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Plant adaptations to daily changes

Some plants such as the crocus and the tulip open their flowers during the day and close them at night.
The flowers are open in the day so that insects may visit them for nectar and in return transport pollen
from one flower to another bringing about pollination. The flowers close at night to protect the
delicate structures inside the petals from low temperatures and from dew. The dew could wash the
pollen off the stamens (male parts of the flower) so that it cannot be picked up and transported by the
insects.

A few plants make movements of their leaves over a 24 hour period. Leaves not only make food but
they also provide a large surface area for the evaporation of water which in turn helps to draw water
through the plant from the roots. During the day the plant leaf spread out and become horizontal. In
this position they are best placed for receiving sunlight to make food and it also helps to keep the
leaves cool in the sunlight.

In the evening, the leaflets fold close together and this helps them to lose less water when the plant is
not making food. Plants can make these movements by moving water about inside their bodies i.e
when there is a lot of water in one place it makes the cells swell up and when some of it is removed
from a place the cells sag. The swelling and sagging of the cells allows part of the plant to move
slowly.

Animal adaptations to daily changes

Animals are adapted to being active at certain times of the day and resting at other times. At night
most birds roost (sleep) but as soon as it is light they may start flying about in search for food. They
have large eyes and consequently have excellent vision, which is essential for them to fly, land and
search for food.

The tawny owl has several adaptations that allow it to catch mice at night. It has large eyes that are
sensitive to low light intensity of light in the countryside at night. These allow it to see well enough to
fly safely. The edges of some of the owl wing feathers are shaped to move noiselessly through the air
when the bird beats its wings. This prevents the mouse keen sense of hearing from detecting owl
approaching in flight. The owl has sharp talons on its toes that act as daggers, to kill its prey quickly
and to help carry the prey away to be eaten at a safe perch.

Plant adaptations to seasonal changes

The abiotic (non-living) factors in a habitat change with the seasons. The grass plant is adapted to
survive winter conditions but its short roots make it dependent upon the upper regions of the soil
staying damp. Many trees have broad, flat leaves. They lose a great deal of water through them. In dry
seasons, or in regions where the ground freezes in winter and prevents water being taken up by the
roots, the trees lose their leaves and grow new ones when conditions improve. These trees are called
deciduous trees.

Some trees such as the holly and most conifers, have leaves that lose little water in winter. This allows
the trees to stay in leaf all through the year. Trees that behave in this way are called evergreen trees.
Plants that float on the open water of a pond in spring and summer do not remain there in winter.
Duckweed produces individuals that sink to the pond floor, while the water plant called frogbit
produces heavy seeds. The plant around the water edge die back and survive in the mud as thick stems
called rhizomes.
Animal adaptations to seasonal changes

The roe deer lives in woodlands in Europe and asia. In the spring and summer, when the weather is
warm, it has a coat of short hair to keep it cool. In autumn and winter it grows longer hair that traps an
insulating layer of air next to its skin. This reduces the loss of heat from its body.

The stoat which lives in northern Europe, northern asia and Canada grows a white coat in the winter
which loses less heat than its darker summer coat. The stoat preys on rabbits and its white coat may
also give it some camouflage when the country side is covered is snow. The coat change of the stoat is
shown in the figure below.

The lung fish of Africa and south America lives in rivers, but when the rivers dry up in the dry season
they can still survive. They make a burrow in the river bed and rest there, breathing air until the rainy
season returns. This kind of rest through a hot dry season is called aestivation.

In woodlands in Europe, insects avoid harsh winter conditions by spending their lives in the inactive
stage of their life cycle- the egg and the pupa. This means that insect eating animals such as bats have
nothing to eat in winter, so they store up fat in the autumn to give them energy to sleep through the
winter in a state of hibernation.
Insects eating birds such as the swallow leave the countries of northern Europe in the autumn and fly
to Africa. They spend the winter feeding on insects in Africa, and return to Europe in the spring.
When an animal moves its location as the season change it is said to migrate.

Adaptations to certain habitats

The climate and the landscape create conditions in a habitat. Two of the more extreme habitats are
deserts and mountains but some living things have adapted to the conditions there and survive.

Deserts

In deserts there may be a short rainy season followed by a long dry season. Some flowering plants
have very short life cycles so that their seeds can germinate as soon as it rains. Cacti survive dry
conditions by storing water inside their bodies. They have a thick waxy layer to prevent the water
from escaping from their surfaces and spikes to prevent animals from biting into them for a drink.
Some cacti have roots that spread out a long way just underneath the soil surface.

The camel has many adaptations for survival in the desert. After drinking a hundred litres of water it
can walk for several days without taking another drink. Its feet have thick pads, which insulate it from
the hot desert sand. The feet are also webbed so that their weight is spread out over a large surface
area, this reduces the pressure on the sand and stops the camel from sinking into it. The camel has
long legs which hold the body above the hot air close to the ground

There are muscles in the camel nose that enable it to shut its nostrils and this keeps sand out of the
respiratory system during a sandstorm. The eyes have long lashes, which keep flying sand from r
eaching the eyes in a sandstorm. If sand does get into the eye, camels have a third eyelid to
 get it out. It
moves side to side and wipes the sand particles away

Desert plants are very tough leaves but the camel has strong teeth to grind them up. If the camel
cannot find food, it uses energy stored in the fat hump.