10A: Adaptations

Habitat

The place where an organism lives.

Environment

The surroundings and conditions that affect an organism.

Adaptation

An inherited characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.

Evolution

Changes in inherited characteristics within a population over generations.

Natural selection

The process by which organisms with helpful inherited characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those characteristics to their offspring.

Structural adaptation

Physical features of an organism, such as thick fur or large ears.

Behavioural adaptation

Actions an organism performs, like migration or huddling.

Physiological adaptation

Internal processes of the body, such as temperature regulation or concentrated urine.

Surface area to volume ratio (SA:V)

A measure of how quickly heat is exchanged with the surroundings; high SA:V facilitates rapid heat loss, while low SA:V helps conserve heat.

Endotherms

Organisms like mammals and birds that maintain body temperature through internal metabolic processes.

Ectotherms

Organisms such as snakes and lizards that rely on external heat sources to regulate body temperature.

Torpor

A state of reduced metabolic activity that conserves energy, often in response to cold conditions.

Hibernation

Prolonged torpor in endotherms during cold conditions.

Brumation

Prolonged torpor in ectotherms during cold conditions.

Vasoconstriction

A physiological response where blood vessels near the skin narrow, reducing blood flow and heat loss.

Counter-current heat exchange

A process where warm blood traveling towards extremities transfers heat to cooler blood returning to the body.

Deciduous trees

Trees that drop their leaves during certain seasons to conserve water and energy.

Keystone species

A species that has a major influence on its ecosystem, helping to maintain its structure and function.

Population size

The total number of individuals in a population.

Population density

The number of individuals per unit area.

Carrying capacity

The maximum population that an environment can sustainably support.

Mutualism

An interaction where both species benefit from each other.

Commensalism

An interaction where one species benefits and the other is unaffected.

Parasitism

An interaction where the parasite benefits at the expense of the host.

Predation

An interaction where a predator kills and eats its prey.

Competition

An interaction where both species are negatively affected by competing for limited resources.

Amensalism

An interaction where one species is harmed while the other is unaffected.