Adaptation of animals to life in extreme water

conditions

How to live on the desert and in water ?

Anna Rysiak

Biology teacher 23 Secondary School in Lublin

Aims of the session: Learn about the conditions of water and desert Answer the question: why is it difficult to live in

water and on the desert Learn about the adaptations water and desert

animals have See what type of question they can ask about

adaptations for living in water and in desert (and be able to answer it)

Recognize features of animals living in different conditions

What is adaptation ?

An adaptation is a characteristic that an organism

has evolved that helps it to survive in its environment.

There are two main types of adaptations.

They are: 1. Structural adaptations are body parts that an organism has that

help it to survive2. Behavioral adaptations are the ways that an organism behaves

that help it to survive.

The special properties of water and conditions in water environment

It is suitable enviroment for many organisms (constant temperature - homeostasis)

It is a good solvent Is much more dense than air The lack of light The concentration of oxygen

is changed Water pressure Salt Regulation

Desert conditionsHigh temperature and day and

night temperature fluctuationWater deficiencyFood deficiency

Fennec fox (Vulpes zerda)

Paramecium

Sea turtle

Leopard geco (Eublepharis macularius)

Dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius)

Atlantic midshipman (Porichthys plectrodon)

Meerkat (Suricata suricatta)

Foureye butterflyfish (Chaetodon capistratus)

Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum)

Silvertip shark (Carcharhinus albimarginalis)

Sidewinder (Crotalus ceraster )

Dolphin bottlenose (Torsiops truncatus)

Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus)

Sonoran desert toad (Bufo alvarius)

Bilby (Macrotis lagotis)

Tuna fish (Thunus thynnus)

Kangaroo rat (Dippodomys deserti)

Sponges (Porifera)

Killer whale (Orcinus orca)Thory devil (Moloch horridus)

Addax antelope

(Addax nasomaculatus)

Angler fish (Lophius picatorius)

Convergent evolutionThis is situation, with a number of organisms from

different classification groups showing similar adaptations

ON THE DESERT: are medium to small in sizequite a few of the animals get water through their

foodsome animals store fat instead of water to surviveconserving energy and water is very important to

every animal on the desert most animals in the desert are light in color the skin of some animals is totally impervious

Convergent evolutionIN WATER:

streamlined body shape fins can take their oxygen from the water can stay underwater without breathing for an hour or more cold-blooded (ectothermic) animals marine mammals because they are warm-blooded

(endothermic) have an insulating layer of blubber (made up of fat and connective tissue) under their skin

in the depths of the ocean abyss, some fish are bioluminescent, using light-giving bacteria or their own light-producing

eliminate the salt through their gills or “salt glands”; mammals don’t drink salt water, instead getting the water they need from the organisms they eat.

References:Pickering W. R. 2000. Complete biology. Oxford

University Press.Umiński T. 1986. Zwierzęta i oceany. WSiP,

WarszawaDoes A., Johnsson N. A., Thiel T. 2004.

Rediscowering biology. Moleculal to global perspectives.

www. wikipedia. com.