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CAMBRIDGE SECONDARY 1

YEAR 9 SCIENCE

Chapter 3
Adapting to a Habitat
TAN WAI SHAN
MHSc Biomedical Science (UKM); BSc Microbiology (USM)
0179181063 | ventustan93@gmail.com
Introduction to Adaptations
• Organisms are adapted to survive in different
conditions.
• Adaptations created special features that allowed the
organisms to live in its surrounding.
• Over many generations, these adaptations have come
about through variation.
• Variation involves small changes between organisms
which may allow that organism to compete better for
survival.
• Variation can be due to environmental or genetic
causes.
Adaptations and Evolution
• Darwin's theory of evolution explains how species of living things
have changed over geological time.
• The theory is supported by evidence from fossils and by the rapid
changes that can be seen to occur in microorganisms such as
antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
• Many species have become extinct in the past, and the extinction of
species continues to happen.
Definition of Adaptations
• Refer to any changes or modification in the structure or function of
an organism or any of its parts by which the organism becomes
better fitted to survive and multiply in its environment.
• All adaptations help organisms survive in their ecological niches.
• Adaptation usually results from natural selection.
• There are different types of adaptations, namely
• different seasons adaptations
• different habitat adaptations
• Extreme adaptations
Adaptations to Seasons
• Only a few habitats, such as caves, where the environmental conditions
remain the same throughout the year.
• In most habitats, there are periods in the year called seasons during which
the weather has a particular feature.
• A habitat might have:
• Dry and wet season
• Cold weather of winter and the
warmth of summer.
Seasons in European Woodland
• Europe has four seasons of the year: winter, spring, summer and autumn.
• In winter:
• The ground is often frozen and water cannot pass into the roots of the tree.
• Deciduous trees have large and flat leaves which could lose a great deal of
water.
• They adapt to the cold and icy weather by losing their leaves to prevent them
from drying out and die.
• Meanwhile, insects gone through winter as their egg or pupal stages by which
they do not need to move or search for food.
• Other animals could have hibernated during winter.
• In spring:
• Woodland plants will grow from bulbs and produce leaves and flowers.
• These plants use sunlight to make food and insects to pollinate their
flowers.
• Hibernating animals wake up and will begin to search for food.
• Woodland birds build nests and begin to rear young.
• In summer:
• Leaves of trees form a shady canopy over the woodland floor.
• Fewer plants are in flower now
• The birds may lay second or even third clutches of eggs raise more young.
• Caterpillars begin to feed on the leaves.
• In autumn:
• Weather becomes cooler and trees produce fruits such as nuts and
berries.
• Leaves of deciduous trees lose their chlorophyll and the leaves turn
yellowish brown colour.
• Trees will release waste materials into their leaves and the leaves will fall.
• Animals that hibernate will gorge themselves on food to build up fats as
energy reserve that allow them to survive through the winter months.
Seasons on an African Grassland
• There are wet and dry seasons.
• Grasslands are covered by long grass, which is eaten by huge number of
herbivores.
• Zebra feed on the tough tops of the grass stalks and the wildebeest (gnu) feed
on the more succulent leaves lower down the plant.
• The young shoot and seeds on the ground are eaten by gazelles.
• During the wet season, the animals will migrate to a drier part of the
grassland in the south.
• At the beginning of the dry season, they move to the west where there is
little rainfall and the grass is still thick.
• In the middle of the dry season, they move to a region where the soil is
particularly fertile and the plant are still edible.
Adaptations to Habitat
• Each habitat has a set of environmental conditions.
• Example of plants that can adapt to the following habitats:
• Mangrove swamp
• Tropical rainforest
• Example of animals that can adapt to the following habitats:
• Fast-flowing rivers
• Tree tops
Plants in Mangrove Swamp
• Mangrove swamp occur along the
coasts.
• The mud in which the plants grow is
moved by rising and falling of the tides.
• Mangrove trees have adapted to the
tides by growing many roots from their
trunks.
• The roots spread out over a wide
area and dip down into the mud to
hold the tree in place.
• Have seeds that are adapted for survival in this habitat of
moving mud.
• When the fruits formed, it remains attached to the tree
(viviparous).
• Seed germinates and the seedling grows before it leaves
the tree.
• As the seedling falls, it remain vertical so that it hits the
mud where the root forces its way in and holds the plant
in place.
• Succulent leaves with thick waxy cuticle to prevent excessive
water loss.
• Has breathing root system called pneumatophore.
• Allow gaseous exchange to occur.
• Has salt gland in the leave to remove excessive salt the root
takes in.
Plants in Tropical Rainforest
• Has thick forest canopy of branches and
leaves that shades the ground below.
• Seeds fall and germinate to the ground
struggle to find enough light to survive and
as a result, many die.
• Strangler fig adapted to this by having the
capability to grow in the compost that
develops in the forks of tree branches.
• The nearer the seed to the canopy, the
