Evolutionary Adaptations
Evolutionary Adaptations
Evolutionary Adaptations
Types of Adaptation
Anything that helps an organism survive in
its environment
Adaptations are inherited from their parents
It also refers to the ability of living things to
adjust to different conditions within their
environments.
Structural adaptation
Behavioral adaptations
Physiological adaptations
Structural adaptations
A structural adaptation involves
some part of an organism's body.
Teeth
Body coverings
Shells
Quills
Scales
Camouflage
Mimicry
Example of Adaptation
The shape of an
animal’s teeth is
related to its diet.
Herbivores, such as
deer, have many
molars for chewing
tough grass and
plants.
Carnivores, such as
lions, have sharp
canines to kill and tear
meat.
Camouflage
Camouflage allows
an animal to blend
into its environment.
Makes it hard for
enemies to single out
individuals
Mimicry
Mimicry allows one
animal to look,
sound, or act like
another animal to fool
predators into
thinking it is
poisonous or
dangerous.
Plant Adaptations
Vascular-stems
Root systems
Thorns
Leave type
Broad:absorb more
sunlight
Small needle-like:
reduce water loss
Waxy: reduce water
loss, protect from
fire
Poisonous/toxins
Behavioral adaptations
Behavior adaptations
include activities or
behaviors that help an
animal survive.
1. Innate
2. Learned
3. Survival
4. Seasonal
Innate vs. Learned
Innate Learned
Inherited through the Learned from
2. Marking Territory
Way that animals inform other animals that an area is
occupied
3. Defensive Action
Protect resources, themselves, food, mates, offspring
4. Courtship
Behaviors used to find a mate
5. Parenting
Depend on parents for survival
Animal Defense
Mimicry
Mexican Milk Snake
Bright colors
Skunk and Poison
Arrow Frog
“Hair” projections
Hedgehog quills
Deer Antlers
Seasonal Behavior
Help organisms adapt to the
environment
1. Migration
2. Hibernation
3. Estivation
4. Biological Clock
Migration
Adaptation that Animals migrate for
involves an animal or different reasons.
group of animals
moving from one better climate
were born.
Hibernation
Period of inactivity in which animal’s body
temp., heart rate, and breathing rate slow
down to conserve energy.
Bats, woodchucks & bears.
Estivation
Period of inactivity in the summer
hot, dry places
Snakes, lizards, frogs, toads
Biological Clock
Internal control of animal’s natural
cycle
Physiological Adaptations
Behaviors controlled by the brain
Reflexes
Blinking
Pain
Swallowing
Tolerance to a certain poison
Logical thinking
Mammals
warm-blooded
All have some type of
“hair”
Some are very
specialized, such as
white polar bear fur
Care for young
Birds
Leg Length
Roseate Spoonbill
(top right)
Foot Webbing
Laughing Gull
(top left)
Beak Shape
Long Billed Curlew
(bottom)
Reptiles
cold- blooded
Scales
Some undergo
hibernation and
estivation
Lay eggs on land
Leg structure and
position
Amphibians
Cold-blooded
Lay eggs in water
Partially of fully
webbed feet
Have lungs or can
absorb oxygen
through their skin
Natural Selection
and
Population Changes
Over Time
Natural Selection
The process by which individuals are
better adapted to their environment
“Survival of the Fittest”
The fittest survive to pass on their
traits to the next generation. http://www.vtaide.
com/png/bird-
Examples: adaptations3.htm
Insecticide resistance
Speciation
Galapagos finches
Insecticide Resistance Speciation
Genetics: what is it?
What is genetics?
“Genetics is the study of heredity, the process
in which a parent passes certain genes onto
their children.”
cell
base pair
(double
helix)
DNA
genes
Genetic Concepts
Heredity describes how some traits are
passed from parents to their children.
The traits are expressed by genes,
which are small sections of DNA that are
coded for specific traits.
Genes are found on chromosomes.
Humans have two sets of 23
chromosomes—one set from each
parent.
Genetic Variation
Differences that
exist naturally
among the
members of a
species
Some traits are
better suited than
others to survive in
their environment
I can explain how genetic
variations within a population help
an organism survive longer.
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