Woodlands Homework Adaptation: The Challenges and Opportunities of Forest Life for Animals

Animals can live in many different places in the world because they have special adaptations to the area they live in. An adaptation is a way an animal's body helps it survive, or live, in its environment. Camels have learned to adapt (or change) so that they can survive.

Animals depend on their physical features to help them obtain food, keep safe, build homes, withstand weather, and attract mates. These physical features are called called physical adaptations. They makes it possible for the animal to live in a particular place and in a particular way. Each adaptation has been produced by evolution. This means that the adaptations have developed over many generations. The shape of a bird's beak, the number of fingers, colour of the fur, the thickness or thinness of the fur, the shape of the nose or ears are all examples of physical adaptations which help different animals to survive.

Woodlands Homework Adaptation

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Animals depend on their physical features to help them obtain food, keep safe, build homes, withstand weather, and attract mates. These physical features are called called physical adaptations. They makes it possible for the animal to live in a particular place and in a particular way.

The term adaptation is commonly used to describe the beneficial trait itself. Some adaptations provide protection from predators or environmental extremes. Others may help in obtaining food, water, or shelter.

Body armor and other protective body coverings are adaptations that help deter enemies. Armadillos have tough body armor that shields them from attack. Porcupines, hedgehogs, and echidnas (spiny anteaters) are well known for their spiny body coverings. The moloch, or thorny devil (Moloch horridus), has spectacular spiky body armor. The armor, coupled with body coloring that blends into the desert habitat, give this small Australian lizard abundant protection from enemies.

Many organisms have adaptations that help them survive seasonal changes in their environments. The white fur of the Arctic fox helps camouflage it against the snowy background of the polar winter. In summer, the fox sheds its white coat, replacing it with brownish fur that matches the summer tundra. A similar seasonal change in coat color is found among hares living in the high Arctic latitudes. Other seasonal adaptations include the ability for some species to undergo a period of deep inactivity, or dormancy, such as hibernation in winter or estivation in summer. Dormancy allows the species to survive periods of scarce food supply and extreme temperatures.

Changes in light and temperature select for certain behavioral adaptations, notably the periods when organisms rest and when they are active. This behavior may result because of physical features or because of prey or food preferences.

An adaptation is only beneficial in an environment that favors it. If conditions change, it may be difficult or impossible to thrive. A good example is the beak size of the medium ground finch (Geospiza fortis), a seed-eating finch species. It inhabits Daphne Major, one of the Galápagos Islands. A severe drought in 1977 decreased the supply of small, soft-shelled seeds that the medium finch generally consumes. However, larger, tough-shelled seeds remained plentiful. Finches that had slightly larger beaks were able to eat the larger seeds and avoid starvation. The following year, scientists noted a large increase in the number of larger-beaked hatchlings. Because most of the smaller-beaked finches had starved, there were fewer small-beaked hatchlings. Over the next several years, dry conditions continued and the number of larger-beaked finches continued to increase. However, strong rains in 1984 and 1985 favored an increase in plants that produce small seeds. The greater availability of small seeds in turn favored smaller-beaked birds. The number of large-seeded plants decreased. Although small seeds were plentiful, the larger-beaked finches could not handle them as effectively as could the smaller-beaked birds. Many of the larger-beaked finches starved. Smaller-beaked birds thrived, producing the majority of hatchlings over the next generations. When the environment changed, the trait that had been adaptive ceased to provide an advantage. (See also evolution.)

Shatner announced the film in a short video Coville shared Wednesday afternoon on his Facebook page. The live-action adaptation is finishing up production in Vancouver and scheduled to be released next spring.

Lesson Alignment: This lesson is the sixth lesson in the unitplan. It will relate to the adaption lesson that we discussed in the fourthlesson, but having more focus with the desert ecosystem. It will help with thenext lesson by presenting the last ecosystem in the unit before the reviewlesson. This lesson fits into the unit plan because it discusses the desert environmentand how certain animals can survive there because they can adapt. The studentswill use a variety of resources like technology and books to discover theadaptations of desert animals. They will be able to describe physical andbehavioral adaptations of desert animals and how they help the animals survive.The students will be able to characterize the desert habitat.

