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Animal and Plant Adaptations

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Unit 2: Genetics and Adaptation

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Maintaining a Water Balance

PlantsThe transpiration stream.Stomatal mechanism.Adaptations in xerophytes and hydrophytes.

AnimalsOsmoregulation in freshwater fish and saltwater

bony fish.Adaptations associated with salmon and eel

migration.Water conservation in a desert mammal.

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Water Balance in Plants

Why do plants need to maintain a water balance?Why do plants need water?

What is transpiration?How does water enter the root?What is root pressure?What is capillarity?Where does water exit the plant?Explain the cohesion-tension theory.

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Transpiration

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Transpiration

How are mineral ions absorbed and transported through the plant?

Represent the process of transpiration as a flow chart. E.g.

Water enters root hair cell by osmosis.

Water diffuses through epidermis

to cortex.

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Stomata

Describe the distribution of stomata.Describe the mechanism of stomatal

opening and closing.

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Investigating Stomata

Investigating opening and closing of stomata using Commelina communisDescribe the method.What factors would need to be kept the same?Why is an average calculated?How accurate do you think this experiment is?Describe the expected results.What do these results tell you regarding the

mechanism of stomatal opening and closing?

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Disadvantage

Outline the disadvantages of transpiration to plants.

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Transpiration Rate

How can transpiration rate be measured?What factors can influence the rate of

transpiration?For each explain why.

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Adaptations

Copy and complete the following tables:

Structural Adaptation Explanation Example

Physiological Adaptation Explanation Example

Structural Adaptation Explanation Example

Xerophytes: Definition…

Hydrophytes: Definition…

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Water Balance in Animals

Define the term adaptation.How do adaptations come about?Outline the three types of adaptation.

StructuralPhysiologicalBehavioural

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Aquatic Animals

What problems to aquatic animals face?What is osmoregulation?What particular problems to freshwater fish

face?What particular problems to saltwater fish

face?

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Freshwater Fish

Describe the adaptations of freshwater fish

to deal with these problems.

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Saltwater Fish

Describe the adaptations of

saltwater fish to deal with these

problems.

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Aquatic Animals

Why are the osmoregulation mechanisms of the Atlantic Salmon & Eel special?

Summarise the life cycle of an Atlantic salmon as a flowchart.

How do migratory fish alter their osmoregulation to suit the environment?

What advantage does this adaptation convey to the organism?

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Desert Mammals

What selection pressures are desert mammals faced with?

Summarise the kangaroo rat’s water balance as two pie charts.

Describe the physiological and behavioural adaptations of the kangaroo rat.

Explain what is meant by ‘modification of a response by an individual’.