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The Australian she-oak survives in an area with little rainfall. It

is a drought plant that reduces water loss because it has small
leaves (needles).
Plants have adaptations to help them live and thrive in different
areas. Some plant adaptations allow them to grow in different
places or to defend themselves against animals that may
otherwise eat them. Just like animals have body structure and
behavioral adaptations, so do plants. In this lesson, we will go
over a few of the adaptations plants use in order to survive in
different places around the world.
Why Adapt?
Plants will have two basic types of adaptations: structural and
behavioral.
Structural adaptations are the way that the plant was created.
For example, sweet fruit, like strawberries, attract animals that
spread seeds far away. This is an example of a structural
adaptation.
Behavioral adaptations are the way something acts naturally or
by instinct.
Desert flowers, for example, can stay dormant for months, only
coming to life when it rains.
Adaptations for Resources
Plants use these adaptations in order to get resources such as
food, water, and sunlight. They may also use their adaptations
for defense and reproduction.
Adaptation for reproduction: Some plants, like the oak tree,
will drop seeds to grow new offspring.
Adaptations for defense: Some plants, like cacti and briars,
have spines and thorns that protect plants from predators.
Poison ivy and poison oak have toxins that give predators a
painful, itchy rash.
Adaptations for resources: Some plants, like a desert flower,
can stay dormant for months, only coming to life when it rains.
Plants will use these adaptations to be able to survive in many
different regions all throughout the world!
Oak trees drop seeds.
This plant has large thorns.
Cactus with thorns.
Spices
We know that spices, like black pepper, nutmeg, and dried
jalapeno peppers can make our food taste good. We use these
spices for seasoning and to make sauces. Even Christopher
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Columbus ran into the North American continent because he

was looking for a faster trade route for spices that were grown
in India!
Why so spicy?
Let’s say you're eating a spicy chicken wing or chili. If it’s spicy
your mouth will water, you will begin to sweat, and your nose
may even start running! This is because it releases neurons in
your brain to make your mouth think it's slightly on fire! Have
you ever stopped to wonder why spices taste the way they do?
Spices are Defenses
Many plants have adaptions that help them avoid being eaten
like thorns and bark, while other plants also have chemical
defenses. One defensive method releases chemical toxins to
deter the plant from being eaten. Therefore, some plants are
poisonous to eat. Sometimes a plant has defenses against other
kingdoms, like fungi. If you leave a strawberry in a room
temperature place for a few days, it may grow mold. Fungi and
other decomposers want to break down plant material.
Therefore, a plant has developed different kinds of defenses
that stop decomposition. For some animals, these chemical
defenses will kill them if eaten in large quantities. For larger
animals, it does not have a poisonous effect, it may just make
the plant taste interesting. These chemicals are the main
ingredient in our spices that make a particular food taste good.
Some of the spices that we eat are the plant's defenses to avoid
animals and decomposers.
Plants of Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is located in the Rocky Mountains of
the western United States. The vegetation in the park is that
typical of the Rocky Mountains, with elements of the Great
Plains and Great Basin plants.
Plants are important for a variety of factors. They provide a
food source for the many animals that live there. They also
provide a place for animals to hide when hunting or being
hunted by other animals. There are many wildflowers, trees,
and shrubs that exist in the park.
Wildflowers: Two of the most famous types of wildflowers in
Yellowstone are the Oregon Sunflower (Arrowleaf Balsamroot)
and the “Paintbrush.” The Oregon Sunflower has bright yellow
flowers and nearly all of this plant was eaten by various Native
American groups. The “Paintbrush," is known for its striking
color. This plant will grow in open areas and on roadsides.
Trees: There are 9 different types of conifers (cone-bearing
evergreen trees) and some deciduous trees (drop their leaves in
the fall). The conifer trees include the white spruce, the
Douglas fir, and the Rocky Mountain juniper. The Quaking
Aspen and Cottonwood are two examples of deciduous trees.

