Contemporary VCE BiologyModule 1:
Introduction to Survival Through Adaptations
Students are introduced to adaptations. They will observe features and adaptations in two species. Students will distinguish between behavioural, structural and physiological adaptations and explore examples. Using the species cards, students will learn about the environments in which species survive and their adaptations that enhance their survival for their specific environment.
Summary
VCE Biology (2016-2020)
Unit 1, Area of Study 2, Outcome 2, VCE Biology Study Design
Key knowledge
Survival through adaptations and regulation
- The structural, physiological and behavioural adaptations that enhance an organism’s survival and enable life to exist in a wide range of environments
Duration
1 hour
Student learning outcomes
At the completion of this lesson, students should be able to:
- Describe what an adaptation is and provide examples in both flora and fauna species
- Understand that adaptations enhance an organism’s survival
Teacher background information
Students are introduced to adaptations through two videos, one on Venus Fly Traps and the other on the Blood Squirting Horned Lizard. The students will be familiar with some of the features described and explored throughout these videos. Throughout the lesson students will focus on how these features enhance an organisms’ survival, something the students may not have considered before. The teacher will be required to print out the species cards, so each group has a set. Students will observe and describe some features of organisms shown on the species cards, and the students are to hypothesise what they think these features are used for. Students will have the opportunity in their groups to match up species and their adaptations and discuss with each other how and why they enhance the survival of the particular organism.
While there aren’t many terms or definitions associated with the adaptations topic in this lesson sequence, students will benefit greatly from understanding diverse examples of species and their adaptations. They will utilise their knowledge of examples to demonstrate their understanding of an adaptation and describe how it enhances the survival of a species.
Teacher Understanding
An adaptation is a genetically controlled structural, behavioural or physiological feature that enhances the survival of an organism in particular environmental conditions
(Kinnear & Martin 2015, p.194). These adaptations have different purposes in different organisms including defending itself, camouflage from predators, avoiding predator detection, acquiring prey, avoiding poisonous food/prey, minimising water loss, diving into deep water, reducing heat loss, and surviving in harsh environments such as desserts or at the freezing poles of the earth.
A commonly observed misconception, is that some students think an individual organism will develop an adaptation in response to an environmental stimulus, and not through a mutation that has occurred or been inherited. The teacher should explain the following information to the students, so students avoid such misconceptions. As some mutations are passed from generation to generation, this can allow more individuals in a species to inherit that mutation. If the mutation is advantageous to the species, the mutation becomes part of the species, and develops into an adaptation (National Geographic 2017). This is an example of an evolutionary process known as natural selection, whereby individuals possessing traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and pass these traits on to the next generation (Cotton 2016, p.210).
Adaptations are structural, behavioural and physiological “features that enable organisms to survive and reproduce in different environments. They have a genetic basis and are passed from generation to generation” (Cotton 2016, p.210)
Structural adaptation is a physical feature of the organism that enhances its survival, for example having spines or thorns to deter predators and possessing large ears to assist with heat loss.
Behavioural adaptation is the way in which an organism acts to enhance its survival (National Geographic 2017), an example would be migration, exhibiting a behaviour that make the individual look bigger than it is to warn off predators, to fight for territory, tool use or “huddling to maintain body temperature” (Cotton 2016, p. 221).
Physiological adaptation is an internal body process to regulate and maintain homeostasis for an organism to survive in the environment in which it exists, examples include temperature regulation, release of toxins or poisons, releasing antifreeze proteins to avoid freezing in cold environments and the release of nectar to attract prey.
Teaching sequence
Overview
Activity 1.1 - Introduction to Adaptations: Introduction video on adaptations: Life-Venus Fly Traps Jaws of Death BBC One & Blood Squirting Lizard Worlds Weirdest Nat Geo WILD and teacher instruction on adaptations.
Activity 1.2 - Hypothesising Adaptations Exploration: Students hypothesise what various adaptations are used for using the species cards.
Activity 1.3 - Matching Adaptations and Species: Students will match cards up of adaptations and organisms, students will see how many adaptations are shared between species. Students will brainstorm and discuss if these organisms live in similar environments.
Activities
Activity 1.1 - Introduction to Adaptations (20 minutes)
This activity will introduce students to some features of organisms and the advantages of possessing such features or behaviours. This activity will engage students in the topic, by showing unique adaptations of species, in addition to utilising species which students may not have known or learnt about before.
Teacher Explanation:
For the next few lessons we will be engaging in some fascinating scientific knowledge surrounding adaptations. We will even be conducting a data analysis on raw data collected in the field by real scientists. So, have you ever noticed how some organisms like huntsmans or octopi are difficult to see in their environment? Is this an adaptation? Why is this an adaptation? How do you think they became camouflaged?
Give students a few minutes to write down some notes. Once students have completed this, get the students to briefly share what they wrote and discuss with the class.
