1. Plant & Animal Adaptations
Mrs. Geist, Swansboro High School
Biology, Fall

2. Plant Adaptations Challenges to Life on Land Plant Adaptation
1. Obtaining
Resources
a. Below ground- roots absorb water & minerals
b. above ground- shoots bear leaves which photosynthesize
2. Staying upright
a. lignin: a chemical that hardens the cell wall

3. Plant Adaptations Challenges to Life on Land Plant Adaptation
3. Maintaining Moisture
waxy cuticle coats the leaves & stems, helping them to retain water.
gases are exchanged through stomata (tiny pores in leaf’s surface)
guard cells- regulate the opening/closing of each stoma
open at night to allow for gas exchange
closed during the day to prevent evaporation of water

4. Plant Adaptations Challenges to Life on Land Plant Adaptation
4. Reproduction-
a. produce gametes in a protective jacket
b. sperm travel in pollen grains, which are moved by wind or animals
c. eggs remain inside tissues of “mother” plant & are fertilized there
d. embryos dispersed in protective seeds

5. Animal Adaptations--Innate Behaviors (Ch. 33, Section 1)
Innate behavior- inherited behavior of animals
Natural Selection- Individuals with behavior that makes them more successful at surviving and reproducing often produce more offspring than individuals without the behaviors.
Offspring inherit genetic basis for successful behavior
Reflex- simple, automatic response to a stimulus that involves no conscious control
Ex: when you touch a hot stove, you jerk your hand away from the hot surface

6. Animal Adaptations--Innate Behaviors
Fight-or-Flight response- when you are scared, your body is prepared to either fight or run from the danger
Automatic
Controlled by hormones and the nervous system

7. Innate Behaviors--Instincts
Instinct- complex pattern of innate behaviors
Courtship behavior- behavior that males and females of a species carry out before mating
Territoriality- an animal defends a physical space against other members in its species
Territory may contain breeding areas, feeding areas, or potential mates
Doves in courtship flight.

8. Innate Behaviors--Instincts
Aggressive behavior- used to intimidate another animal of the same species
Defend young, their territory, or resources
Ex: bird calling, teeth baring, growling
Dominance hierarchy- form of social ranking within a group
Usually one top-ranking, dominant individual
Individuals in each level subordinate to the one above

9. Innate behavior
Circadian rhythm- 24-hour, light-regulated, sleep/wake cycle of behavior
Diurnal- animals active during the day
Nocturnal- animals active at night

10. Innate Behaviors--Instincts
Migration- instinctive, seasonal movement of animals
Ex: 2/3 of birds in N. America fly south in the fall to area such as S. America where food is available during the winter
Birds fly north in the spring to breed during summer

11. Innate Behaviors--Instincts
Hibernation- period of dormancy during cold months
Period of biological rest or inactivity
Food supplies are limited. Animal lives off its fat stores.
Metabolism, breathing, and body temp. drop to conserve energy.
Estivation- dormancy in hot climates
Ex: desert animals estivate in response to lack of food or periods of drought

12. Learned Behaviors (33.2)
Learned behavior- behavior changes through practice or experience
Learned behaviors are more common in vertebrates (ex: humans), whereas innate behaviors are more common in invertebrates.
Learning has survival value for animals in a changing environment.
Allows an animal to adapt to change

13. Learned Behaviors Type of Learning Description Example Imprinting
Rapid form of learning that occurs during a critical period of development
Some birds, duckling following mother
Habituation
An animal learns not to respond to a stimulus without punishment or reward.
Dogs stop barking at familiar people entering the house. Horses become habituated to the city and ignore cars and noisy streets.

14. Learned Behaviors Type of Learning Description Example
Reasoning (insight)
Ability to solve unfamiliar problems in a new situation.
An octopus unscrews a jar to get food.
Spatial (Latent)
Ability to create a mental map of the environment.
Blue jays know where they have hidden food, even if food is stored in up to 100 locations.

15. Learned Behaviors Type of Learning Description Example
Classical Conditioning
Associate a stimulus with a response that would not normally occur.
Pavlov’s dogs salivate at the sound of the bell.
Operant Conditioning
Associate an activity with a consequence
Toads flick their tongues at flying insects. If they are stung by a bee, they will learn not to flick their tongues at striped insects.

16. Pavlov’s Dogs Pavlov noted that dogs salivate when they smell food.
Responding to the smell of food is a reflex, a type of innate behavior.
Pavlov rang a bell when he gave the dog food. Pavlov developed an association between the food and ringing bell.
Eventually, the dog salivated at the sound of the bell alone.

17. Pavlov’s Dogs

18. Structural Plant Adaptations
Physical traits to discourage herbivores from eating them
Spines, thorns, leathery leaves
Some plants produce chemicals that are poisonous or have a foul odor
Milkweed, tobacco, peyote cactus
Thorns on a Rose Bush

19. Structural Plant Adaptations
Venus flytrap catches insects with modified leaves.
Seed dispersal adaptations
Some seeds have spines that attach to animal fur
Some seeds have watertight buoyant outer shells
Other seeds have “wings” or “parachutes used to harness the wind
Sycamore seeds

20. Behavioral Plant Adaptations
Behavior- response to internal and external stimuli by an organism
Tropisms- growth of a plant in response to a stimulus.
Positive tropisms- toward the stimulus
Negative tropisms- away from the stimulus
Gravitropism

21. Behavioral Plant Adaptations
Phototropism- response to light
Shoots and stems are postively phototropic
Roots are negatively phototropic
Geotropism (or gravitropism)- plant’s response to gravity
Roots are positively geotropic
Stems and leaves are negatively geotropic

22. Behavioral Plant Adaptations
Thigmotropism- response to touch
Climbing plants have weak stems and will wrap around another plant, wall, fence, etc.
Kudzu, honeysuckle, beans

23. Other Plant Behaviors
Nastic movements- responses of plants to stimulus regardless of direction
Flowers opening and closing in response to light
Mimosa leaves curling up when touched by an object or blown by wind
Carnivorous plants close in response to something touch little hair-like structures inside their leaves ex: Venus flytrap
Venus flytrap

24. Other Plant Behaviors
Circadian rhythms- behavior cycles that follow 24 hr. patterns of activity
Some plants fold their leaves and flowers at night and open them during the day
Other plants secrete perfumes and nectars when pollinators are active

25. Other Plant Behaviors
Photoperiodism- response of plant to amount of daylight
Explains why plants bloom in different seasons
Amount of daylight in fall and winter is less than in spring and summer