What is an adaptation?

A characteristic that helps an animal survive in its environment

A type of food that animals eat

What is the adaptation that helps a chameleon change color?

Special pigment cells in their skin

Large ears for hearing predators

Animal habitats and animal adaptations for third grade

Animal habitats and adaptations

Define what a habitat is. Identify and describe the three main types of habitats: terrestrial, aquatic, and aerial. Give examples of plants and animals that live in each type of habitat. Understand the basic adaptations of organisms to their habitats.

Animals habitat and Adaptation

Habitats. Plants and Animal

Where’s the Joey? What's a Joey? A joey is a baby marsupial (mar-SOO-pee-ul). A marsupial is an unusual type of animal. Its babies are carried in a pouch, or pocket, on the mother's belly. As it grows, the little joey stays hidden inside the pouch. Safe inside, the tiny joey drinks milk and grows while it is carried around. Even after it can walk, the joey may still ride in mom's pouch. There are over three hundred types of marsupials. Most of them live in Australia (aw-STRAYL-yuh) and eat plants. Let's look at a few kinds of marsupials and their joeys. A Jumping Joey This joey stays in its mother's pouch for eight months while it grows very tall. Its feet and tail grow very long. too. Can you guess what it is? It's a red kangaroo! A red kangaroo is the largest marsupial. It can stand over six feet tall and weigh 200 lbs (91 kg). It can jump 30 feet (9 m) with each leap! A Joey That Lives in a Tree When grown, this little joey will look like a furry teddy bear with big ears. It will live most of its life sitting in trees and eating leaves. Can you guess what it is? It's a koala! A koala lives, eats, and sleeps in eucalyptus (yoo-kuh-LIP-tus) trees. It is happy just to sit anp eat lots of leaves every day. A koala usually only walks around at night. Joey the Screamer This marsupial mom might carry three or four noisy joeys in her pouch at one time. Her little joeys can scream very loudly. What are they? They are Tasmanian devils! The Tasmanian devil gets its name from its loud screams, sharp teeth, bad smell, and wild look. It is a meat-eater, and lives only on the island of Tasmania (taz-MAY-nee-uh). Protecting the Marsupials Most marsupials eat plants, and many, like the koala, live quietly in forests. When those forests are cut down, their homes, food, and safety are lost. Other marsupials have lost their sources of food to herds of grazing cows or growing cities. Marsupials Are Special Animals Most marsupials and their joeys live in only one place on Earth. We need to protect their special habitats and food sources-so we will always know where the joeys are.

