Adaptations – Revision Pack (B2)
Adapting to the cold:
Some animals are adapted to living in very cold conditions. They keep warm by
reducing heat loss. Some have anatomical adaptations to help reduce heat loss.
These animals have very good insulation. For example, the arctic fox has thick fur
that traps plenty of air for insulation. Another example would be seals which have
thin fur but a thick layer of fat under the skin.
These animals are generally quite large, with small ears. This helps reduce heat loss
because it decreases the surface area to volume ratio.
Some animals opt to try and avoid the cold by changing their behaviour. Some
migrate long distances to warmer areas, polar bears often do this. Others slow all
their body processes down and hibernate.
Penguins have a countercurrent heat exchange
mechanism to help reduce
heat loss.
The warm blood entering the
flipper warms the cold blood
leaving the flipper – this stops it
from cooling the body.
Further adaptations may
include biochemical
adaptations like antifreeze
proteins in their cells.
Adapting to hot and dry conditions:
Organisms like cacti and camels live in very hot climates.
Animals that live in hotter habitats want to increase heat loss; they are adapted in a
number of ways. Some are anatomical adaptations:
For example, camels increase the loss of heat by having very little hair on the
underside of their bodies. Animals that live in hotter climates usually have larger ears
to give them a larger surface area to volume ratio – this allows them to lose more
heat.
There are also many behavioural adaptations which allow these animals to lose
heat, for example, they may pant or lick their fur.
To reduce heat gain further, animals may also change their behaviour and seek
shade during the hotter hours of the day.
Adaptations – Revision Pack (B2)
To cope with the dry conditions, organisms have behavioural, anatomical and
physiological adaptations.
For example:
Camels can survive with very little water
because they can produce very
concentrated urine.
Cacti reduce water loss because their
leaves have been reduced to nothing but
spines (see left). They also have deep
roots so can collect water from far away,
and can also store a lot of water in the
stem.
Organisms that survive in very hot conditions are known as extremophiles.
Some organisms can live in hot springs because they have enzymes that don’t
denature until they get to conditions above 100oC.
Specialists and Generalists:
Some organisms are called specialists. This means that they are well adapted to live
in one specific habitat; they would struggle to live anywhere else.
Other organisms are called generalists. This means that they can live in several
habitats. Rats are an example of generalists. Generalists will lose to specialists in
certain habitats.
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