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Flashcards by Sara MI, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Sara MI
over 3 years ago
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Copied by Sara MI
over 3 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| ADAPTATIONS TO WATER SCARCITY Giant Galapagos tortoises (Chelonoidis sp.) store water in their bladders and have a very slow metabolism, eat grass, leaves and cacti, laze in the sun and sleep for about 16 hours a day. They can survive for up to a year without eating or drinking. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO WATER SCARCITY The Australian Water Container Toad (Cyclorana platycephala) stores water in its gills, tissues and bladder. It can double its size in this way and go up to five years without drinking. This makes it highly sought after by snakes, birds, crocodiles and even the Aboriginal Tiwi, who squeeze them to drink their entire cargo. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO WATER SCARCITY The African lungfish (Protopterus annectens) lives at the bottom of rivers and lakes. During the dry season, when these run out of water, it converts its bladder into a lung and becomes terrestrial. It can remain buried in the mud for up to five years without eating or drinking. Video: https://youtu.be/eSXVmmXb-Ew | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO WATER SCARCITY Camels (Camelus sp.) store fat in their backs which, when metabolised (catalysis), produces "metabolic water". This production does not fully cover what is lost in exhalation and sweating, but these animals have other physiological adaptations such as: a thick coat, which protects from sunstroke; ellipsoidal red blood cells, to facilitate their flow in less fluid blood; the ability to produce highly concentrated urine and very dry faeces; or tissues that are extraordinarily resistant to dehydration. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO WATER SCARCITY Kangaroo rats (Dipodomys sp.) live in North American deserts in deep burrows that shelter them from the worst of the desert heat, coming out only at night, and rarely drink water, as their kidneys filter very efficiently. In addition, they produce "metabolic water" from the food they obtain. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO WATER SCARCITY Cacti (Fam. Cactaceae) are xerophilous plants, i.e. adapted to living in arid areas. To do this, these plants transform their leaves into spines, thus reducing the surface area for transpiration. They also have tissues that store water and carry out gas exchange during the night, so that while we sleep, they consume carbon dioxide, unlike other plants. Some have hairs that reflect the sun's rays. Finally, they have shallow roots to absorb the maximum amount of rain in the shortest time. | |
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ADAPTATIONS TO WATER SCARCITY The olive tree (Olea europaea) has stomata on the underside of the leaves and, surrounding them, a kind of umbrella-like hairs. The leaves are thick and have a thick cuticle. This is to avoid excessive water loss through evapotranspiration. |
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ADAPTATIONS TO WATER SCARCITY Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) has leaves with a very small leaf surface, rolled towards the underside to protect the stomata. |
| ADAPTATIONS TO COLD Temperate deciduous forests are forests dominated by broad-leaved trees that annually lose their leaves during the winter months. The reason for this is that during this season the hours of daylight are reduced, solar radiation loses strength and the soils often freeze, making it difficult for the roots to take up water and nutrients. With this loss of leaves, the trees conserve energy. | |
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ADAPTATIONS TO COLD The cold adaptations of plants in the tundra are related to reduced metabolism: they are small in size, tend to lose their leaves during the winter to avoid freezing and spend the coldest period in seed form. |
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ADAPTATIONS TO COLD Trees and shrubs living in the high mountains harden their wood in a way that reduces the water content and increases the salt content, which allows them to withstand temperatures down to -25°C or lower. |
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ADAPTATIONS TO COLD The reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) is able to reduce the blood circulation in some parts of its body, which allows lowering the temperature of the organs involved and, therefore, its energy needs. Thus, while its body temperature is 38ºC, the temperature of its nose can drop to 20ºC and its paws, in contact with snow, can reach 9ºC. |
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ADAPTATIONS TO COLD Musk oxen (Ovibos moschatus) protect themselves from the cold by covering themselves with thick layers of hair and subcutaneous fat that help maintain temperature and provide excellent insulation. Their efficiency is such that they are unable to exert themselves for long periods of time as they are unable to dissipate the heat generated. The fat is doubly useful as, in addition to insulating, it constitutes a reserve that the animals use in case of shortage. |
