Transcript Making changes ** Meeting needs

All living things have needs.
Some of the things humans
need are food, water and
shelter. If we need food, we
can go to a grocery store.
We can get water from a
faucet. We have homes that
give us shelter.
All of these things are
changes we have made to
our environment. We need
shelter, so we build houses.
We need water, so we lay
pipes to bring it into our
homes. We need food, so we
build stores and bring it all
to one place.
When Europeans first came
to America, there were no
grocery stores. There were
no houses to live in. The
settlers had to grow their
own food. They had to build
their own houses. They
changed the environment to
meet their needs.
People are not the only ones
who change their
surroundings to meet their
needs. Animals make
changes, too. Beavers are a
good example of animals
that change their
environment.
Beavers need water for
protection. They also use it
to get around quickly. To
keep a constant supply of
water, beavers often build
dams on rivers and streams.
These dams form lakes. The
lakes provide the beavers
with the water they need.
Beavers build their homes on
or near the water. Some
beavers build lodges right on
the water. Lodges are made
of mud, rocks, and wood like
dams. Other beavers dig
burrows in the bank near the
water. Both kinds of beaver
homes have underwater
entrances.
Think of some other changes
people or animals make to
their surroundings in order to
meet their needs.
AIR
SPACE TO GROW
WATER
FOOD
SHELTER
A WAY TO ELIMINATE WASTE
AIR
SPACE TO GROW
WATER
FOOD
LIGHT
For example:
In the animal kingdom, the
male of the species is usually
“better looking”
than the female of the
species.
Look at these lions.
Do you know which one is
the male?
Why do you think that the
male of a species is usually
“better looking”
than the female in the
species?
If you said it is help them
when they want to attract a
mate….then you are correct.
Which peacock do you think
is the male?
Why do you think it would be
best for the female to be
less colorful?
The reason that the female
Cardinal is less colorful than
the male is because she is
the one that protects the
nest. If her color was bright,
it might attract the
attention of a predator.
Let’s look at the male and
female lions again.
Do you know why the female’s
coloring is less attractive?
It is because she is the one
that does the hunting for the
pride. Her coloring needs to
be able to “blend in” with her
surroundings so that her prey
will not see her before she
attacks.
Plants have adaptations, too!
Look at this cactus.
The leaves of a cactus are
the spines like you can see in
this picture.
Why would a cactus need
small, thin leaves?
To answer this question, we would
have to think about where the
cactus plant usually grows.
THE DESERT!
In the desert, the sun shines
almost everyday.
The leaves of the cactus are small
because they don’t have to work
hard to absorb sunshine to make
its food, because the sun shines
so much of the time.
Remember that the leaves release
water thrrough transpiration…and
in the desert, the plants want to
hold on to as much water as
possible.
smaller leaves = less transpiration
Now let’s talk about leaves
that are found in an area
that has lots of rain, but
have to struggle to get
sunshine because of the
taller plants that block out
the sunlight.
THE RAINFOREST!!
In this environment, the
leaves in the lowest level of
the rainforest need big
leaves so that they can
capture any sunshine that
makes its way through the
taller trees that tend to
block the sunlight.
These are just a few
examples of how animals and
plants adapt to their
environment.
Can you think of ways that
YOU
adapt to your environment?