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Shrubs: The shrubs of Yellowstone include common juniper,

sagebrush, and Rocky Mountain maple.
These plants provide food, shelter, and protection for many
kinds of animals.
Animals have many ways in which they respond and adapt to
the changes around them. This has made them expert hunters,
gathers, and survivors. In today's lesson, we will be looking at
the 5 main animals in your project. This will highlight the main
animals of Yellowstone National Park. Be sure to use this
lesson, the internet link provided, and other resources found on
the internet for your project.
Coyotes
Coyotes are abundant in Yellowstone. The coyote is one of the
more common predators in Yellowstone. They can often be
seen in meadows, fields, grasslands, and hunting small animals
near the roads.
Coyotes are a type of canine. They primarily eat voles, mice,
rabbits, and other small animals. Once the wolf population
began to die out, coyotes increased in population, taking over
the wolf’s niche. The coyote’s coat colors range from tan to
buff, sometimes gray, and with some orange on its tail and
ears. An adult coyote is about a foot and a half to two feet at
the shoulder. It is larger than a fox but smaller than a wolf.
Coyotes will communicate with each other by using a variety of
long-range vocalizations. They may howl individually or to each
other within their group. Coyotes, like other dogs, also mark
with the scent of their urine and feces, to communicate their
location, breeding status, and territorial boundaries.

Grizzly Bear
There are two types of grizzly bears in Yellowstone. The grizzly
bear is one of the larger of the types of bears. They weigh
between 200 to 700 pounds. The grizzly bear is over 3 feet
when on all four limbs and about 8 feet tall when standing.
They can even climb trees, swim, and run up and downhill.
Grizzly bears are omnivores which means they eat both plants
and animals. Their food includes rodents, insects, elk calves,
cutthroat trout, roots, pine nuts, grasses, and large mammals.
The food that they eat is based on what is available during the
season. Grizzlies will spend most of their time eating but will
eat especially more in the fall season before winter. Food in the
fall includes multiple types of plant roots, berries, clovers, ants,
and moths. When a bear comes out of hibernation, it will eat a
variety of animals, including elk. Bears will sometimes benefit
from the presence of wolves by taking carcasses that wolves
have killed, making carcasses more available to bears
throughout the year.

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Bears will hibernate throughout the winter. This is a bear’s

response to the cold winter. A bear will find or make a den for
itself to live in over the winter months. When hibernating, the
body temperature of a hibernating bear remains within 12°F of
their normal body temperature. This helps bears be able to
react more quickly to danger than hibernators who must warm
up first.

Cougar
The average height of a cougar at its shoulder is 2-3 feet. A
cougar prefers to hunt in rocky breaks and forested areas as the
shrubbery will provide cover for hunting their prey.
Cougars prey mainly on elk, deer, and small mammals.
Unfortunately, after their kill, bears and wolves will attempt to
scare the cougar away, taking its kill.
Cougars will follow their prey as they move to higher elevations
in summer and lower elevations in the winter. Cougars, like
most cats, can climb trees to stalk their prey. A cougar will prey
upon another animal by stalking it, then attacking the animal's
back, usually killing it with a bite to the skull or throat area.
Cougars mainly consume elk and deer but will also eat smaller
mammals such as squirrels, marmots, and porcupines.

Big Horn Sheep

All bighorn sheep have horns. Bighorn sheep stand about 3 and
a half feet tall and their horns can weigh about 30 pounds on a
full-grown male. The males, called rams, have large curvy horns
while the females, called ewes, have smaller horns. The size of
horns on the bighorn shed can influence dominance and rank,
which affects social relationships within herds. Rams have an
adaption where they have 2 layers of bone above the brain.
This is used as a shock absorber. This is used when rams have
head on head fighting with each other to establish dominance.
The horns are also used as protection from predators.
Bighorn sheep will feed primarily on grasses; forage on shrubby
plants in fall and winter. The sheep’s main predator is are the
wolves and cougars. They also are migratory. They will move to
the lower elevation areas in the winter and move to the higher
elevations in the spring through fall seasons. In order to escape
from predators, sheep can be seen on cliffs, being able to run
up and down steep cliffs that predators cannot handle.

Bison
Bison are the largest land-dwelling mammal in North America.
Yellowstone bison are exceptional because they make up the
nation’s largest bison population. They are allowed to roam
relatively freely over Yellowstone National Park and some
nearby areas. A full-grown bison can range in weight from

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1,000 to 2,000 pounds! Group sizes of Bison range from 20

bison to 200 Bison.
Bison can run 35 miles per hour. They can also jump over
objects about 5 feet high and have excellent hearing, vision,
and sense of smell. Bison have short, black horns stick out from
the bison's massive head, just above their eyes. These horns are
used to defend themselves against predators.
Bison feed primarily on grasses and sedges. Bison will select
areas to eat during winter based more on plant abundance
than quality. They will then eat the most nutritious plants
available.

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