Transcript variation

EVOLUTION UNIT
Adaptation & Variation
Section 7.1
What are some environmental
challenges that all organisms
face?
Reminder of terms
Species: a group of organisms that can interbreed in
nature and produce fertile offspring (they share similar
morphological and genetic characteristics)
Species diversity: the variety and abundance of
species in a given area
Genetic diversity: the variety of heritable
characteristics in a population of interbreeding
individuals
Population: a group of individuals of the same species
Environmental challenges that
limit a population:
severe weather
access to food famine
number of predators
space
competition for food
ability to reproduce
access to water drought
number of offspring
Species Diversity
Diversity is the variation within the population
(genetic diversity)
helps the population survive
some species may become extinct while others
survive to produce offspring
What kind of variation exists
within a species?
What kind of variation exists
within a species?
Size / weight
Number of offspring
Colour
Birth weight
Patterns
Speed
Adaptation
A structure, behaviour or physiological process that
helps an organism survive and reproduce in a
particular environment
What adaptations does the
Polar Bear Have?
What adaptations does the
Polar Bear Have?
- White Fur
- Semi-hibernation
- Thick layer of fat
- Small ears
- Webbed feet
3 Categories of Adaptations
Structure: any physical feature that helps the
organism survive
Behaviour: something that an organism does... an
action that helps them survive.
Physiology: a body function that helps organisms
survive.
Structural
Polar Bear Example
Colouring
Fat
Hair
Shape of beak
Size
Camouflage
- black skin to absorb heat
- hollow hair acts as
insulation
- fur is oily and water
repellant
- webbed toes for
swimming
- thick layer of blubber
insulates
Camouflage
Gecko
Seahorse
Stick insect
Frog
Snake
Mimicry
Mimicry: a structural adaptation in which a harmless species resembles a
harmful species in coloration or structure.
Batesian mimicry: the mimicry by a palatable species of an unpalatable
species
Müllerian mimicry: when two or more poisonous species, that may or may not
be closely related and share one or more common predator, have come to
mimic each other's warning signals.
Behavioural
Behaviour Adaptation: something that an organism
does... an action that helps them survive.
mating times
migration
nocturnal activities
Physiological
Physiological adaptation: a body function that
helps organisms survive.
Hibernation
Tolerance to
temperature / salt /
chemicals
Production of venom
How do Adaptations Develop?
How
Adaptations
No twodo
individuals
of a species Develop?
are identical
Variation exists (caused by DNA and
development)
Not all variations become adaptations
Environmental conditions determine
whether a variation in an individual as a
positive, negative or no effect at all
Individuals with a helpful variation are more
likely to survive and that variation will
become more frequent