Animal Adaptation Flashcards

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Questions and Answers

What is the main difference between plants and animals?

Animals are consumers and cannot produce food on their own, while plants are producers who make food from the sun.

What is an adaptation?

A structural or behavioral feature used by an organism to survive in its environment.

Explain the difference between a structural adaptation and a behavioral adaptation.

Structural adaptations are physical features of an organism, while behavioral adaptations are actions organisms take to survive.

Give examples of behavioral adaptations.

<ol> <li>Raccoons learn to eat from garbage. 2. Hippos charge at a threat. 3. Penguins huddle in groups to stay warm. 4. A predator sneaks up on a prey. 5. Opossums play dead to drive off threats.</li> </ol> Signup and view all the answers

Name more structural adaptations.

Examples include succulents storing water in their thick stems, porcupine quills, turtle shells, and skunk scent. Signup and view all the answers

What is a behavioral adaptation?

Actions animals take to survive in their environments, such as hibernation and migration. Signup and view all the answers

Explain the difference between an invertebrate and vertebrate.

Vertebrates have a spine or backbone, while invertebrates do not. Signup and view all the answers

What are mammals?

Mammals are vertebrates that are warm-blooded, have hair or fur, give live birth, and nurse from their mother's milk. Signup and view all the answers

What are reptiles?

Reptiles are cold-blooded vertebrates with spikes or scales that hatch from eggs. Signup and view all the answers

What are fish?

Fish are cold-blooded vertebrates that have gills, scales, and hatch from eggs. Signup and view all the answers

What are birds?

Birds are warm-blooded vertebrates that lay eggs and have wings. Signup and view all the answers

Give examples of vertebrates.

Examples include mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Signup and view all the answers

What are amphibians?

Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates that live in water as babies and on land as adults. Signup and view all the answers

Why do reptiles get more active as the day grows warmer?

Reptiles are cold-blooded and warm up as the air temperature increases. Signup and view all the answers

Why would a bird need webbed feet?

So they can swim faster in water. Signup and view all the answers

Give an example of how animals defend themselves.

A porcupine has quills, and dogs bite. Signup and view all the answers

What happens to an animal's population when there are too many resources?

It can lead to population booms followed by declines due to starvation and competition. Signup and view all the answers

When are there not enough resources?

Only the strongest survive, and the others die off. Signup and view all the answers

What is a herbivore?

An animal that eats plants only. Signup and view all the answers

What is a carnivore?

An animal that eats meat only. Signup and view all the answers

What is an omnivore?

An animal that eats both plants and meat. Signup and view all the answers

What is a producer?

Plants use energy from the sun to make food through photosynthesis. Signup and view all the answers

What is a consumer?

An organism that must eat plants and other animals to get their energy. Signup and view all the answers

What must all food chains start with?

The Sun. Signup and view all the answers

If one part of the food web goes extinct, how does that affect the other parts of the web?

It affects all parts of the food web. Signup and view all the answers

What is migration?

Movement to a new habitat for food, shelter, or water. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Differences Between Plants and Animals

Animals are consumers; they cannot produce their own food.
Plants are producers that generate food through photosynthesis using sunlight.

Adaptations

Adaptations are features, either structural or behavioral, that help organisms survive in their environment.
Structural adaptations refer to physical traits such as a bird's bill or a bear's fur.
Behavioral adaptations involve actions taken by organisms for survival, like bird calls or migration.

Examples of Adaptations

Behavioral adaptations: raccoons rummaging through garbage, hippos charging threats, penguins huddling for warmth, predators sneaking up on prey, and opossums playing dead.
Structural adaptations: succulents storing water in arid climates, porcupine quills, turtle shells, and skunk's defensive scent.

Types of Vertebrates

Vertebrates possess a spine: examples include cows, dogs, cats, and horses.
Invertebrates lack a spine: examples include worms, butterflies, snails, ants, and crabs.

Classes of Vertebrates

Five main classes: mammals (warm-blooded, fur, live birth), birds (warm-blooded, wings, lay eggs), fish (cold-blooded, gills, scales), reptiles (cold-blooded, scales, hatch eggs), amphibians (cold-blooded, need water in early life stages).

Animal Defense Mechanisms

Examples include porcupines using quills for protection and dogs biting.

Population Dynamics

Excess resources can lead to overpopulation; without predators, species may experience population booms followed by crashes due to starvation or resource competition.
Only the strongest survive when resources dwindle, leading to potential population declines.

Diet Classifications

Herbivores consume only plants.
Carnivores eat only meat.
Omnivores have a varied diet of plants and meat.

Energy Flow in Ecosystems

Producers (plants) harness sunlight for photosynthesis, serving as the foundation of food chains.
Consumers rely on consuming plants or other animals for energy.
If a part of the food web becomes extinct, the effects ripple throughout the ecosystem, impacting all interconnected species.

Migration

Migration refers to the movement of organisms to new habitats in search of food, shelter, or water, such as birds migrating south during winter.

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Description

Explore the fascinating world of animal adaptations with these flashcards. Each card covers key concepts, from the differences between plants and animals to the types of adaptations organisms use to survive. Perfect for students interested in biology and environmental science.