Adaptation is defined as the process where a species or an organism gradually becomes better

acclimated to its environment.

Adaption refers to the behavioral or physical attributes of an animal that helps them survive
better in its ecosystem. Animal adaptation can be in the way they look (camouflage) to escape
from their predators. Different animals have developed different adaptations to survive in their
habitat.
The natural environment is an ever-changing feature of planet earth. The process of adaptation
ensures that the species which adapts the most, survive.
Examples of Adaptation
In Humans:
Long hours of exposure to the sun results in a tan. As the exposure to heat and UV rays
increases, the melanocytes present in the skin ramp up the production of melanin.This pigment
helps to absorb the heat and protects the nucleus, thus protecting the DNA from mutation due to
UV radiation. Hence, the process of tanning represents how our body adapts to the heat and UV
radiation from the sun.

Example 2: In high-altitude environments, the human body signals an increase in the production
of red blood cells. This is done to compensate for the relatively low-oxygen content in the air but
people who are not acclimatized to the high altitude environment might feel a shortness of
breath.

In Animals:
Animals living in extremely cold environments have thick fur and fat around their body to provide
insulation. Pregnant polar bears bulk up on fat before the winter. This is an adaptation that helps
them survive the harsh winter where food is very scarce.

Adaption is often mistaken for evolution, though both are very different processes. Evolution
brings about drastic changes that occur in the genetic level, whereas adaptation is a short-term
process where the changes that occur are usually reversible.Adaptation does lead to evolution

Types of Adaptations
The types of adaptations in animals and plants are categorized according to their function and
the response observed. These include:

Structural Adaptations
These are special attributes that involve some parts of an organism’s body, such as skin, colour
and shape. These adaptations help the organisms to survive in their natural habitat. Examples
include the blubber of a whale, the beak of a woodpecker, baleen of a humpback whale.

Physiological Adaptations
These are mechanisms present in an organism that allow it to perform certain biochemical
reactions to survive in its natural habitat. Example: A snake’s ability to produce venom,
mammal’s ability to maintain constant body temperature. Even the ability of our body to produce
hydrochloric acid to digest food is considered as a physiological adaptation.

Behavioural Adaptations
These are ways a particular organism behaves to survive in its natural habitat. Migration of
animals and birds are considered as a behavioural adaptation. Hibernation and aestivation are
also behavioural adaptations.

Animal Adaptations
The most significant animal adaptations entirely depend on the type of habitats they are found
in. The earth has several natural environments that are spread across large geographic areas.
The area, where life exists, is called the biosphere.

Examples Of Animal Adaptations

In Deserts

In Grasslands

In Tropical Rainforest

In Polar regions

Adaptions Of Plants
Earth is known to have around 3,00,000 species of plants. Like animals, plant life is also
dependent on various fundamental necessities for their survival. Light, water, air, soil, nutrients
and suitable climatic conditions are necessary for growth but every habitat does not provide the
required necessities. Therefore, plants have evolved certain physiological, behavioural and
structural modifications to thrive in such environments.

Examples Of Adaptations of Plants

In Deserts

In Aquatic regions
In Tropical Rainforest

In Polar regions

Adaptations of Plants against Herbivory

Herbivory is the consumption of plant matter by any organism. Since plants are the primary
producers in an ecosystem, nearly all consumers depend on them for sustenance. Therefore, to
prevent herbivory, plants developed thorns, spines and chemicals.
Thorns are the most common form of deterrent. Other plants might use chemicals to leave an
unpleasant taste in the mouths of the herbivores. But some of these chemicals are very toxic
and might result in the death if consumed.

Theory of Adaptation
The theory of adaptation was proposed by Charles Darwin which states that an organism that is
able to adapt to the changing environment will survive, the rest will be eliminated. This is known
as survival of the fittest.
According to the adaptation theory, there are different changes that take place when the habitat
changes:
Habitat Tracking: This is when a species finds another similar environment to which it has
inhabited before.
Extinction: When the species is unable to find such an environment, it dies or becomes extinct.
Genetic Change: This occurs when organisms with slight genetic changes are better adapted to
changed habitat with better access to resources and mating partners.