We are going to watch two videos. Your task is to write in your note books any structures, features or behaviours in the videos that you think are advantageous to the organism’s survival. You should not only pay attention to the features or traits described, but also any traits that you observe that aren’t specifically mentioned in the video.
(e.g. the spines on the lizard as a predator deterrent.)
Video 1- Venus Fly Trap
Teacher will show students the video on Venus Fly Traps. Students will be very familiar with the Venus Fly Traps; however, students may be unfamiliar with the structural adaptations and physiological adaptations the Venus fly trap possesses.
Venus fly trap Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7eQKSf0LmY
Some examples of structural, physiological and behavioural adaptations include:
- Nectar across the brim of leaf
- 6 sensory hairs on the inside of leaf
- Biological timer- electrical impulse to close leaves
- Hairs on the tips of the leaf to enclose the insect
- Digestive enzymes to consume prey
- Fast closing leaves so the insect can’t escape
Video 2- Blood Squirting Lizard
Teacher will then show the students the video on the horned lizard. The students will probably be unfamiliar with the defence mechanism the blood squirting lizard exhibits to protect itself, which will evoke curiosity in the students, of its defence adaptation.
Blood Squirting Lizard Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgB4u6Mgy2M&list=PLPk5dek-yArc9EDCXBhEcX1qLdGBTsoZv
Some examples of structural, physiological and behavioural adaptations include:
- Blends in or camouflages with environment
- Tough skin/scales on back
- Spiny/horned skin
- Blood squirting out of eyes
- K9 repellent chemicals
Teacher will lead a discussion with the students about the features they found, these can be written on the board. Teacher will ask the students why these features are advantageous to the organism’s survival. This activity will engage students to think about and consider different features of organisms which enhance its survival and draw students into the interesting topic of adaptations.
After a discussion, the teacher will explain what an adaptation is (using the definitions above), whilst also defining a behavioural, structural and physiological adaptation. Students will define these terms in their books.
In the last five minutes of this activity, the teacher will set up three columns on the board (as shown below), and as a whole class discussion, students will classify the features they have listed into structural, behavioural and physiological. Students will write these columns in their notes books.
| Structural | Physiological | Behavioural |
|---|---|---|
|
Venus Fly Trap:
|
Venus Fly Trap:
|
Venus Fly Trap:
|
|
Blood Squirting Lizard:
|
Blood Squirting Lizard:
|
Blood Squirting Lizard:
|
Activity 1.2 - Hypothesising Adaptations Exploration (25 minutes)
Materials:
- Species cards (960KB PDF)
- Post-it notes
The purpose of this activity is for students to create hypotheses about what adaptations they think a plant or animal species needs to survive, to overcome a challenge. They will do this using the species cards, and the members of their group to discuss and collaborate ideas with each other. The objective is to get students thinking about the vast amount of adaptations that exist in a variety of organisms and how adaptations exist in all species, (rather than being told and directed to specific adaptations, by their teacher).
Students are put into groups of 2-3. Teacher hands out to each group a set of ‘species cards’ (see cards above). The teacher will direct the students to group the species into regions/habitats where they think the organisms are found (e.g. arid climates, rainforests, high altitude, arctic). Teacher explains to the students they are to observe the organisms on the cards, discuss the type of environment they would live in, and discuss what type of adaptations each organism might need to survive in this environment, taking into consideration the challenges they need to overcome. Students will lay out their species cards on their desks. Students will write on post-it notes the environment in which each organism lives and will stick the post-it note next to the according organism. Students will then discuss and hypothesise with each other in their groups, what adaptations they think the organism needs to survive, these will be written onto the post-it notes, then stuck next to the appropriate organism.
Activity 1.3 - Matching Adaptations and Species (15 minutes)
Materials:
The teacher will give the students the ‘adaptation cards.’ The students will be required to group the adaptations cards into behavioural adaptations, physiological adaptations and structural adaptations. Once all students have completed this, the teacher will have a brief discussion with all students to ensure the students grouped their adaptations correctly into physiological, behavioural and structural.
The teacher will instruct the students to match up their ‘species cards’ to the ‘adaptations cards.’ The adaptation cards will have specific adaptations which will match up with their ‘species cards.’ There might be some adaptations which apply to more than one organism, the teacher should instruct students to match up their adaptation cards with the best suited species cards. Students will be able to see if their adaptation hypotheses were correct and matched up to the adaptation cards. Students’ hypotheses may be correct, even if it wasn’t listed on the adaptation card. Students can use the extension activity to investigate this.
The teacher will get students to take a photo of their layout of species cards and adaptations as a reference in their notes book, or students can be given their own individual set of species cards and adaptations cards which can be stuck into their notes book.
Optional Activity
Laminate one set of species cards and adaptations cards and stick magnets on the back, so that at the end of activity 3, students can walk up to the board, pair up the adaptations with the according organisms. Students can discuss and challenge the adaptations and organisms other groups have matched together.
Next module: What Adaptations Do Particular Species Exhibit?
