Question

State two adaptations in whole that enables it to adjust to its habitat

Answer 1

Adaptation is defined as the process where a species or an organism gradually becomes better acclimated to its environment.”

The meaning of adaptation implies how a species changes its body and behaviour to better suit its natural environment. There are an estimated 8.7 million species currently living on earth. They are found across a wide and diverse natural environment, ranging from frozen and desolate Arctics to the sweltering sands of the Sahara.

The natural environment is an ever-changing feature of planet earth. The process of adaptation ensures that the species which adapts the most, survive.

Read on to explore plant and animal adaptations across the wide ranges of landscapes.

In Humans:

Long hours of exposure to the sun results in a tan.  As the exposure to heat and UV rays increases, the melanocytes present in the skin ramp up the production of melanin.

This pigment helps to absorb the heat and protects the nucleus, thus protecting the DNA from mutation due to UV radiation. Hence, the process of tanning represents how our body adapts to the heat and UV radiation from the sun.

Example 2: In high-altitude environments, the human body signals an increase in the production of red blood cells. This is done to compensate for the relatively low-oxygen content in the air.

But this is not an instantaneous process, hence, people who are not acclimatized to the high altitude environment might feel a shortness of breath.

In Animals:

Animals living in extremely cold environments have thick fur and fat around their body to provide insulation. Pregnant polar bears bulk up on fat before the winter. This is an adaptation that helps them survive the harsh winter where food is very scarce.

Sometimes, adaption is often mistaken for evolution, though both are very different processes. Evolution brings about drastic changes that occur in the genetic level, whereas adaptation is a short-term process where the changes that occur are usually reversible.

But adaptation does lead to evolution. Following is an example illustrating how evolution is different from adaptation.