LS4.C: Adaptation — The Wonder of Science (2024)

Grade Band Endpoints for LS4.C

from A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (pages 165-166)

By the end of grade 2.Living things can survive only where their needs are met. If some places are too hot or too cold or have too little water or food, plants and animals may not be able to live there.

By the end of grade 5.Changes in an organism’s habitat are sometimes beneficial to it and sometimes harmful. For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

By the end of grade 8.Adaptation by natural selection acting over generations is one important process by which species change over time in response to changes in environmental conditions. Traits that support successful survival and reproduction in the new environment become more common; those that do not become less common. Thus, the distribution of traits in a population changes. In separated populations with different conditions, the changes can be large enough that the populations, provided they remain separated (a process called reproductive isolation), evolve to become separate species.

By the end of grade 12.Natural selection is the result of four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for an environment’s limited supply of the resources that individuals need in order to survive and reproduce, and (4) the ensuing proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in that environment. Natural selection leads to adaptation—that is, to a population dominated by organisms that are anatomically, behaviorally, and physiologically well suited to survive and reproduce in a specific environment. That is, the differential survival and reproduction of organisms in a population that have an advantageous heritable trait leads to an increase in the proportion of individuals in future generations that have the trait and to a decrease in the proportion of individuals that do not. Adaptation also means that the distribution of traits in a population can change when conditions change.

Changes in the physical environment, whether naturally occurring or human induced, have thus contributed to the expansion of some species, the emergence of new distinct species as populations diverge under different conditions, and the decline—and sometimes the extinction—of some species. Species become extinct because they can no longer survive and reproduce in their altered environment. If members cannot adjust to change that is too fast or too drastic, the opportunity for the species’ evolution is lost.

LS4.C: Adaptation — The Wonder of Science (2024)

FAQs

What is the adaptation question answer? ›

The ability of living organisms to adjust themselves to their surroundings is called adaptation. Adaptations are the changes in structure or behaviour of an organism that will allow the organism to survive in that habitat.

Do adaptations increase chances of survival explain your answer? ›

Adaptations are inheritable characteristics that increase an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in an environment. Adaptations can help an organism find food and water, protect itself, or manage in extreme environments.

What are some examples of human adaptation to the environment? ›

Actions such as moving to higher ground to avoid rising sea levels, planting new crops that will thrive under new climate conditions, or using new building technologies represent adaptation strategies. Adaptation often requires financial investment in new or enhanced research, technology, and infrastructure.

What is adaptation due to? ›

adaptation, in biology, the process by which a species becomes fitted to its environment; it is the result of natural selection's acting upon heritable variation over several generations.

What is adaptation grade 4? ›

An adaptation is a characteristic of a living thing that helps it survive in its environment. An environment includes everything living and non-living in the area that a plant or animal lives in. All living things have adaptations, even humans.

What is adaptation 7? ›

Adaptation is defined as the modification or change in the organism's body or behaviour that helps it to survive in a particular environment. The environment in which an animal survives consists of many different things and it must learn to adapt to each of these factors in order to survive.

What do adaptations mean for kids? ›

Adaptations are special body parts or behaviors that help a living thing survive in an environment. There are two main types of adaptation: physical adaptations are special body parts that help a plant or animal survive in an environment, and behavioral adaptations are actions plants and animals take to survive.

What is successful adaptation simply? ›

Adaptation means that the species have built up some changes in them so as to fit into the environmental changes for the living it does not mean moving to some other place rather it means being in the same place and fighting against the changes and surviving , producing offspring is the next step after adaptation to ...

Are adaptations always successful Why? ›

Some adaptations turn out to be successful, and others do not. Only those organisms that adapt successfully survive and pass on their genes to future generations. Many different adaptations are often successful, which has led to incredible diversity in nature.

What are 10 examples of adaptation? ›

Adaptations for Self-Defense
  • African Spiny Mice Heal Quickly.
  • Amphibians Regrow Limbs.
  • Meerkats' Coloring Helps Them See.
  • Pufferfish Expand in Size.
  • Red-Spotted Purple Butterflies Mimic Pipevine Swallowtails.
  • Kingsnakes Are Immune to Venom.
  • Octopuses Blend In.
  • Tigers Disappear in the Shadows.

What is one human adaptation that helps us to survive and reproduce? ›

Our bipedalism (ability to walk on two feet), opposable thumbs (which can touch the fingers of the same hand), and complex brain (which controls everything we do) are three adaptations (special features that help us survive) that have allowed us to live in so many different climates and habitats.

What is the difference between survival and adaptation? ›

In short, fitness is a measure of an organism's reproductive success, adaptation is the process by which an organism becomes better suited to its environment, and survival refers to an organism's ability to stay alive and avoid death.

Is adaptation natural selection? ›

Natural selection is a mechanism, or cause, of evolution. Adaptations are physical or behavioral traits that make an organism better suited to its environment. Heritable variation comes from random mutations. Random mutations are the initial cause of new heritable traits.

What are the two main types of adaptations? ›

Structural and Behavioral Adaptations

An adaptation can be structural, meaning it is a physical part of the organism. An adaptation can also be behavioral, affecting the way an organism responds to its environment. An example of a structural adaptation is the way some plants have adapted to life in dry, hot deserts.

What are the two major types of adaptations? ›

Some adaptations are structural. Structural adaptations are physical features of an organism like the bill on a bird or the fur on a bear. Other adaptations are behavioral. Behavioral adaptations are the things organisms do to survive.

What is adaptation one word answer? ›

adaptation. noun. a modification of an organism or its parts that makes it more fit for existence. An adaptation is passed from generation to generation.

What is the definition of an adaptation? ›

An adaptation is an evolutionary process of a living species to live in its habitat or habitats and to be capable to reproduce. As the environment is not a permanent existence, the organisms have to keep adapting to the changing environment.

What are some questions about adaptation? ›

  • How do physical and behavioral traits help animals survive?
  • How does the variation among individuals affect their survival?
  • How do the structures and functions of living things allow them to meet their needs?
  • Why adapt?
  • How does an animal's different body structures relate to its ability to adapt to its environment?

What is the best definition of adaptation? ›

: adjustment to environmental conditions: as. a. : adjustment of a sense organ to the degree or quality of stimulation. b. : change in an organism or its parts that fits it better for the conditions of its environment.

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