higher the chance of receiving enough light
to survive.
• Initially, the seedling uses water in the compost to grow.
• Soon, the plant will grow the root down the side of the tree to find the soil on the
ground.
• Once the root reaches the ground, it can take up more nutrients and water and help
the plant to grow upwards into the canopy.
• The plants are able to access to both sunlight and water that allow it to grow so large
that its leaves might overshadow the tree on which it is growing.
• The plant will continue to send more roots and eventually they will form a basket-like
structure around the tree.
• Over time, the roots develop a rigid hold on the tree trunk that the tissues beneath
the bark, which transport food and water inside the tree are crushed and the tree
dies.
• The strangler fig continue to thrive and take over the space originally occupied by the
tree.
Keystone Species
• Species that helps in the survival of many species that
are adapted in some ways to benefit from its presence
within a particular habitat.
• Example: strangler fig.
• Its fruit provides food for hornbills, monkey, parrots,
pigeons and many insects.
• Fruits are produced at times when other plants are
not producing fruit and thus it helps to provide a
constant food supply to many rainforest herbivores.
• Without its presence, a great many other species
would suffer and possibly become extinct.
Animals in Fast-Flowing River
• Tiny remains if plants and animals form a
food supply for any animals that are adapted
to live there.
• The current of the fast flowing river could
have carry the animals away and many
invertebrates have solved this problem by
developing ways of holding themselves on to
the river bed.
• Stonefly sand mayfly nymphs have legs
adapted for gripping rocks.
• Leeches have suckers to hold on to rocks
• Some presenting as small body surface as possible to reduce water
pressure rushing to them.
• Stonefly and mayfly nymphs have flat bodies and held close to the
rocks.
• Freshwater limpet has a foot that act as a sucker and a streamlined shell
to help the water flow smoothly over it.
Animals in Tree Tops
• Canopy is the habitat of many species of monkey.
• Monkeys have small, lightweight bodies that allow them to climb out
on to slender branches to collect food.
• Monkeys also have an opposable thumb and big toe which allow
them to grip the branches firmly.
• Both eyes of monkey face forward so that their fields of vision
overlap. This allow monkeys to judge distances accurately so that
they can land safely.
• Monkey have tails which helps to balance their body when they run
and jump about.
• Some monkey species (e.g. spider monkey) have a prehensile tails
that they used it to grip on to or even hang from branches as they
feed.
Extreme Adaptations
• Some organisms are adapted to extreme environments through great
reduction in an organ to a great development of an organ or the
adapting of an unusual method of movement.
• Example: the Pompeii worm is adapted to the high temperatures and
pressures of the hydrothermal vents by:
• using a thick layer of bacteria to protect it from heat
• hiding inside a papery tube to protect it from predators.
Pebble Plant
• Grow in the deserts.
• Protect themselves from browsing animal by
camouflaging themselves to look like stones.
• Has two very small leaves which situated close to
the ground so they are difficult for browsers to
reach.
• The leaves make spherical shape to allow the plant
to store large volume of water but present smallest
possible surface area to the heat of the Sun’s rays.
Pit Viper
• Has pit in front of each eye which are packed
with receptors that are sensitive to heat.
• The receptors are so sensitive that they can
detect changes of 0.002°C which means that an
object with 0.1°C warmer or cooler than the
surroundings can be detected by the snake.
• These heat sensitive organs help the pit viper to
find food, such as mammals and birds, in dark
places.
• Birds and mammals have a constant body temperature and usually above
that of the animal’s surroundings. As a result, this makes them as suitable
preys for pit vipers.
• The areas detected by the pits on each
side of the snake’s head overlap and
this helps the snake to judge the
distance of its prey, so it knows when
to strike with its fangs and poison.
Tumbleweed
• Woody plants that cannot grow tall to
disperse the seeds but breaking off its
shoot full with seeds.
• The dead shoot can then be blown over the
grassland by the wind and drop its seed as
it goes.
Flying Fish
• Found in tropical sea and feed on the plankton
close to the surface.
• They are the prey of the dolphin fish.
• Dolphin fish behaves like a dolphin by jumping
out of the water.
• When a dolphin fish begins to attack, the flying
fish swim faster and faster.
• It moves upwards in the water and when it is
travelling at about 60km/h, it breaks through
the sea’s surface and glides through the air on
its long, wide front fins.
• The lower part of the tail fin is also long, and as the fish rises into the air,
it waves its tail fin 50 times per second.
• The lower fins repeatedly pushes against the water and gives the fish
extra thrust to make its flight.
• Once out of the water, the flying fish can travel up to 200 meters in the
air and escape from the dolphin fish.
Jane Goodall
• Dame Jane Goodall DBE Ph.D., (born
April 3, 1934) is an English
primatologist, ethologist and
anthropologist.
• She is probably best-known for
conducting a forty-five year study of
chimpanzee social and family life.

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