In a tradeoff for having various adaptations needed for rapid acceleration to pursue prey, such as a reduced muzzle and smaller skull size, cheetahs have weak jaws and smaller canine teeth compared to other large cats

Rapid acceleration requires a cheetah to have high oxygen intake adaptations including enlarged nostrils and extensive, air-filled sinuses. While running, a cheetah's specially adapted respiratory system allows it to go from a normal rate of 60 breaths per minute to 150 breaths per minute.

How plants and animals adapt to the physical conditions.The cold, brisk winds, very short growing seasons, waterlogged and seasonally frozen soils all pose challenges for the plants and animals living in the Tundra. They must therefore be able to adapt to extreme and the rather harsh conditions found in this Biome. They have to have special adaptations to allow them to live in extreme conditions and low temperatures.Plant Adaptations in the Tundra BiomePlants in the Tundra have adapted in a variety of ways;

Arctic MossThere are 2 types of Arctic Moss, one is an aquatic plant found growing on the bottom of tundra lake beds and in and around bogs and fens. Because it can grow under water it is protected from the drying winds and cold, dry air of the frozen tundra. The Arctic Moss has adapted well to its cold climate. They are short and never have wooden stems and have tiny leaves, usually only one cell thick. Their short nature means that it is adapted to the incredibly strong winds because it grows near to the ground. There are lots of leaves on the stem and they do not have flowers. The more leaves the more they can photosynthesize which is an advantage in this cold climate with short growing season.They can either reproduce by growing shoots or by sending out spores, which need to be wet to survive. It is very slow growing. It grows as slow as one centimetre per year. When it is not growing, it stores nutrients so new leaves can be made quickly next spring. It also lives a very long time; the shoots live seven to nine years, the leaves live for four. Its long life and slow growth are probably adaptations to the short growing season and the cold.

CaribouCaribou are a good example of an Arctic animal that has adapted to its environment. For example, they have 2 layers of fur to help them with the cold. They also have the behavioural adaptation of migrating to escape the worst of the winter cold. The Caribou have a body that helps too, they have a compact, stocky body with a short tail and ears to avoid losing body heat. Their legs even have veins and arteries that run side by side, so that the heat of the arterial blood coming from the body warms the cooler venous blood returning from the lower legs.

The Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS), in collaboration with the USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub, and several regional partners, now offers an online climate adaptation training course using the APP training process and the Adaptation Workbook online tool.

The seven-week course draws on a combination of regular webinars and discussions with all participants, as well as independent work time. During the course, participants will develop (individually or in small groups) their own climate-informed adaptation project plan or proposal.

In addition to the live sessions, outside assignments will guide participants through the new material and corresponding sections of the Adaptation Workbook, actively engaging them with supplementary videos, links to additional resources, and opportunities for reflection and commentary. Participants are assigned Adaptation Workbook steps to complete in the intervening days between live sessions; these assignments are generally expected to take 2-4 hours to complete. Browse real-world adaptation plans developed using the Adpatation Workbook in past training courses.

This training is designed for any natural resources professionals working in forests and associated ecosystems, including foresters, natural resource managers, and consultants working on public, tribal, and private lands. Professionals providing Extension, service forestry, or technical assistance to foresters and woodland owners are also encouraged to participate. The course is designed to be effective for motivated individuals as well as small groups (max 4-5 recommended), which allows for greater discussion and generating ideas. Find real-world adaptation planning examples with a focus on natural resources, recreation, wildlife, coastal or agriculture developed in previous training courses and workshops.

There are seven live course sessions of approximately 90 minutes each. In addition, Adaptation Workbook steps are assigned as homework for the intervening days between live sessions, and are generally expected to take 2-4 hours each. Expect to commit between 25 and 30 hours for the entire course over the 7-week training course. The course syllabus provides an estimate of time required for each step of the Adaptation Workbook to help with time management. 2ff7e9595c