Zusammenfassung der Ressource
GCSE AQA Biology 1 Adaptations, Competition & Environmental Change
- Desert animal adaptations
- Large surface
area: volume ratio
- Lose more body heat
- Efficient with water
- Lose less by producing...
- ...small amounts of
concentrated urine
- ...little sweat
- Good in hot conditions
- Thin layers of body fat/coat to lose body
heat (camels keep most fat in hump)
- Camouflage
- Sandy colour - can avoid
predators/sneak up on prey
- Arctic animal adaptations
- Small surface area: volume ratio
- Reduces heat loss
- Well insulated
- Thick layer of blubber (energy store)
- Thick, hairy coats -
keep body heat in
- Greasy fur - sheds water which
prevents cooling due to evaporation
- Camouflage
- White fur - can avoid
predators/sneak up on prey
- Desert plant adaptations
- Small surface
area: volume ratio
- Plant lose water vapour
from surface of leaves
- Cacti have spines instead to reduce water loss
- Water storage
tissues
- Cactus stores
water in thick stem
- Maximising water absoption
- Cacti have shallow but
extensive roots - absorb
water quickly over large area
- Others have deep roots -
access underground water
- Adaptations to deter predators
- Armour
- Roses - thorns
- Cacti - sharp spines
- Tortoises - shells
- Poisons
- Bees and poison ivy
- Warning
colours
- Wasps
- Extremophiles
- Microorganisms -
adapted to live in
extreme conditions
e.g. volcanoes, salty
lakes, high pressure
- Competition
- Plants compete for: light, space,
water and minerals (nutrients)
- Animals compete for: space
(territory), food, water and mates
- Environmental change
- Caused by...
- Living factors
- Change in occurence
of diseases
- Change in number of predators
- Change in number of
prey/availability of food source
- Change in number/types
of competitors
- Non-living factors
- Change in average temp.
- Change in average rainfall
- Change in level of air/water pollution
- Affects population...
- Population size increases
Anmerkungen:
- If number of prey increases, more food for predators - more predators survive & reproduce
- Population size decreases
Anmerkungen:
- e.g. Number of bees in US falling rapidly. Could be because of pesticides, less food or more disease
- Population
distribution changes
Anmerkungen:
- Change in where an organism lives
- Measuring environmental change
- Living indicators
Anmerkungen:
- Some organisms very sensitive to changes in environment - indicator species
- Lichen - very sensitive to levels of sulphur dioxide
- Lots of lichen = clean air
- Mayfly larvae - sensitive
to concentration of
dissolved oxygen in water
- Mayfly larvae = clean water
- Rat-tailed maggots & sludgeworms -
adapted to live in polluted conditions
- Rat-tailed maggots and sludgeworms = high level of water pollution
- Non-living indicators
- Satellites - measure temp. of sea
surface & amount of snow/ice cover
- Automatic weather stations -
measure atmospheric temp.
- Rain gauges - measure rainfall
- Dissolved oxygen meters - measure amount in water (water pollution)