Special Adaptations and Speciation

Ex: use less water, larger eyes

-An adaptation is a trait that an organism has that allows them to bemore fit for their environment.

-What are some specific ways that organisms have adapted to their environment?

Adaptations have evolved over huge amounts of time, in response to thepressure put on an organism from the environment.

If the environment changes, the traitsthat best fit the new environment will be advantageous.

Evolution of Adaptations Observed

Industrial Melanism is an evolution in coloration caused by a change in the environment.

Peppered moths had a natural variationin color, from light gray to black.

The color of the trees went from a light gray to a dark gray/black fairly rapidly.

There were always a few moths with different colors.

Prior to the change, the advantage wasfor the light colored moth.

After the change, the advantage was for the dark colored moth.

Explain how the change in environment caused Industrial Melanism in the PepperedMoth, and why the change was possible.

What would happen to the population of moths if the trees were to turn light gray again?

Why was variation within the populationso vital to the evolution of the moth?

Did individual moths change their color?

Camouflage and Other Tricks

Camouflage is the adaptation of having coloration that blends in with the surrounding environment, makingthe organism less likely to be eaten, orallowing the organism to approach prey without being seen.

JUST LIKE THIS!!!

What doYou see in the picture?

This praying mantis has a colorationcalled cryptic coloration.

The coloration in thiscase is both for defenseand offense.

It allows the mantis to hide on branches,and not be eaten, as well as to sneak up on unsuspecting prey.

This organism iscalled the TwigCaterpillar.

It has cryptic coloration to allowit to blend in with the tree branch.

This is an example ofa Katydid, which ishidden because it resembles a leaf.

In this case, the coloration is defensive,because Katydids are not predatory.

What do you think happens to this Katydid in the Fall of the year, when leaves turn color?

Countershading

• LOOKS LIKE THIS ON TOP

• LOOKS LIKE THIS ON BOTTOM

• A type of camouflage in which the top (dorsal) side of an organism is darker than the bottom (ventral) side

• Reduces shadow effects which give visual cues to the animal

• Also works through background matching

Grey Squirrel

Emperor Penguins

Warning coloration is a display shown by organisms that announce rather than hide by their coloration.

Predators learn to shy away based on their appearance.

Often, these organisms taste bad, or have a sting.

Yellow Jacket (Wasp)

Striped Skunk

This is a Nudibranch, a marine mollusk.

Why do you think it would it advertise itself this way?

It is brightly colored to advertise the fact that it tastes bad.

This is the Foaming Grasshopper,From the Rainforest of South America

Do you think its coloration is designed to hide or advertise? Why?

This is the Scorpion Fish

What is the name of thetype of coloration it has?

Why is it an adaptive advantage to have this coloration?

This is a TropicalKatydid.

What type of coloration does it have?

Is this coloration for defense or offense?

Mimicry is a deceptive form of camouflage.

The original organism with the warning coloration is the model.

The harmless, tasty organism is called themimic.

It works because one organism that is harmlesstakes the warning coloration of another organism that either tastes bad or has somedefensive mechanism, such as a sting.

The Viceroybutterfly (L), mimics the Monarchbutterfly ( R), because the Monarchtastes bad.

Which butterfly is the mimic, and which is the model?

King Vs. Coral Snakes

These two frogs are distinct species, butclosely resembleeach other.One is a mimic, the other is the model. Why do you think one Frog is mimicking the other?

Several different Species of African butterfly.

What type of coloration do they exhibit?

Which do you think are the Mimics?

What are the other ones called?

Mimicry of Body Parts (Eyespots)

Click Beetle Eyespots

Display Coloration

• LOOKS LIKE: whatever is attractive to the particular species

• Coloration and/or structures used by one gender of a species to attract mates of the same species

• Usually the male attracting the female

• Coloration often related to important aspects of the species’ survival

Caribbean Flamingo

• Baby flamingoes are grey or white

• Pink color comes from beta-carotene in shrimp that it eats

• Females attracted to “pinker” males; indication of health

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Peacock vs. Peahen

Magnificent Frigatebird: Which Coloration?

The End Why me,

LORD?

Other Types of Adaptations

Can you think of any more?

Ex: Beaks of birds, large eyes in nocturnalanimals, flippers on seals

1) Morphological Adaptation: involve thestructure of an organism.

-Adaptations take many forms, and have 3main types.

2) Physiological Adaptations:

What other types can you think of?

Ex: being able to digest a certain food,having different enzymes, toleranceto salt, less need for oxygen.

Involved with the functions of an organism.

3) Behavioral Adaptations:

What type of adaptation do you think Hibernation is?

Ex: migration, storing food, timing of breeding.

These involve an organisms reaction to its environment.

Evolving to New Species

Sometimes a founder species (theoriginal form) is broken into two ormore parts, and kept separate.

New species evolve because the environment changes, and the organisms have to adapt to the newconditions, or go extinct.

If the parts of the old species cannotcommunicate and interact, they are said to be Geographically Isolated.

Can you think of another way species could be isolated, other than being on an island?

Ex: Various unique species on islands,Such as Madagascar, Hawaii, and Australia

Geographic Isolation leads to Reproductive Isolation, where, eventually, the two groups

will no longer be able to breed.

Can you think of any examples of divergence?

This is called divergence, which means“heading in different directions”.

They will have become two distinct species.

Geographic Isolation

Differential Evolution over time

Reproductive Isolation

The Galapagos Finches are a classic example of geographic isolation leadingto speciation, the development of newdistinct species.

The original finches were separated onto the various islands when they formed,and because of distance, were kept apart.

The environment of each island was slightly different, so the finches had to adapt differently on each island.

Eventually, over long periods of time,they evolved into completely differentspecies, each adapted to its conditions.