BIOLOGY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT ON ADAPTATION IN ANIMALS AND PLANTS

This priject is about types of adaptation in different types of animals living in different environments and habitats.
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1. VIDHE,
RUP JRUKR
YHS
SHREE GURUKRUPA VIDHYA
SANKUL
62/5 Monarch Workshop, Opp, Gayatri Society
vdhnagam, S.rat-3942100
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Miss/Mr Shaikh Maher Fafemg student of class
12th PCB of Shree Gurukrupa Vidhya Sankul has successtully
completed the Investigatory Project on the topic of "Adaptation in
Animals and plants"under the guidance of Dr.Seema Shawrikar
Biology teacher) during the year 2022-2023 in the partial fultillment
of the Biology practical examination conducted by the CBSE.
TEACHERs signature
Invigilators signature
Principal's signature
School Stamp:
2
SAN

2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am very glad to have the opportunity to make this project and express
my profound gratitude and deep regards to my guide Mrs. Dr. Seema
Shawrikar for her exemplary guidance , monitorng and constant
encouragement throughout this project. I would like to thank the
people who helped me directly or indirectly to complete the project.
I would also like to extend my gratitude to my principal Dharmesh
Viyas sir for their valuable encouragement and approval of the project
work.
Lastly, I thank the Almighty, My parents and friends for their
constant support and encouragement.
DATE: 04/12/2022
PLACE: SURAT
SHAIKH MAHER
( 12T" PCB)
STUDENT SIGN:

3. CONTENTS
ADAPTATION
1. Tntroduction..... 6
2. Causes of ADAPTATION....
3. Types of ADAPTATION....
4. Morphological Adaptation. °*******.
Kangaroo Rat..
...8
Opuntia...
9
Polar Seals... ..10
Fennec Fox... ...11
Aloe Vera...... 12
5. Physiological Adaptation... ..13
Archaebacteria...
4
Marine animals.. ...15
Nettle Plant..... ..16
6. Behavioural Adaptation.... ..17
Desert lizards.... .17
Pangolin...
...18
7. Importance of ADAPTATION..
.20
8. Conclusion. ..21
9. Reference...
10. Project Ends.. ..23

4. ADAPTATION IN
Animals and Plants
5

5. INTRODUCTION
ADAPTATION
"ADAPTATION is the Physiological or Morphological
characteristic of an organism that helps an organism to
survive better in surrounding environment."
Living things are adapted to the habitat they live in. This is
because they have special features that help them to
survive. The development of these special features is the
result of Evolution due to gene mutation. These mutations
aid in survival and reproduction and pass on from
generation to other.
It is a modification of an organism or its parts that makes it
more fit for existence under the conditions of its
Environment.
We can see a number of live examples of Adaptation in our
day to day life as wel.
6

6. What causes Adaptation?
Adaptation could occur due to mutation or natural selection.
MUTATION is the sudden genetic change which could be
accidental or random. It will arise due to any change in
nucleotides sequence of DNA and if a single pair of nucleotides
is replaced. Certain mutations are harmful to human beings while
certain mutations could be advantageous to the survival of an
organism in the struggle for existence.
Example: A bird is born with a long beak and this helps it
capture food and therefore survive better. This bird is, therefore
able to survive better and breed more. This gene continues to be
inherited generations after generation.
Tvpes of Adaptutions.
Adaptations can be of following types: [1]. Morphological
Adaptations, [2]. Physiological Adaptations, and [31.
Behavioural Adaptations.
[11. Morphological or Structural Adaptations
These involve the physical feature of an organism that help them
to survive in the environment including the surrounding
environment or due to the actions of other species. These
structural modification affects an animal at many different levels
and such changes are highly visible adaptations, one can fully
identify these changes with naked eyes. Let see how desert plants
and animals have been adapted to their habitat where the amount
of water is little and temperature is high. Examples are as
follows:

7. 1.11. Kangaroo Rat
Kangaroo rat have mouse like appearance. It is a
member of the heteromyidae family, with its
closest relative being the pocket gopher.
They typically found in desert climates of North
America.
They are well adapted to desert life. They do not
sweat, suggesting that they conserve water.
.Their bodies have formed incredible adaptations
that decreases the amount of water required and
the amount of water that is lost.
How Kangaroo Rat decreases their water usage?
.Kangaroo Rats undergo internal fat oxidation where water is a by
product.
It also has the ability to concentrate its urine so that minimal
volume of water is used to remove excretory products.
In this way 90% of its water requirement is met. And the rest
10% is obtained from food.
8

8. [1.21. Opuntia
A Xerophyte is a species of plant that has adaptation to survive in an
environment with little liquid water, such as a desert or an ice or snow covered
region in the Alps or the Arctic."
Many desert Plants have a thick cuticle on their
leaf surfaces and have their stomata arranged in deep pits
(sunken) to minimise water loss through transpiration.
.They also have a special photosynthetic pathway
(CAM) that enables their stomata to remain closed
during day time.
Example: Some desert plants like Opuntia.
They have no leaves as the leaves are modified into
spines to reduce transpiration.
Also the stems has been modified into flattened green
structure for performing Photosynthesis.
It has fleshy organs wherein mucilage and water are
stored.
As their stems are modified into a flat green structure
they are also known as Phylloclades.

