34B Adaptations to Biotic and Abiotic Factors (Part 1)

Name______ Josh Sipes______________ From each environment pick one abiotic and biotic factor for each organism
and fill in the needed information in the table below.
Desert Environment – Day time (Abiotic) Desert Environment – Day time (Biotic)
organism Type of adaptation Type of adaptation
Abiotic factor (anatomical, Biotic factor (anatomical,
behavioral, or Description of adaptation behavioral, or Description of adaptation
(nonliving) (living)
physiological) physiological)
An adaptation in many owls is a
Owl X behavioral small-sized body that encourages
heat loss and overheating.
They have anatomical and
physiological adaptations of the
skin and kidney that prevent water
Horned
X Use all three loss so they do not dehydrate.
lizards
Behavioral adaptations permit
them to seek shade when their
bodies get too hot.
A deep and extensive tap root
system permits the cactus to
collect the scarce desert water.
cactus X anatomical Thorns inhibit large desert animals
from feeding on the water-rich
tissues.
A small body that encourages
cooling is an anatomical
Kangaroo adaptation. Sleeping in burrows
rat
X Uses all three during the day is a behavioral
adaptation for avoiding
dehydration.
Date__ April 14,2010________ Class__1___

Desert Environment – Night time (Abiotic) Desert Environment – Night time (Biotic)
organism Type of adaptation Type of adaptation
Abiotic factor (anatomical, Biotic (anatomical,
behavioral, or Description of adaptation behavioral, or Description of adaptation
(nonliving) factor(living)
physiological) physiological)
Hunting exclusively is an owl's
behavioral adaptation to avoid the
Behavioral,
Owl X heat of the day and find prey also
anatomical active at night. Owls have large
eyes and very good hearing
Horned toads rely on the
Horned
X Behavioral behavioral adaptation of seeking
lizards
shelter and sleeping at night when
 all the major predators are active
A cactus uses primarily
physiological adaptations at night.
It has a C4 metabolism that
permits it to collect carbon dioxide
in the evening when water loss is
cactus X Uses all two diminished. One behavioral
adaptation of a cactus includes
blooming at night to exploit the
potential pollinators active during
the evening.
Anatomical adaptations of the eyes
and ears permit them to hunt at
night to reduce water loss. Their
behaviors encourage nighttime
Kangaroo
X All three foraging to reduce exposure to the
rat
hot and dehydrating days.
Physiological adaptations include
an ability to extract metabolic
water from foods.

34B Adaptations to Biotic and Abiotic Factors (Part 2)

From each environment pick one abiotic and biotic factor for each organism
and fill in the needed information in the table below.
Forest Environment – Summer (Abiotic) Forest Environment – Summer (Biotic)
organism Type of adaptation Type of adaptation
Abiotic factor (anatomical, Biotic factor (anatomical,
behavioral, or Description of adaptation behavioral, or Description of adaptation
(nonliving) (living)
physiological) physiological)
During the summer, deciduous
trees are anatomically and
physiologically adapted to the
temperature, sunlight, and
Deciduous availability of water in their
trees
X All three environment. Blooming during the
periods when wind or pollinators
are available is a combination of
physiological and behavioral
adaptations.
Behavioral patterns to select a
territory and eat as much as
Squirrels X All three possible are important for getting
enough food in the summer to last
through the winter season.
Behavioral adaptations encourage
Bird X Anatomical the bird to seek a territory for
raising its offspring and to produce
 a song for selecting an appropriate
mate.
Snakes use anatomical, behavioral,
and physiological adaptations to
Snakes X Use all three catch prey and mate during the
warm seasons when food is
abundant.

Forest Environment – Winter (Abiotic) Forest Environment – Winter (Biotic)

organism Type of adaptation Type of adaptation
Abiotic factor (anatomical, Biotic factor (anatomical,
behavioral, or Description of adaptation behavioral, or Description of adaptation
(nonliving) (living)
physiological) physiological)
Physiological adaptations permit
the deciduous tree to lose its
Deciduous
X Physiological leaves in the winter to conserve
trees
water and other resources that are
scarce at that time of the year.
They have accumulated much body
fat in the summer and use the fat
to get through the scarcity of food
Squirrels X Use all three during the winter. Behavioral
adaptations cause them to be
inactive and seek shelter.
Behavioral adaptations encourage
the bird to migrate to a warmer
region if food gets scarce.
Behavioral and
Bird X Physiological adaptations of the
physiological brain and feasible for some birds
to endure long migrations of
thousands of miles.
The behavioral adaptation to seek
shelter in the winter protects the
Snakes X behavioral snake as it goes dormant in the
winter months.