Has foot that acts as suckers and
streamlined shell to help the water flow over it.

20. ADAPTATIONS TO TREE TOPS
• Rainforest canopy is the habitat for monkeys
• LIGHT WEIGHT BODIES that allow them to
climb onto the slender branches
• OPPOSABLE THUMB & BIG TOE- To grip the
branches firmly.
• EYES- Both eyes face forwards so that their
field of vision overlaps.
• TAILS- Help them keep their balance.
• PREHENSILE TAIL- Incase of spider monkey,
it acts as fifth limb. Helps it to hang from
branches.

21. EXTREME ADAPTATIONS
• SCITIFIC NAME
• ABOUT IT
• ADAPTATIONS
FLYING
FISH
• SCITIFIC NAME
• ABOUT IT
• ADAPTATIONS
TUMBLE
WEED
• SCITIFIC NAME
• ABOUT IT
• ADAPTATIONS
PEBBLE
PLANT

22. PEBBLE PLANT
SCIENTIFIC NAME-LITHOPS

23. PEBBLE PLANT
PEBBLE PLANT GROWS IN THE DESERT OF SOUTHERN
AFRICA.THEY LOOK LIKE STONES,TO PROTECT THEM FROM
PREDATORS.IT HAS ONLY TWO LEAVES.
They camouflage themselves to protect them from animals

24. • SCIENTIFIC NAME-salsola tragus
TUMBLE WEED

25. TUMBLE WEED
PLANTS THAT GROW TALL CAN DISPERSE THEIR SEEDS BY THE
WIND.WOODY PLANTS ON SOME GRASSLANDS CANNOT GROW TALL
BECAUSE THE WINDS WOULD BLOW THEM OVER, SO THEY MUST DISPERSE
THEIR SEEDS IN ANOTHER WAY
• Breaks off its shoot full of seeds
• The dead shoot can then be blown over the grassland by wind
and lose its seeds as it goes.

26. FLYING FISH

27. FLYING FISH
• Flying fish are found in tropical areas. They feed on plankton close to the
surface. They are the prey of dolphins. It can fly outside the water.
• When a dolphin starts an attack, the flying fish will swim faster. It moves
upwards in the water.
• When it moves at about 60kph it breaks through the sea surface and glides through
the air on its long wide front fins.
• The lower part of the tail fin is long, and as the fish rises into the air it waves its tail
fin 50 times a second so the lower fin repeatedly pushes against the water and
gives the fish extra thrust to make its flight
• The flying fish can travel up to 200m outside the sea.

28. PIT VIPER
• The pit viper has pit in front of each eye, about 4mm wide & 6mm deep.
• These are packed with receptors that are sensitive to heat.
• The receptors are so sensitive- detect changes of 0.002C
• Object 0.1C warmer or cooler than surroundings can be detected by snake
• Heat sensitive organs help pit viper to find food such as mammals, birds in dark
places
• Mammals & birds- Regulate the body temp so that it stays constant usually above
that of surroundings- Makes them suitable prey
• Areas detected by the pits on each side of snake’s head overlap- Helps the snake
to judge the distance of the prey