Soils Southeast Asia, on balance, has a higher proportion of relatively fertile soils than most tropical regions, and soil erosion is less severe than elsewhere. Much of the region, however, is covered by tropical soils that generally are quite poor in nutrients. Often the profusion of plant life is more related to heat and moisture than to soil quality, even though these climatic conditions intensify both chemical weathering and the rate of bacterial action that usually improve soil fertility. Once the vegetation cover is removed, the supply of humus quickly disappears. In addition, the often heavy rainfall leaches the soils of their soluble nutrients, hastens erosion, and damages the soil texture. The leaching process in part results in laterites of reddish clay that contain hydroxides of iron and alumina. Laterite soils are common in parts of Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam and also occur in the islands of the Sunda Shelf, notably Borneo. The most fertile soils occur in regions of volcanic activity, where the ejecta is chemically alkaline or neutral. Such soils are found in parts of Sumatra and much of Java in Indonesia. The alluvial soils of the river valleys also are highly fertile and are intensively cultivated. Climate All of Southeast Asia falls within the warm, humid tropics, and its climate generally can be characterized as monsoonal (i.e., marked by wet and dry periods). Changing seasons are more associated with rainfall than with temperature variations. There is, however, a high degree of climatic complexity within the region. Temperatures Regional temperatures at or near sea level remain fairly constant throughout the year, although monthly averages tend to vary more with increasing latitude. Thus, with the exception of northern Vietnam, annual average temperatures are close to 80 °F (27 °C). Increasing elevation acts to decrease average temperatures, and such locations as the Cameron Highlands in peninsular Malaysia and Baguio in the Philippines have become popular tourist destinations in part because of their relatively cooler climates. Proximity to the sea also tends to moderate temperatures. Precipitation Much of Southeast Asia receives more than 60 inches (1,500 millimeters) of rainfall annually, and many areas commonly receive double and even triple that amount. The rainfall pattern is distinctly affected by two prevailing air currents: the northeast (or dry) monsoon and the southwest (or wet) monsoon. The northeast monsoon occurs roughly from November to March and brings relatively dry, cool air and little precipitation to the mainland. As the southwestward-flowing air passes over the warmer sea, it gradually warms and gathers moisture. Precipitation is especially heavy where the airstream is forced to rise over mountains or encounters a landmass. The east coast of peninsular Malaysia, the Philippines, and parts of eastern Indonesia receive the heaviest rains during this period. The southwest monsoon prevails from May to September, when the air current reverses and the dominant flow is to the northeast. The mainland receives the bulk of its rainfall during this period. Over much of the southern Malay Peninsula and insular Southeast Asia there is little or no prolonged dry season. This is especially marked in much of the equatorial region and along the east coast of the Philippines. While the dry and wet monsoons are important in explaining rainfall patterns, so too are such factors as relief, land and sea breezes, convectional overturning and cyclonic disturbances. These factors often are combined with monsoonal effects to produce highly variable rainfall patterns over relatively short distances. While many of the cyclonic disturbances produce only moderate rainfall, others mature into tropical storms—called cyclones in the Indian Ocean and typhoons in the Pacific—that bring heavy rains and destruction to the areas over which they pass. The Philippines are particularly affected by these storms. Plant life Tropical forests in Southeast Asia Tropical forests in Southeast Asia The seasonal nature and pattern of Southeast Asia’s rainfall, as well as the region’s physiography, have strongly affected the development of natural vegetation. The hot, humid climate and enormous variety of habitats have given rise to an abundance and diversity of vegetative forms unlike that in any other area of the world. Much of the natural vegetation has been modified by human action, although large areas of relatively untouched land still can be found. The vegetation can be grouped into two broad categories: the tropical-evergreen forests of the equatorial lowlands and the open type of tropical-deciduous, or “monsoon,” forests in areas of seasonal drought. The evergreen forests are characterized by multiple stories of vegetation, consisting of a variety of trees and plants. Although a large diversity of tree species is found in these forests, members of the Dipterocarpaceae family account for roughly half of the varieties. Deciduous forests are found in eastern Indonesia and those parts of the mainland where annual rainfall does not exceed 80 inches. Just as in the equatorial forest, a wide variety of species is normally the rule. Certain species, such as teak, have become highly valued commercially. Teak is found in parts of Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos. In addition to these two basic types of vegetation, other regional patterns reflect topography. Especially noteworthy are coastal and highland plant communities. Mangrove belts, of which there are more than 30 varieties, occur where silt is deposited in coastal areas. Upland forests dominated by maples, oaks, and magnolias are found especially on mainland mountain slopes. Human activity has been rapidly altering the stands of virgin forest in Southeast Asia. Most deforestation results from removal for fuelwood and clearing for agriculture and grazing. Although only a relatively small portion of the total land area has been permanently cleared for cultivation—e.g., in Java (Indonesia) and western Luzon (the Philippines)—in some areas shifting cultivation has brought about the replacement of virgin forest with secondary growth. In addition, nearly all countries have commercial logging industries; notable are those in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar. A growing problem has been illegal logging. Thus, timber harvesting has come to contribute significantly to deforestation. Programs in social forestry and reforestation have yet to halt the rapid denuding of the landscape. Animal life Southeast Asia is situated where two major divisions of the world’s fauna meet. The region itself constitutes the eastern half of what is called the Oriental, or Indian, zoogeographic region (part of the much larger realm of Megagaea). Bordering along the south and east is the Australian zoogeographic region, and the eastern portion of insular Southeast Asia—Celebes (Sulawesi), the Moluccas, and the Lesser Sunda Islands—constitutes a transition zone between these two faunal regions. a classroom in Brazil More From Britannica education: Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is notable, therefore, for a considerable diversity of wildlife throughout the region. These differences are especially striking between the species of the eastern and western fringes as well as between those of the archipelagic south and the mainland north. The differences stem largely from the isolation, over varying lengths of geologic time, of species following their migration from the Asian continent. In addition, the tropical rain forests in many parts of the region, with their great diversity of vegetation, have made possible the development of complex communities of animals that fill specialized ecological niches. Especially numerous are arboreal and flying creatures. orangutans orangutansOrangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) in Sumatra, Indonesia. The distinction between the two faunal regions is best depicted by their mammal populations. In general, Australia is inhabited largely by marsupials (pouched mammals) and monotremes (egg-laying mammals), while Southeast Asia contains placental mammals and such hybrid species as the bandicoot of eastern Indonesia. Small mammals such as monkeys and shrews are the most numerous, while in many areas the larger mammals have been pushed into more remote areas and national preserves. Bears, gibbons, elephants, deer, civets, and pigs are found in both mainland and insular Southeast Asia, as are diminishing numbers of tigers. The Malayan tapir, a relative of the rhinoceros, is native to the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, while the tarsier is found in the Philippines and parts of Indonesia. A number of rare endemic species are found in Indonesia and East (insular) Malaysia, including the Sumatran and Javan rhinoceros, the orangutan, the anoa (a dwarf buffalo), the babirusa (a wild swine), and the palm civet. As the pace of development accelerates and populations continue to expand in Southeast Asia, concern has increased regarding the impact of human activity on the region’s environment. A significant portion of Southeast Asia, however, has not changed greatly and remains an unaltered home to wildlife. The nations of the region, with only few exceptions, have become aware of the need to maintain forest cover not only to prevent soil erosion but to preserve the diversity of flora and fauna. Indonesia, for example, has created an extensive system of national parks and preserves for this purpose. Even so, such species as the Javan rhinoceros face extinction, with only a handful of the animals remaining in western Java

