1. How do organisms fit their environments?

2. What are 4 main environments (biomes) of the Earth?
Desert— very dry, little
Tundra—cold, snowy, few trees
precipitation, often hot!
Rain forest —very wet, Great plains —many types of
lots of trees, animals grasses, windy, some rain

3. Make some hypotheses!
 What are some  What are some
adaptations you would adaptations you would
need in a desert? need in the arctic?
 What are some  What are some
adaptations you would adaptations you would
need in a jungle? need in a great plain?

4. What is an adaptation?
Adaptation - any structure or behavior that increases
an organism’s chance of survival in an certain
environment
 Avoid predators
 Get more food/save energy
 Make more babies/attract mates
 There are three types:
1. Structural: related to its physical form
2. Behavioral: related to what an organism does
3. Functional: related to the way it does a task
 Organisms have different adaptations because
they live in different environments!

5. Adaptations of Organisms in the Desert
PLANT ADAPTATIONS ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 Structural:  Structural:
 Shallow roots to soak up  large ears to give off heat
water over a large area  Functional:
 Deep roots to get to water  little urine to save water
stored underground  Behavioral:
 No leaves to reduce water loss  active only at night to avoid
 Functional: the sun and heat of the day
 Photosynthesis in stems
because no leaves
 Flowers open at night when
cooler

6. Adaptations of Organisms in the Tundra
PLANT ADAPTATIONS ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 Structural:
 Functional:  Layer of fat— blubber
 Small shrubs and mosses that  Two layers of fur
grow low to the ground to keep  Bigger body
from freezing
 Behavioral:
 Grow in clumps to protect one
 Migration to warmer areas
another from the wind and cold in the winter
 Structural:  Hibernations—deep sleep
 Dark in color to absorb solar heat to save energy
 Shallow roots to not have to
penetrate ice

7. Adaptations of Organisms in the Rain Forest
PLANT ADAPTATIONS ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 Structural  Structural
 Shallow roots because of  Camouflage in thick greenery
shallow & moist soil or shadows
 Waxy coating to protect leaves  Webbed limbs to glide across
from fungus and bacteria that trees
thrive in wet areas  Behavioral
 Broad leaves to absorb the  Climbing and living in trees
little sun that gets through the
 Nocturnal lifestyle to avoid heat
canopy of trees

8. Adaptations of Organisms in the Great Plains
PLANT ADAPTATIONS ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
 Structural  Structural
 Soft stems allow prairie grasses  Limbs to move very quickly across
to bend in the wind open spaces
 Thick tree bark to resist fire  Behavioral
 Grazing animals that eat grasses
 Extensive root systems prevent
grazing animals from pulling  Burrowing in the ground to avoid
roots out of the ground or fires wind
from destroying  Functional
 Hunting in groups to catch prey
 Functional
 Prairie grasses have narrow
leaves which lose less water
 Wind pollinated seeds
GO BUFFS!