9. 131. Polar Seals
Mammals from colder climates generally have shorter ears
and limbs to minimise heat loss. This is called the Allen's
Rule.
Being mammals, seals are warm -blooded animals or
homeotherms that can maintain a constant body
temperature, irrespective of the changes in the external
temperature.
Epiderms
Dermis
Blubber
Connective tissuee
********
Muscie
.This is achieved due to the presence of the fatty blubber
(shown in above figure) that acts as an insulator and
prevents the loss of body heat to the external
environment.
10

10. [14]. Fennec Fox.
Fennec foxes found in the sandy desert and arid regions of Northern Africa,
including the Sahara.
The fennec fox is the world's smallest fox but it supports outstandingly large
ears. In fact, to relative body size, it has the largest ears of any member of the
Canid family.
It uses those big ears to listen for sounds of prey in the sand. The ears also help
dispel body heat to keep the fox cool.
Including large heat-radiating ears, they also have fur-covered feet and pale
fur that offers excellent camouflage in the sand.
Their thick-furred paws provide traction for running through the sand. They
also protect the fox's feet from the desert's extreme heat.
They also offers additional protection from the sun and keeps them warm during
cold desert nights.
Also by living underground burows helps these nocturnal animals to avoid the
heat of the day.

11. [1.5]. Aloe Vera.
Aloes are succulent plants, which have adaptations that allow them to store
water in their enlarged fleshy leaves, roots or stems. This allows them to
survive in arid environment.
They have ability to live with low water availability.
They adapt to this by using their tissues to store large volumes of water. Aloe
Vera has thick and fleshy leaves, which are enlarged to accommodate the
aqueous tissue. The leaf cuticle is thick and covered with a layer of wax.
The green rind or cutice of the
Aloe vera plant consists of
multiple ayers intenpercd with
chloroplasts.
eAoeera outer leat
palp terper th the
aua" bundle that arr
compeed ot three tpes
tubular structure: th
lem.
the phloem,
and the
Pericyelic tubule
The Alee vra inner eaf pulp is
composed of large thin-walled
parenchyma cells that store the
aloe vera gel.
Aloes are also able to utilize crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM),which is an
adaptation to the photosynthetic pathway in hot climates that involves the
formation of malic acid.
Carbohydrates synthesized in excess of that needed for energy are
transported by the phloem to the cells in the leaf pulp. Aloe Vera gel in
the leaf pulp serves as the water and energy storage component of the
plant.(Above Fig.).
12

12. 21. Physiological Adaptation
Some organisms possess Adaptations that are
physiological which allow them to respond quickly to
a stressful situation.
As per the name ,physiological adaptation refers
to the internal organs, tissues and cells. In this
type of adaptation, the cellular features, internal
organs, changes in the hormonal level, mood
swings and other features help an organism to
survive, adapt and respond to the changes in its
environment.
This type of adaptation is present in all living
organisms including humans, birds, animals and
plants.
.If you had ever been to high altitude (3,500m
Rohtang Pass near Manali and Leh) you must have
experienced what is called altitude sickness. Its
symptoms includes nausea ,fatigue and heart
palpitations.
This is because in the low atmospheric pressure of
high altitudes, the body does not get enough
Oxygen.
But gradually we get acclimatised stop
experiencing altitude sickness. Because the body
compensate the low oxygen availability by
increasing red blood cells production, decreasingg
the binding affinity of hemoglobin and by
increasing breathing rate.
13

13. 2.11. Archaebacteria
In most animals, the metabolic reactions and hence
all the Physiological functions proceed optimally in
a narrow temperature range (in humans, it is 37°C).
But there
are microbes like
Archaebacteria that flourish in hot spring
and deep sea hydrothermal vents where
temperatures
far axceed 100°C.
It is because they are characterized by
possessing cell walls without
Peptidoglycan.
Also the lipids in their plasma membrane
are branched differing from all other
organisms.
ARCHAEBACTERIA
Capsule
Pilus
Cytoplasm- Cell wall
Plasma
membrane
Flagellum
Ribosomes
Nucleoid (DNA)
.The rigid cell wall provides shape and
support to the Archaebacteria. It also
protects the cell from bursting under
hypotonic conditions.
14