2.2 Study Guide [ 2.2 Sequence Assessment 1/21 and 1/22] Ecosystems and Ecological Relationships Invasive Species ● An invasive species is a plant, animal, or organism that is not native to a specific area and causes harm to the environment or human health. Why are they harmful? Invasive species often outcompete native species for food, water, and space. They can spread quickly because they lack natural predators in the new environment. What is their impact on the ecosystem? Invasive species can reduce biodiversity by pushing native species to extinction or by changing the habitat in which native species live. Biodiversity and Its Importance to Ecosystems Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in a specific area, including different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, and the ecosystems they form. ● Stability: Biodiversity makes ecosystems more resilient to changes such as climate change, diseases, and natural disasters. ● Food chains and webs: A greater variety of species means more sources of food for different animals, helping maintain a balanced food web. For example, a forest with many species of plants and animals can recover from a drought more easily than a forest with fewer species. Predator-Prey Relationships In a predator-prey relationship, one organism (the predator) hunts and eats another organism (the prey). The predator benefits by getting food, while the prey loses its life.The population sizes of predators and prey are often linked. If there are more prey, the predator population may grow, but if too many predators eat the prey, the predator population will decrease. This relationship can be shown in the graph below. ● For example: Lions hunt zebras for food. When there are many zebras, lions have more food and their population can grow. However, if too many lions eat the zebras, the zebra population can decrease. Predator-prey relationships help keep animal populations balanced, preventing one species from becoming too numerous and harming the environment. Ecological Relationships There are several types of relationships between organisms in an ecosystem. These include commensalism, parasitism, and mutualism. Commensalism In commensalism, one organism benefits from the relationship while the other is neither helped nor harmed. An example would be Barnacles and Whales. Barnacles attach to the skin of whales. The barnacles get access to nutrient-rich water while the whale swims, but the whale is not affected by their presence. Parasitism In parasitism, one organism (the parasite) benefits at the expense of the other organism (the host), which is harmed. For example, fleas live on dogs and feed on their blood. The fleas benefit, but the dog may suffer from itching, infections, or even anemia. Another example are tapeworms and humans. Tapeworms live in the intestines of humans and absorb nutrients, leaving the human host malnourished. Mutualism In mutualism, both organisms benefit from the relationship. An example would be bees and flowers: Bees collect nectar from flowers to make honey, while helping the flowers by transferring pollen, which helps them reproduce.

Create a multiple choice test (10 questions with answers) from the following text: The Environment The environment is the combination of forces and conditions that surround and influence living and non-living things. Human beings’ environment includes such factors as temperature, food supply and other people that surround them. A plant’s environment may be made up of soil, sunlight, and animals that will eat the plant. A rock’s environment may be made up of seaweed, water and fish. Non-living environmental factors, such as temperature and sunlight, make up the abiotic (non-living) environment. Living organisms such as seaweed and food, make up the biotic environment. Both the abiotic and biotic environments interact to make up the total environment of living and non-living things. Ecology Ecology studies the relationships between living things and their environment. No living thing, plant or animal, lives alone. Every living thing depends in some way upon certain other living and non-living things to survive. The study of ecology increases our understanding of the world and all its creatures. This is crucial because humanity’s survival and well-being depend on relationships that exist on a world-wide basis: changes in distant parts of the world affect us and our environment. One concern of ecologists is the rate at which we are using up natural resources such as coal, gas, and oil. Along with scientists, they are searching for ways to use sunlight and atomic energy for fuel and power as alternative energy sources. Ecology also studies how many living organisms there are on Earth and how they are distributed. It also considers non-living physical factors of the environment, for example the presence of water, as these can influence where organisms decide to live. It is also important to know which organisms share the same environment, as they may need each other to survive. This kind of information helps ecologists to conserve our natural world, protecting the habitat of animals that are in danger of extinction, or trying to reduce pollution and global warming. Ecosystems Ecosystems are biological communities of all living things like plants, animals and organisms in a specific area that interact with each other and with the non-living forms present in their environment. They are the foundations of the biosphere and determine the health of the entire planet’s system. A biosphere is a global ecosystem, containing many different kinds of ecosystems.

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