10/10/2017 Ecological adaptations – Science – Skwirk Interactive Schooling Year 8, NSW | Online Education Home Schooling Skwirk Australia

Organisms are affected by their environment in many ways. An organism needs food, water, air, shelter, suitable temperature
and protection from predators in order to survive. The non-living environment includes such things as temperature, light,
humidity, air, water and soil which are all important factors for the survival of any organism. The survival of an organism also
depends on the characteristics of the organism itself. Each organism has characteristics, both behavioural and physical, which
enable it to survive in its own particular habitat. These characteristics are called adaptations.

Adaptations
An adaptation can be defined as a characteristic of an organism that makes it suited to its environment or its particular way of
life. It is a structural, physiological (concerned with the body and how a body functions) or behavioural characteristic that
enables the organism to survive and reproduce. The shape of a bird's beak, for example, will determine what food it can eat.
The colour of an animal's fur may provide an effective camouflage against predators; or an animal may have learnt the best
way to catch food. Anything that helps an organism to survive and successfully reproduce in an ecosystem is regarded as an
adaptation (refer to Topic 3, Chapter 6: Adaptations).

Whether it is a behavioural, physiological or structural adaptation, the adaptation has evolved over a period of time and
increases the chances of survival of the organism. The adaptation may have evolved over thousands of years or within a few
lifetimes and ensures that the organism has a better rate of survival by being able to reproduce, cope with the physical
conditions, defend themselves from enemies and respond to changes around them.

Types of adaptations of living organisms

An adaptation is a set of changes in an organism's structure, body functioning or habits that allow the organism to adjust to its
surroundings. Adaptations can be structural, physiological or behavioural. All adaptations are the result of evolution, which is a
change in a species over long periods of time.

Adaptations occur because of genetic mutations. Genetic mutation is change in the sequence of a DNA molecule. Change in
a DNA molecule leads to the production of different proteins and/or different behaviour patterns. Genetic mutations may lead
to death but they can also help an organism to survive better. Species that are better adapted reproduce more successfully
and keep the 'useful mutation'. Over time this 'useful mutation' becomes a common characteristic of the species until the
environment changes again.

See Image 1

Mutations can 'improve' the existing species or lead to the evolution of completely new organisms. The features that help
species survive and reproduce successfully in a given environment are passed on to the next generation. The characteristics
that do not help the species survive, slowly disappear over generations.

Adaptive techniques
Eucalypts, fruit bats and moths are examples of organisms that have developed adaptive techniques which have enabled
them to compete and survive. There are more than 700 species of eucalyptus, mostly native to Australia. Millions of years
ago, eucalyptus evolved as a member of the rainforest that covered the super-continent of Gondwana. When Gondwana split
up into the modern continents of South America, Africa, Antarctica and Australia, its climate changed. Australia moved
towards the northeast and its climate grew more arid. The dry climate, poor soil and frequent fires began to affect the
Gondwana rainforest. The eucalyptus developed specialised characteristics such as buds under the bark and fire-germinating
seeds that enabled them to survive more successfully than other rainforest plants in the arid and
fire-prone environment.

Fruit bats are common mammals in Australia and are unique because they are the only mammals that have true wings and
can fly. Wings are a physical adaptation of bats. By being able to fly, fruit bats can reach different fruit that grow high in the
trees. This means that fruit bats do not have to compete with many other mammals for their food. According to fossils of
ancient bats, the wings of bats evolved as a result of a genetic mutation that led to the abnormal growth of their fingers. These
early bats started to use their over-developed fingers as wings to move from one tree to another and survive better than other
mammals. The successful adaptation was passed on to the future generations and the fruit bat became an organism that is
well adapted to its ecosystem.

See Image 2

Most adaptations take thousands or millions of years to develop, although some adaptive techniques can develop in a shorter
period of time. One well-known example is the development of camouflage adaptations in peppered moths during the
Industrial Revolution. Camouflage is an adaptation that allows organisms to hide from their predators. The high levels of smog
and soot of the newly developed industrial areas led to the disappearance of light-coloured moths because they were easier to
spot by their predators, particularly birds. The dark-coloured moths however, blended in with the dust and soot covered
http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-4_u-200_t-558_c-2080/nsw/science/ecology/ecology-and-ecosystems/adaptations 1/2
10/10/2017 Ecological adaptations – Science – Skwirk Interactive Schooling Year 8, NSW | Online Education Home Schooling Skwirk Australia

surroundings which made them harder to spot. These Dark-coloured moths were better adapted to the changed environment
and were the ones that survived and could reproduce and pass on their genes to the next generation.

http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-4_u-200_t-558_c-2080/nsw/science/ecology/ecology-and-ecosystems/adaptations 2/2