14. 2.21. Marine animals in Antarctica
waters
Many fishes thrive in Antarctica
waters where the temperature is
always below zero.
How do they manage to prevent their
body fluids from freezing?
They manage to survive, becausee
antarctic fishes have developed
proteins that acts as an antifreeze.
Also the freezing point of body
fluids are lowered below the freezing
point of seawater to prevent the
formation of ice crystals.
15

15. 2.3]. Nettle Plant.
Physiological Adaptation of plants are processes which allow them to
compete. An example of this is the formation of poison for defense.
Nettle Plants are so high in nutrition that they have developed stinging
cells as an adaptation to determine herbivores from eating
them.
The plants contain long, thin, hollow hairs that cover the majority of
the stem. These hairs contain stinging chemicals.
If touched, these needle-like hairs inject the stinging acid into the skin
as it contains histamine and formic acid, triggering a burning tingling
sensation and an itchy rash.
For the photosynthesis process, the leaves of nettles grow in an
alternating pattern and in sets of two along the stem. The leaves also
grow perpendicular to the ground as the flat surface allows for more
sunlight energy to come into contact with the leaves.
16

16. 31. Behavioural Adaptations
Bchavioural Adaptations are the things organisms do to
survive. For example, bird calls, migration, hibernating during
winter are an example of behavioural adaptations.
Examples are as follows:
[3.1]. Desert Lizards
Desert lizards lack the Physiological ability that mammals
have to deal with the high temperature of their habitat.
But they manage to keep their body temperature fairly
constant by behavioral means.
.They bask in the sun and absorb heat wlhen their body
temperature drops below the comfort zone.
But they move into shade when the ambient temperature starts
increasing
Some species are capable of burrowing into the soil to hide
and escape from the above-ground heat
Some desert lizards have adapted scales on their hind feet which
resembles to fringes. This fringes help them to move quickly
across sand, providing traction in the desert environment. Other
adaptations also includes fringes on the ears to keep sand out.
17

17. 3.21. Pangolin
The pangolin is a nocturnal animal, which means it is active during the
night. This behavior is an adaptation to the desert-like habitat in which it
lives.
The main adaptation they have is tough scales that cover their bodies,
protecting them from predators.
This scales are movable and are actually made up of hairs that have
been fused together, making them strong and durable.
This hard pieces of keratin even protect against desiccation, or water
loss and their brown color helps them blend in with the various
environments in which they live.
Another important adaptation that they possess is their ability to curl
into a ball when they feel threatened or are attacked.
When they do this, only their scales are exposed, making thema very
tough prey item.
18

18. They have also adapted a special way of walking. Pangolins usually
walks only on their rear legs slightly above the ground and dragging
their tail behind them to help with stability and balance.
Small eyes with thick eyelids are a final significant adaptation
Pangolins have. Because they have a very good sense of smell and
decent hearing. good eyesight is not necessary.
Therefore, Pangolins have small eyes with tough eyelids to protect
them from the bites of insects they are consuming.
19

19. Why is Adaptation important for
species?
Every organism has a natural habitat which is
home to the organism. This is where the basic
needs of the organism like food, shelter, water and
other needs are met.
All organism need to adapt to their habitat in order
to survive.
An Adaptation is a change to the structure or
behavior of the organism which helps the
organism to survive better in the habitat.
Animals live in an environment where there are
several factors like climate,the kinds of plants and
other animals that may be predators or might
compete with them for resources. The animal
must adapt to all these factors to survive.
Adaptation protects the animals from their
predators.
Adaptation also helps the organism protect
themselves from the harsh weather.
In Alaska, where the temperature is very low the
animals store food in their body and protect
themselves from cold climate with thick furs.
On the other hand in Desert area the absence of
sweat glands and the concentration of urine are
physical Adaptation of the animals reside there.
Also Aquatic animals have adapted to their habitat
by having gills, sales, etc. on their body to survive
under the water.
This is how all species survives by adaptation.
20

20. CONCLUSION
Organisms that are well
adapted to their environment have an
increased chance of survival and
reproducing. These organisms will pass
on their traits to their offspring,
increasing the survival of the species.
Adaptations are a mutation, or genetic
change that helps an organism survive in
its environment.
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21. Reference
1. NCERT Class 12 Lab Manual
2. https://byjus.com
3. https://www.toppr.com
4. https://vedantu.com
5. https://www.shaalaa.com
6. https://nationalzoo.si.edu
7. https://bbc.co.uk
8. https://bioweb.uwlax.edu
9. Class 12 NCERT textbook
10. Reference articles from varioUs
blogs.
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