Types of adaptations
What are the three main types of adaptations?
Structural, behavioural and physiological
What structural adaptation do polar bears have to keep warm?
Thick fur and a layer of blubber (fat)
Birds migrating to warmer regions in winter is what type of adaptation?
Behavioural
What is a physiological adaptation?
An internal body process that helps an organism survive.
Who is the scientist known as the 'father of natural selection'?
Charles Darwin
What is a habitat?
The place where an organism lives
What is the largest land animal on earth?
African elephant
What is the smallest bone in the human body?
The stapes (in the ear)
What type of adaptation involves internal body functions that help an organism survive?
Physiological adaptation
To reduce water loss
What behavioural adaptation helps meerkats spot predators?
Standing on hind legs and using sentinels
Camels produce highly concentrated urine. What physiological advantage does this give them?
It helps conserve water in desert environments.
What are the four key steps of natural selection?
Variation, competition, selection and reproduction.
What does biotic factor mean?
A living component of an environment.
How many planets are in our solar system?
8
What is the capital of Canada?
Ottawa
A plant that stores water in thick stems has what type of adaptation?
Structural adaptation
What structural feature helps owls hunt at night?
Large eyes for better low-light vision
Why do some animals hibernate?
To conserve energy during cold periods when food is scarce.
Some snakes produce venom. What type of adaptation is venom production?
A physiological adaptation used for hunting and defence.
Why does natural selection rely on variation within a population?
Give one example of a physiological response to the environment (heating/cooling) in humans?
Sweating to cool the body
Shivering to warm up
What is the fastest land animal?
Cheetah
What is the world's longest river?
The Nile River
Physiological adaptation
Kangaroos have powerful hind legs. What survival benefit does this provide?
Enables fast movement to escape predators and travel long distances.
Dolphins hunt in groups. What is this behaviour called?
Cooperative / group hunting
How do humans maintain a stable internal body temperature during hot weather?
By sweating - a physiological process that cools the body through evaporation.
If a harmful mutation appears in a species, what usually happens to it over generations?
It becomes less common or disappears because it reduces survival.
What is biodiversity?
The variety of living organisms in an area.
Which gas do plants take in during photosynthesis?
Carbon dioxide
The unicorn is the national animal of which country?
Scotland
Explain why multiple types of adaptations often evolve together in organisms living in extreme environments.
Because surviving extreme conditions usually requires a combination of physical traits, behaviours and internal processes.
Whales have streamlined bodies. Explain how this structural adaptation increases survival.
It reduces drag in the water, allowing efficient swimming and conserving energy.
Explain how nocturnal behaviour can improve survival in desert environments.
Being active at night avoids extreme heat, reduces water loss and protects from predators.
Arctic animals often have a countercurrent heat exchange system in their limbs. Explain how this physiological adaptation increases survival.
Warm blood travelling to the limbs transfers heat to cold blood coming back, preventing heat loss and helping the organism maintain core temperature.
Explain how antibiotic resistance in bacteria is an example of natural selection.
Bacteria with resistance survive and reproduce, spreading the resistant trait.
Explain how environmental pressures can influence the distribution of organisms in an ecosystem.
Environmental pressures (such as temperature, rainfall, predators or competition) can cause certain species to thrive in some areas and decline in others.
What is the only continent where reptiles and snakes do not naturally live?
Antarctica
What do the pleats in a chefs hat represent?
According to legend, they represent the skills they have accumulated over their career.