Transcript Adaptation and Survival What does this have to do with our DNA?

Who is this guy? Why are we talking
about him today?
Adaptation and Survival
What does this have to do with our DNA?
Charles Darwin- a
scientist that proposed
the theory of Survival
of the Fittest
- This is the idea that
individuals with more
successful traits
would be more likely
to reproduce and pass
those traits to their
offspring
Plant and Animal Survival
For animals, survival means finding food, escaping
predators, and adjusting to environmental changes
For plants, survival means getting enough water,
nutrients, and sunlight
SOME ORGANISMS ARE BETTER EQUIPPED
FOR SURVIVAL BECAUSE THEY HAVE
TRAITS THAT IMPROVE AN ORGANISM’S
CHANCE OF SURVIVAL
This is called their adaptations
How do adaptations help an
organism?
• It makes an organism more
FIT
• This characteristic can then be passed on to its
OFFSPRING and then the offspring will be better
FIT for their environment
and now can have more OFFSPRING with the
same characteristics
BUT THOSE THAT ARE NOT FIT
 DIE AND WON’T HAVE OFFSPRING
• This is called NATURAL SELECTION
Prey Adaptations
•
How do organisms avoid being killed by such
effective predators?
DEFENSE STRATEGIES
1. Mimicry
- when one organism imitates another organism
for an advantage
Pterophylla camellifolia
“Katydid”
2. Protective Covering
- “armor” that protects the organism
Pangolins –
3. Camouflage
- to “blend in” with surroundings
-
Paradoxophyla palmata, a narrow-headed frog native to Madagascar. The frog's brown and
yellow coloring, as well as its rough texture, allow it to blend in with the mud and tree trunks
in its environment
• 4. Warning Color
- used to warn predators not to eat it
Mantellas
By having the bright colors of the toxic species, the frogs are avoided by predators
Predator Adaptations
Through the process of natural selection,
animals and plants have evolved on Earth
What does evolved (EVOLUTION) mean?
- it means to change over time
There is a difference between
variation vs. evolutionary change
Ex: Giraffe’s long neck
Evolution begins with variation
Means that sometimes, by
accident an animal is born that is
somehow different from the others
of its species and this trait allowed the
animal to be better fit to its environment
Since the trait made the animal more “fit” it will
have more offsprings  meaning their genes
will be passed on and stay within the
population
The others that do not have that trait, will most
likely not survive  no or fewer offspring