Think of a species of life on Earth.
Imagine what they look like, sound like...what they eat, how they move.
In imagining this organism, you probably came across some pretty amazing features and behaviors.
In biology, we refer to all of these things as adaptations, and life on Earth is full
of amazing examples.
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An adaptation can be defined as an inherited characteristic that maintains or increases
the fitness of an organism in its specific environment.
The “how” of adaptations has to do with natural selection and evolution, and that
topic deserves it’s own month.
However, adaptation and evolution are inseparable, so in this Lesson Plan we’ll discuss adaptations
that have come to be through the process of natural selection.
In looking through his original observations, Charles Darwin found that certain behavioral
and physical adaptations of organisms to different environments were possibly linked to the origins
of new species.
For Darwin, explaining the adaptations of species he saw on the Galapagos Islands in
the 1830’s meant understanding the process of evolution, or change over time.
Adaptations can generally be categorized as behavioral or physical.
Behavioral adaptations are things that an organism evolves or learns to do to survive
in its environment, whereas physical adaptations are beneficial physical characteristics.
There are an unbelievable amount of adaptations on Earth, but the most common ones can generally
be grouped into categories like movement, feeding, temperature regulation, camouflage,
mimicry, hibernation, and predator-prey dynamics.
Let’s check out the first of these.
Movement is a pretty big deal in terms of surviving within an environment, especially
in the animal kingdom.
Think about birds.
The evolution of flight involved a lot of different physical adaptations.
First off, having a wing with feathers instead of an arm with skin has a lot to do with improved
flight ability.
Bird bones themselves are an adaptation that aids in flight- they’re actually hollow,
and super light weight.
Along those same lines, birds lay eggs to reduce the weight of carrying young, which
allows easier flight.
But flight is just one way of moving.
The sleek body plan of fish, as well as fins, are adaptations that allow them to successfully swim.
What about feeding?
This category of adaptations can include both physical and behavioral examples.
In general, being a carnivore or herbivore is a behavior- it’s something an organism does.
But there are a bunch of physical adaptations that come along with having a certain diet,
or feeding behavior.
Just look at teeth!
Sharpened canines and flattened molars are everyday physical adaptations that facilitate
behavioral adaptations like diet type.
Alright, so, you can probably see where this is going.
Every living thing is made up of a combination of adaptations that allow it to survive in
its environment, and we couldn’t possibly cover all of the different types in one episode.
That’s why we’ll keep exploring these throughout this month.
With this in mind, I’d like to spend the last portion of this Lesson Plan sharing some
of my personal favorite physical and behavioral adaptations of life on Earth.
When it comes to movement, one of my favorite adaptations is something called “phototaxis”.
That word means moving in response to light.
Check out this timelapse video of tomato plants showing this adaptive behavior over the course
of a few hours.
In terms of feeding, there are definitely some cool adaptations out there.
One I really like is seen in giant tube worms of the deep sea.
They don’t have an actual digestive tract; instead, these worms get an assist from internal
bacteria that convert the hydrogen sulfide in the deep sea environment into a usable
form of energy.
Totally wild.
Adaptations of prey species that allow them to avoid being eaten are some of the most creative.
Basically, think of the most sophisticated, bizarre military defense technology... but
on a living being.
Here are some favorites:
Texas horned toads spit blood out of their eyes
Sea cucumbers throw internal toxin and organs outside of their body
Some amphibians use their own bones as weapons by breaking them through their skin
The Hawaiian boxer crab actually grabs venomous sea anemones in its claws like danger pom
poms, waving away predators or even making contact.
And sometimes, the best defense is invisibility.
Adaptations like camouflage and mimicry allow species like the mimic octopus to make itself
look like up to 15 different species.
Now, the awesome adaptations we just covered are only my personal favorites.
I challenge you to find your own favorites, or learn about new ones.
The different ways that species on Earth have managed to persist, survive, and thrive is
truly amazing, and we’re excited to explore this theme more in the coming weeks.
Thanks for watching this episode of Nature League.
If you’d like to learn more about animal adaptations, check out the videos by our sister
channel Animal Wonders.