Importance of Adaptation
Adaptation is essential for the survival of living organisms. Animals, which are unable to adapt
to changing environmental changes die. These adaptations are a result of genetic changes. The
animals that survive pass on the mutated genes to their offsprings. This is known as natural
selection.
Adaptations such as camouflage and colouration protect them from predators. DNA mutations
help in the longer survival of animals in dangerous environments and these traits of survival are
passed onto future generations. These adaptations make it possible for a variety of creatures to
thrive on planet earth.
Charles Darwin studied turtles of two islands. The turtles present on one island had short legs,
straight shells and derived food present low to the ground. A few turtles migrated to another
island, where the food was much higher up. The turtles with longer legs survived. Their necks
elongated and shells became rounded over the course of time. Thus, the population on the new
island grew with these adaptations in their species.
Competition refers to a set of interactions between different populations or individuals from the
same population to get one or more resources from the ecosystem. Because they are
competing for a specific resource, the population that cannot take advantage of it sees its
numbers or activity reduced. Therefore, living beings have adapted over time and have evolved.
Species that have failed to adapt have become extinct over time.

Types of Competition
Competition can occur between the different populations of an ecosystem but, it can also exist
among individuals in a population. Therefore, there are two types of competition, interspecific
and intraspecific.

Forms of Competition
Competition in biology can also be classified by the mechanism or form in which it occurs. There
are three forms of competition: interference, exploitative and apparent. These forms of
competition describe if an individual directly or indirectly affects another member of its
population or other species.

Succession is the steady and gradual change in a species of a given area with respect to the
changing environment. It is a predictable change and is an inevitable process of nature as all
the biotic components have to keep up with the changes in our environment.

EVALUATION
Highlight the relationship between competition and succession.

ADAPTATION

Bergmann’s rule
Bergmann’s rule is an ecogeographical rule which states that organisms with larger sizes are
found in colder altitudes while those with smaller sizes are found in warmer regions.
Bergmann’s rule states that organisms at higher altitudes should be larger and thicker than
those present near the equator. For eg., the population of white-tailed deer is larger in Canada
than in Florida. This principle was named after a German Biologist, Karl Bergmann in the
nineteenth century. Recent research has indicated that turtles and salamanders also follow
Bergmann’s rule.

Bergmann assumed that the surface area of an animal determines the rate of heat dissipation,
and the heat production is determined by the volume. Larger animals have a smaller surface
area to volume ratio than the smaller animals and therefore they radiate less heat. Thus, they
are able to keep themselves warm in a colder climate. The small insects and tapeworms do not
require lungs due to their larger surface-to-volume ratio. Larger animals require certain systems
to carry food and oxygen from the surface to the interiors.
Deep Sea Gigantism
The organisms that are present deeper in the sea are larger in size than those present in
shallow water. The abnormal increase in the size of the deep-sea dwellers can be explained
with the help of Bergmann’s rule. According to Bergmann’s rule, the size of the sea creatures
increases with the decrease in temperature. The larger sea animals are found in colder areas
than the smaller animals. The low temperatures lead to an increase in the size of their cell and
their lifespan. For eg., colossal squid lives 7,200 feet below the sea. At such a depth, it is able to
increase in weight and height incredibly.

Bergmann’s Rule Exceptions

The birds in California are an exception to Bergmann’s rule. The increasing size of birds
contradicts Bergmann’s rule which states that larger animals survive in colder regions or higher
altitudes. The birds of the same genus are found smaller in size in warmer climates. So, the
birds in California must be getting smaller in size as a result of global warming. However,
according to recent research, birds in California have increased in weight and wingspan from 2-
5 per cent over the last 40 years.

It was believed that the birds are storing more fat in their tissues to protect themselves from
cold. Thus, the larger birds are being naturally selected by the environment, thereby, increasing
their number. Also, the diet of the birds has changed due to changes in the climate. They would
not find the same insects they fed on when in the warmer climate. This might have increased
the body weight of the birds. However, scientists are still not clear about the concept of
“increase in size”

Allen’s Rule
Allen’s rule is an ecogeographical rule which states that the limbs, ears and other appendages
of animals living in colder climates are shorter than the animals of the same species living in
warmer regions.

EVALUATION
Does Bergmann's rule apply to humans?
Highlight an example of Allen's rule