Questions
- What is an organism?
- What is a habitat?
- List the 5 things a habitat provides to an organism?
- What is an adaptation?
- Choose any wild organism (not a pet or farm animal or a human). Don't forget that plants are organisms, too! Then list 3 unique adaptations and EXPLAIN in complete sentences how they allow the organism to survive and reproduce in its particular habitat. In the interactive below (Habitats & Adaptations) you'll find a variety of organisms that live together in the various habitats and what adaptations make them suitable for that habitat.
Habitats and Habitat Resources
A habitat is a place where an organism lives.
An organism is something that is or was once alive (Any living thing)
A habitat can be the place where a raccoon lives. It can also be a place where a milkweed plant lives. There are organisms that live on a milkweed plant (for example, a monarch caterpillar or a milkweed bug), in which case, the milkweed plant is the monarch caterpillar's habitat.
A habitat can even be the place where microscopic bacteria live. Did you know that your body is a habitat for many species of bacteria? In fact, your body has more bacterial cells than human cells! While some bacteria can make you sick, other bacteria actually help you digest your food!
A habitat must provide an organism 5 resources to live, grow & reproduce:
1) Food
2) Water
3) Shelter
4) Space or territory
5) Air
An organism is something that is or was once alive (Any living thing)
A habitat can be the place where a raccoon lives. It can also be a place where a milkweed plant lives. There are organisms that live on a milkweed plant (for example, a monarch caterpillar or a milkweed bug), in which case, the milkweed plant is the monarch caterpillar's habitat.
A habitat can even be the place where microscopic bacteria live. Did you know that your body is a habitat for many species of bacteria? In fact, your body has more bacterial cells than human cells! While some bacteria can make you sick, other bacteria actually help you digest your food!
A habitat must provide an organism 5 resources to live, grow & reproduce:
1) Food
2) Water
3) Shelter
4) Space or territory
5) Air
What is an Adaptation?
All organisms have a variety of adaptations that make them better suited to specific habitats where they can get (or acquire) the 5 habitat resources they need to live.
An adaptation is a physical or behavioral characteristic that allows an organism survive and reproduce in its habitat. In class we discussed what adaptations a polar bear has that allows it to survive well in the arctic. A killer whale (orca) is a mammal adapted to swimming in the ocean and catching fish to eat. One of it's physical adaptations is fins for swimming. Another is the blubber (a fat layer) that protects it from cold ocean temperatures. It would definitely not be suited to the hot and dry African savannah! Another adaptation is the blowhole on the top of it's head that allows it to breathe air as it breaks the surface of the water. A behavioral adaptation that gives the killer whale a survival advantage is that it lives in groups or "pods". Killer whales hunt fish cooperatively in pods. (This is something they do have in common with lions and wolves, which also hunt as a group.) Do humans use group behavior?? |
A good way to tell the difference between a physical and a behavioral adaptation is that a physical adaptation is something an organism has, while a behavioral adaptation is something an organism does. For example, A bird has feathers and wings that it uses to fly with. Feathers and wings are physical adaptations a bird has that allows it to do the behavior called flying. Another way of remembering is to say that physical adaptations are nouns, while behavioral adaptations are verbs.
Remember that you cannot choose or change your adaptations to improve your ability to survive in your habitat. For example, if we were to take one of our fish out of the fish tank, it does not have the right adaptation to obtain its oxygen from the air. It would die. It's physical characteristic is gills and they can only obtain oxygen from the water.
Remember that you cannot choose or change your adaptations to improve your ability to survive in your habitat. For example, if we were to take one of our fish out of the fish tank, it does not have the right adaptation to obtain its oxygen from the air. It would die. It's physical characteristic is gills and they can only obtain oxygen from the water.
What happens when the environment changes?
Ecosystems are places where organisms interact with each other and their environment. An environment is the non-living part of the ecosystem. It includes the types of soil, the climate, the amount of sunlight and water, and even the amount of pollution.
What happens when the environment changes and the species no longer has the correct adaptations for living in that new environment? The species would go extinct. But perhaps there are individuals in a species that have a trait that helps them survive better in the new environment? They would go on to reproduce so more individuals would have that trait. Watch the video below to learn about the real-life example of the peppered moth. Then play the video game simulation to see how the peppered moth that has the right color for its environment has the advantage and is selected. We call that natural selection
What happens when the environment changes and the species no longer has the correct adaptations for living in that new environment? The species would go extinct. But perhaps there are individuals in a species that have a trait that helps them survive better in the new environment? They would go on to reproduce so more individuals would have that trait. Watch the video below to learn about the real-life example of the peppered moth. Then play the video game simulation to see how the peppered moth that has the right color for its environment has the advantage and is selected. We call that natural selection
Wild Kratts Creature Powers
If you're a fan of Wild Kratts on PBS, you'll hear them feature "creature powers," which is a neat way of naming adaptations. Go to their "Creaturepedia" link, you can learn about several of these creature powers. This is a great show because it is scientifically accurate and entertaining!
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