2- Plant & Animal Adaptations

Unit 1

Natural Selection

A primary mechanism of evolution where organisms with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce

Variation

All life forms vary genetically within a population

Inheritance

Genetic traits are inherited from parents to offspring

Selection

Organisms with traits that increase survival and reproduction are more likely to pass on their genes to the next generation

Autotroph

Organisms that create their own food using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Heterotroph

Organisms that obtain energy by consuming other organisms.

Photosynthesis

The process through which plants convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen using sunlight.

Rubisco

catalyzes the fixation of carbon dioxide.

“starts the dark”

Chemoheterotroph

Organisms, like animals, that obtain their energy and carbon from consuming organic compounds.

Assimilation

The absorption and conversion of nutrients and energy into the body’s constituents.

Adaptations

Characteristics that enhance an organism’s fitness in its environment.

C3 Plants

Plants that primarily utilize the C3 photosynthetic pathway, suited for cool, wet climates.

C4 Plants

Plants adapted to hot, sunny climates with a modified photosynthetic pathway to minimize water loss.

CAM Plants

Plants that open their stomata at night to minimize water loss in very hot and dry climates.

Endotherm

An organism that regulates body temperature internally, generating heat through metabolism.

Ectotherm

An organism that relies on external environmental factors to regulate body temperature.

Bergmann's Rule

A principle stating that species living in colder environments tend to have larger body sizes.

Allen's Rule

A rule stating that animals in warmer climates tend to have longer appendages than those in colder climates.

what is a a primary mechanism of evolution?

natural selection

What does time mean for natural selection

Evolutionary change can happen even in a single generation, but major change, such as speciation, often takes many thousands of generations

Carbon

the “building block” of life

Earth’s most common protein

Rubisco

Common to ALL autotrophs

Rubisco

Photorespiration = binding O2

• Loses carbon, decreases photosynthetic efficiency

Rubisco

Binds CO2 100x better than O2

Rubisco

Photoautotrophs plants

Organisms that convert light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis, using carbon dioxide and water.

who aquires energy and carbon in diverse ways

animals

guild

a group of species that exploit the same or similar resources

what does the feeding strategies look like for herbivory and carnivory, in term of assimilation?

herbivory = lots of food (plants), low assimilation

carnivory = high capture cost, high assimilation efficiency

what do carbohydrates look like for plants and animals?

• plants = Mostly carbohydrates (sugars, cellulose, lignin)

• animals = Low carbohydrates

what do the protein/fat content look like for plants and animals?

• plant = low protein/fat

• animals = mostly protein/fat

Structural adaptations

A  physical feature that makes an organism suited to its environment

Physiological adaptations

internal changes in an organism that help it survive in its environment

Behavioral adaptation

An action or response an organism takes to survive in its environment

Abiotic Adaptations

changes that organisms make to survive in their environment's non-living components

• light, water, temperature, O2 / CO2

Shade-tolerant (in terms for light conditions)

• Less Rubisco

• More Chlorophyll

Shade-intolerant (in terms for light conditions)

• More Rubisco

• Less Chlorophyll

Transpiration

water loss through stomata

Aerobic Respiration

process that converts energy in organic compounds into energy cells can use

what requires oxygen and body size great influences efficiency of O2 diffusion?

Aerobic Respiration

what are the four oxygen essential adaptations for animal thermoregulation

• Metabolic = Changes in heat production

• Behavioral = Seeking shade/sun

• Physiological = sweating

• Morphological = fur

how does heat loss depend on surface area to volume ratio and what size of the animals are correlated to this?

• smaller animals: larger surface area to volume ratios => heat loss & diffusion is fast

• larger animals: smaller surface area to volume ratios => heat loss & diffusion is slow

what are examples of physiological thermoreulation

• Evaporative cooling {sweating, panting, fanning, wallowing}

• Counter-current exchange {Cold venous blood returning to body core is warmed}

• Supercooling {Increase in solutes (e.g. glycerol) in body fluids to prevent freezing}