| ADAPTATIONS TO COLD The arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) moults its fur seasonally, adapting it to the needs of each season: in summer the coat of fur is thin and dark to facilitate the absorption of solar heat, while in winter it becomes very thick and white, providing protection against the cold and, in addition, camouflage. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO COLD The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is one of the largest carnivores on Earth, although its appendages are short (snout, ears, tail). This is because an organism's ability to produce and conserve heat is closely related to its body volume and morphology: the larger an animal is, the less surface area it exposes in relation to its total mass, which means that a large animal loses less heat than a small one. A thick layer of subcutaneous fat and a dense coat, which is not actually white but translucent, made up of thousands of hollow hairs (which, being filled with air, are a good thermal insulator), also contribute to this. Beneath the fur is the skin, which is black to better attract solar radiation and thus increase body heat. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO COLD Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri), endemic to Antarctica, protect themselves from the cold with three layers of feathers and a consistent layer of subcutaneous fat. When temperatures are really extreme and there is a biting wind, the penguins huddle together. This huddle is sometimes made up of thousands of penguins sharing their body heat. | |
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ADAPTATIONS TO COLD With the onset of winter, hedgehogs (Fam. Erinaceidae) hibernate, i.e. they adopt a physiological state to save energy during periods of low temperatures and food shortage. When the temperature drops below about 15°C, hedgehogs begin to prepare for hibernation. There are different degrees of lethargy or hibernation, ranging from a deep and very prolonged sleep to a more or less temporary drowsiness. |
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ADAPTATIONS TO COLD The common crane (Grus grus), like most birds and large mammals, chooses to leave the unfavourable region during the winter season by migrating to more clement areas. It breeds during the northern summer in northern Eurasia and migrates as far south as Europe, Asia and North Africa during the winter. |
| ADAPTATIONS TO HEAT By sweating, animals are able to cool their bodies in order to reduce excess body heat. Sweating animals are homeotherms, i.e. in addition to generating heat through their metabolism, they have mechanisms to eliminate excess heat if the temperature rises above the desired level. One of the few mammals that does not have pores in its skin that allow it to perspire is the dog (Canis lupus familiaris), which has to evaporate water from its tongue and starts panting to facilitate this. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO LIGHT SCARCITY In tropical rainforests, lianas climb up trunks in search of light. Epiphytic plants (orchids and bromeliads) grow directly on trees to gain access to light. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO LIGHT SCARCITY Red algae (D. Rhodophyta) are the most abundant algae in deep water (100-250 m) because their pigments allow them to capture the wavelengths of sunlight that penetrate deeper into the water. These pigments, which absorb blue light and reflect red light, give them their characteristic reddish colour. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO LIGHT SCARCITY Inside the forest or jungle there are semi-dark conditions because sunlight does not reach the ground level. Some plants, such as mosses and ferns, are adapted to living in semi-dark conditions and require little light for photosynthesis. Because of this adaptation they cannot live in direct sunlight. Mosses and ferns also grow in very humid places and the heat of direct solar radiation can dry them out. | |
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ADAPTATIONS TO LIGHT SCARCITY Aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis) are nocturnal arboreal animals. These animals possess night vision, which is the ability to see in environments that are in low levels of illumination. They have large, yellow eyes, due to the tapetum lucidum, a layer of tissue at the back of the eye that acts as a mirror to reflect light rays, increasing the light available to photoreceptors and improving vision in low light conditions. |
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ADAPTATIONS TO OXYGEN SCARCITY The vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) is a camelid native to the Andean altiplano, in the puna, where it lives at more than 3,200 meters above sea level. With altitude, the concentration of oxygen in the air decreases exponentially; at 5,000 m.a.s.l. the concentration of oxygen is half that at sea level. Thus, the vicuña has adapted well to the lack of oxygen, increasing the capacity of its heart and lungs, as well as the red blood cell content of its blood. In addition, it possesses a hemoglobin with more affinity for oxygen uptake. |
| ADAPTATIONS TO OXYGEN SCARCITY The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the deepest diving marine mammal; it is believed that they are able to reach up to 3 km below the surface and dive for up to 90 min. To do so, they have a flexible rib cage that allows their lungs to collapse under increasing water pressure without harming the animal. In addition, it has a large blood volume with a high hemoglobin and myoglobin content. Its body can also redirect oxygenated blood to the brain and other critical organs. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO OXYGEN SCARCITY Abyssal fish are those that live at depths between 4,000 and 6,000 meters, where the amount of oxygen available is very low. Therefore, they have both morphological and physiological adaptations that help them extract the little oxygen dissolved in the water: they have well-developed gills; they tend to be very inactive, thus reducing their oxygen consumption; some have a higher amount of hemoglobin in their blood, which functions well at low oxygen concentrations. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO SALT CONCENTRATION The red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) lives in marine-coastal environments in the tropics, with its roots in contact with seawater. It lets in water with low amounts of salt through membranes located in the roots, performing filtrations, this is achieved by maintaining against osmotic gradient negative pressure differences inside the tissue through a physical process. Link: http://biomodel.uah.es/biomodel-misc/anim/memb/osmosis.html | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO SALT CONCENTRATION A halophilic species can maintain a "normal" internal salt concentration by excreting excess salt through different structures. Species of the genus Spartina grow in the intertidal zone and have salt glands that concentrate salts in their leaf tissues and secrete them in the form of salt crystals. At night, the salt on the surface attracts dewdrops from the atmosphere. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO SALT CONCENTRATION The body fluids of most marine invertebrates, such as anemones or starfish, fluctuate with the environment. These organisms are osmoconformists, their osmolarity is the same as that of seawater, and they cannot regulate their water and salt balance. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO SALT CONCENTRATION The crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) is a freshwater animal and therefore osmoregulatory. Its body tissues have a higher concentration of salts than the external environment, so water tends to enter its tissues by osmosis and must be expelled to prevent it from flooding its body. Thus, they maintain their water balance by excreting large quantities of very dilute urine. | |
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ADAPTATIONS TO SALT CONCENTRATION Bony fish, such as tuna (Thunnus sp.), lose water by osmosis and counteract the loss by drinking salt water and excreting excess salt through the gill surface; they are osmoregulators. Thus, their urine is scarce and highly concentrated. |
| ADAPTATIONS TO SALT CONCENTRATION Oceanic dolphins (Fam. Delphinidae) are marine mammals and therefore osmoregulatory. Marine mammals produce urine high in salt and urea to excrete excess salt from the diet. In addition, they avoid drinking seawater and obtain the water they need from their prey. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO SALT CONCENTRATION Cartilaginous fish, such as sharks (SO. Selachimorpha) and rays (O. Rajiformes), are osmoregulators. The concentration of their internal environment is similar to that of water; they generate osmotic concentrations in their body fluids similar to those of seawater in order to tolerate high urea levels. Excess salt from the diet is excreted through a salt gland in the rectum. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO SALT CONCENTRATION The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus), endemic to the Galapagos Islands, is dependent on the marine environment and feeds almost exclusively on seaweed. As a result of their diet, they must rid themselves of the excess salt they ingest by excreting concentrated salt in the form of crystals from a nasal salt gland. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO SALT CONCENTRATION Albatrosses (Fam. Diomedeidae) are a family of seabirds. Like all pelagic birds, they need to lower the salt content that might accumulate in their bodies from their ingestions of seawater while feeding. They do this with a nasal gland located at the base of their beaks, above their eyes, which removes salt through their nostrils. | |
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ADAPTATIONS TO LACK OF FOOD During the winter, bears (Fam. Ursidae) in the northern hemisphere hibernate, i.e. they dig or go into a cave called a bear den. There they spend the cold months, during which food is scarce. During the spring and summer, the bears will acquire sufficient fat reserves to get through the hibernation period. |
| ADAPTATIONS TO LACK OF FOOD Crocodiles (Fam. Crocodylidae) are a group of large semi-aquatic reptiles that live in tropical regions. During long periods of drought in summer, when food is scarce, the crocodile digs a burrow on the bank of a river or lake and settles down for a long sleep (estivation) which is quickly reversed as soon as the rains return. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO LACK OF FOOD During the summer, the main food source of ladybirds (Fam. Coccinellidae) is decimated by the heat of the sun, and they enter a state of dormancy while waiting for food to become abundant again. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO LACK OF FOOD The squirrel (Scirus vulgaris) lives in European coniferous forests. When winter comes and food is scarce, it does not hibernate, but remains active by consuming what it has been storing during the rest of the year, on the ground and in different hollows in trees and rocks. | |
| ADAPTATIONS TO LACK OF FOOD The annual migration of wildebeest (Connochaetes sp.) across the East African plains in search of food and water when the season changes is from the Serengeti plains in a north-westerly direction towards the Masai Mara Reserve. The exact timing and route of the migration varies from year to year depending on the rains that bring the grasses to sprout. Up to 1.5 million wildebeest take part, along with hundreds of thousands of other animals such as zebras and gazelles. |
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