Name: Carla Vian M.
Anasco
Grade 10-SFA
Science 10
“Adaptation as a Mechanism for Survival”
“Evolution taught us that adaptation is the key to survival.” – Gemma Maley. Earth has
both highly hot and very cold regions. On Earth, several regions have abundant
grasslands and water, while others have scant vegetation and very little water. And
some species coexist with it in its ecosystem. Animals can be found in many different
environments, which include the air, sea, and land. It is hard to say how these animals
manage to endure such extremes of cold and heat. Well, there is this biological process
by which organisms adapt to new surroundings or changes in their current
environments known as adaptation. Adaptation is the biological mechanism by which
organisms adjust to new environments or changes in their current environment.
To locate food, water, habitats, and mates, animals adapt to their ecosystem. An
example of this adaptation is the feather of the bird's wings, the eyes of an owl, or the
hibernation of animals during winter. An adaptation is a modification or alteration to an
organism's physical characteristics or behavior that aids in its survival. Every animal has
a unique technique of adjusting to its surroundings, just as fish have accomplished so
by evolving gills, swim bladders, and fins to help them swim or as birds have done by
developing lightweight beaks in place of jaws and teeth.
Their environment consists of a lot of factors. Such as the food they find in it, climate,
prey and predators, and sometimes human disturbance. So they must also learn how to
adapt to these kinds of factors. There are a lot of adaptations animal has made as time
pass by to survive these factors. Camouflage is a way how animals hide from their prey
and predators, and their color and patterns help them blend into their environment, thus,
helping them to hunt for food and other advantages. An example of this is the octopus,
unlike other species, octopuses don't have hard shells or sharp spines to protect
themselves, so camouflage is their best bet for avoiding hungry predators. By using
their chromatophores and changing the texture of their skin, octopuses can seamlessly
blend into rocks, corals, and sponges. Migration is also a form of adaptation. Some
animals move to breed, while others do so in search of food or better living conditions.
Gray whales are an example of how migration is a behavioral adaptation that aids
animal survival. To reproduce and give birth to their young, gray whales travel south
along the west coast of the US to Mexico. The lagoons' calm, warm waters provide
young whales with a secure environment away from predators like killer whales.
Furthermore, there are a lot of animals that have unique adaptations to their
environment. For example, in pufferfish, predators have an easier time catching
pufferfish. They move slowly and are simple to see in the water. The pufferfish can
quickly consume water and air, which allows them to grow several times larger than
their normal size if a predator approaches too closely. In addition, if the newly enlarged
pufferfish is unable to repel a predator, its poison will. Tetrodotoxin, which gives them
an unpleasant taste and can kill a larger fish, is released. And do you ever wonder how
camels manage to survive in such a hot desert? Well, through millions of years, camels
have successfully adapted to their harsh desert environment. Camels have large feet to
equally distribute their weight on the sand and long eyelashes and a third eyelid to keep
sand out of their eyes. They have thick fur on portions of their bodies that are exposed
to the sun for shading and thin fur in other areas to allow heat to quickly escape their
body to cool down. And don't forget about their unique hump, which is packed with fat
that they can digest in the absence of food or water.
There are a lot of adaptations animals have achieved and that is very important to them
as adaptation is important for the survival of living organisms. The ability of organisms
to adapt to different situations and surroundings helps the world to move ahead. And
similar to animals we people also can adapt to our surroundings and this helps us to
rapidly adapt to varying environmental conditions, in humid tropical forests, harsh
deserts, arctic wastelands, and even densely populated cities with considerable
amounts of pollution. Therefore, whether humans or animals, adaptation is the key to
survival in the natural world.
