1. Adaptations, Variation, and Survival TCAP Lesson 8
Vocabulary Foldable XII

2. Adaptation
Any characteristic that promotes an organism’s survival in a certain environment

3. Structural Adaptation
Are inherited traits of body structure or physical appearance

4. Behavioral Adaptations
Helpful inherited behaviors

5. Hibernation
The behavior of going into a completely inactive state during winter

6. Gene
Tiny structures that determine an organism’s characteristics

7. Mutation
Any change in an organism’s genes (are random)

8. Natural Selection
The process by which organisms that are best suited to a particular environment survive and reproduce

9. Evolution
Process by which a species gradually changes

10. Extinction
The permanent dying out of a species or larger group of organisms

11. Variations
Differences that exist naturally among the members of a species

12. Adaptations, Variations, and Survival Notes TCAP Lesson 8 p.27

13. Adaptations, Variations, and Survival Notes TCAP Lesson 8 p.27
Organisms have many types of adaptations
Some, such as body color that allows an organism to blend into its environment, are structural
Others are physiological, such as the ability of an animal to tolerate a certain poison
Some are behavioral, the ability to build nests out of rocks, which some types of penguins do

14. Structural Adaptations
Are inherited traits of body structure or physical appearance
Examples: polar bear can survive in tundra because fur and blubber (fat) keeps it warm
Reptiles have scales on their skin, good for desert helps keep water from escaping through the reptile’s skin
Birds have beaks of a particular shape to help find food
Sea urchins have sharp spines that scare away predators (defense)

15. Behavioral Adaptation
Animals are born knowing how to act, or behave, in certain ways.
Some mammals and many amphibians and reptiles hibernate in response to cold weather and short supplies of food

16. Natural Selection Nature “selects” these organisms for survival
The fittest individuals live to pass on their traits to the next generation
By passing useful traits from generation to generation, a species can adapt to a changing environment and survive

17. Evolution and Extinction
To survive a changing environment, a species must change
The species does not choose to change
Instead, some organisms change spontaneously, most often through a mutation
If the change tends to help those members survive, the species may gradually come to include only members that have the new trait

18. Variations
Because individual members of a species show variations, some are better suited than others to survive in their environment (example peppered moth)
Discuss the Industrial Revolution

19. Adaptation, Variations, and Survival HW TCAP Lesson 8 p.26
A certain plant species has evolved to contain a bad-tasting chemical. Which of these is the MOST LIKELY outcome of this adaptations?
a. Animals are less likely to eat the plant
b. The plant is able to live in many different environments
c. The chemical aids in photosynthesis
d. Animals are more likely to eat the plant

20. Adaptation, Variations, and Survival HW TCAP Lesson 8 p.26
2. The Burmese python, like other snakes, has a loosely hinged jaw. Which of these best describes an advantage of this adaptations? a. This type of jaw allows the snake to scoop up water from ponds and rivers b. This type of jaw allows the snake to climb and live in trees c. This type of jaw provides no advantage d. This type of jaw can be stretched wide, allowing the python to swallow animals that are larger than its head

21. Adaptation, Variations, and Survival HW TCAP Lesson 8 p.26
3. Which structural adaptation BEST allows a tiger to hunt prey in tall grass? a. powerful jaws b. striped fur c. long, sharp claws d. large teeth