1.  Natural Selection causes some organisms to be better adapted (suited) to the environment, and so these creatures are more likely to survive and reproduce.  Ex: rabbits living in a snowy environment; white rabbits are more likely to escape attack. When all the brown ones are eaten, the rabbit population changes to ONLY white rabbits– we call this change in a population over time : evolution

2.  Nature selects certain individuals to survive.  White fur is a more useful adaptation (physical characteristic that improves survival) for hiding in snowy conditions.

3.  Niche (rhymes with “witch”) is an organism’s role or job in the ecosystem.  There are 5 major niches:  1) producer ( makes food by photosynthesis )  2) herbivore (eats plants)  3) carnivore (eats other animals)  4) omnivore (eats both plants and animals)  5) decomposer (breaks down dead organisms)

4.  http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/a nimals/kidscorner/games/animaldietgame.ht m http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/a nimals/kidscorner/games/animaldietgame.ht m

5.  Predators are carnivores designed to be excellent hunters/killers.  Predator adaptations for hunting include: speed, sharp teeth, long claws, etc.  Prey are the animals that are hunted & eaten.  Prey adaptations for survival could include: camouflage (blending in), sharp spines, etc.

6.  Symbiosis is a close relationship between two species in which at least one of them benefits  Three types of symbiotic relationships exist:  1) Mutualism – both species benefit from close contact  2) Commensalism – one species benefits while the other is neither helped or hurt  3) Parasitism – one organism lives on or inside another organism that is harmed by this relationship

7.  The Cleaner Shrimp and Cleaner Wrasse both work to remove parasites and dead skin from larger fish  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMFiI2at1 p4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMFiI2at1 p4

8.  A freshwater crab and some algae  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8- K3rgj6f_I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8- K3rgj6f_I

9.  A parasitic wasp has inserted its eggs inside the body of a caterpillar  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMG- LWyNcAs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMG- LWyNcAs   A leech draining blood from a man’s arm  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- cQGXmU-cuo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- cQGXmU-cuo