Colorado Agriscience Curriculum
Section
Animal Science
Unit
Unit 7: Animal Behavior and Environment
Lesson Title
Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
Agricultural Education Standards
Standard AGS 11/12.3 The student will demonstrate an understanding of physiological
processes in agriculturally important animals.
Enabler AGS 11/12.3.37 Describe how animals adapt to environments and how
that affects management practices.
Science Standards
Standard SCI 3.0 Life Sciences: The students know and understanding the
characteristics and structure of living things, processes of life and how things interact
with each other and their environment.
Competency SCI 3.1 Students know and understand the characteristics of living
things, the diversity of life, and how things interact with each other and with the
environment.
Competency SCI 3.13 Explain how adaptations of an organism determine its
niche in the environment.
Competency SCI 3.14 Explain how changes in an ecosystem can affect
biodiversity and biodiversity contributes to an ecosystem’s stability.
Competency SCI 3.40 Students know and understand how organisms change over
time in terms of biological evolution and genetics.
Student Learning Objectives (Enablers)
As a result of this lesson, the student will …
1. Students will develop a basic understanding of the relationship between
environment and adaptations of an animal.
2. Students will begin to infer characteristics of an animal’s habitat and lifestyle
based off their physical attributes.
3. Students will begin to see the role of adaptations in the viability of a population.
Time Instruction time for this lesson: 50 minutes.
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
1
Resources
 Biology, The Dynamics of Life Textbook
 www.biologycorner.com (birds, peppered moth worksheet)
 http://puzzlemaker.com (crossword puzzle)
Tools, Equipment, and Supplies
 White Paper
 Newspaper
 Colored Pencils
 One Hole Punches
 Copies of Worksheets
 PowerPoint Presentation / Equipment for viewing
Key Terms. The following terms are presented in this lesson and appear in bold italics:
Environment, Simulus, Response, Adaptation, Homeostasis, Biotic factors, Abiotic factors.
Interest Approach
Have this discussion with your students.
Here’s the $10,000 question of the day: Do you know how to adapt? (Take student
input) Tell me about this scenario. You are used to temperate fall temperatures and all
the sudden on October 25 it begins to snow and have below zero temperatures. How are
your actions changed? (They begin to wear coats and hats outside, maybe spend less time
outside, etc.) If you did that, you have adapted to your environment. Tell me about this
scenario. You are used to the small town of _________ (your area), where you can cross
the street without looking most days. Suddenly you are transplanted into downtown New
York City. Can you cross the street without looking? (NO! You would be run over.)
Your environment changed – and hopefully you adapted. All living things are constantly
affected by their environment and all environments are constantly being effected by the
living things there. Today, we’re going to focus on these interactions.
Summary of Content and Teaching Strategies
Objective 1. Students will develop a basic understanding of the relationship between
environment and adaptations of an animal.
Use the PowerPoint presentation to address basic concepts and vocabulary about adaptation
and environment. Students should record appropriate definitions on the Notes worksheet. After
you have finished the slides give students 5-10 minutes to complete the short crossword puzzle
below the definitions.
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
2
PowerPoint Presentation Information: Animal Adaptations
SLIDE #2
I.
Living things live in a constant interface with their surroundings, or environment!
a. Environment: air, water, weather, temperature, any organisms in the area, and
many other factors.
i. We all adjust to the external environment we live in
1. Food sources change
2. Shelter or protection changes
ii. We also adapt to their internal environment.
1. Infection from bacteria
2. External temperatures
3. Changes in quantities of water
SLIDE #3
II.
Living things respond to a stimulus.
a. Stimulus: Any condition in the environment that requires an organism to adjust.
b. Response: A reaction to a stimulus.
i. The ability to respond to stimuli is very important and obvious.
ii. It is a large part of natural selection.
1. Example: hydroid animals have delicate, flowerlike forms that
they only display when the tide is up and they are underwater.
When the tide goes out and conditions are hot and dry, hydroids
withdraw their bodies into shell-like structures that seal them off
from the external environment.
SLIDE #4
III.
Adaptation is Vital!
a. Adaptation: any structure, behavior or internal process that enables an organism
to respond to stimuli and better survive in an environment.
b. Examples
i. Sharp spines of cactus are really reduced leaves that enable them to
conserve water and protect themselves from predators.
ii. Humans sweat in response to an elevated body temperature in order to
cool the body.
SLIDE #5
IV.
All living things are working towards homeostasis.
a. Homeostasis: the regulation of an organism’s internal environment to maintain
conditions suitable for life.
SLIDE #6
Includes some examples of adaptations to maintain homeostasis.
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
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SLIDE #7
V.
Organisms and their environments interact.
a. Ecology: the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their
environments.
i. Reveals interrelationships between the living and nonliving parts of the
world
1. Biotic factors: All the living organisms that inhabit an
environment.
2. Abiotic factors: The non-living parts of the environment.
a. Air currents, temperatures, light, soil, moisture.
SLIDE #8
VI.
The Organization of Life
a. Ecology deals with these levels
i. Organisms
ii. Populations
iii. Communities
iv. Ecosystems
v. Biosphere
SLIDE #9
VII. Organisms and Populations
a. We study the daily movements, feeding or breeding behavior of individual
organisms.
i. Individuals compete against each other
b. A population is a group of organisms of one species that interbreed and live in the
same place at the same time.
i. Growth rates of populations are often studied to predict future problems
SLIDE #10
VIII. Communities and Ecosystems
a. All organisms in a community depend in some way on the other organisms living
there.
i. What happens when a species is added or removed?
b. Ecosystems include biotic and abiotic factors that must stay stable.
SLIDE #11
IX.
Biosphere
a. The highest level of organization
b. Make up of entire planet surface.
c. Includes all interactions
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
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Objective 2. Students will begin to infer characteristics of an animal’s habitat and lifestyle
based off their physical attributes.
After the PowerPoint presentation distribute copies of the Animal Adaptations: Bird Beaks and
Feet worksheets.
Since you know a little bit about animal adaptations and ecology, we’re going to start to use that
knowledge. A bird's beak and feet can tell us much about their habitat and lifestyle. Most birds
are even classified according to structural similarities between their beaks and feet. On the
worksheet I give you, you’ll use what you know about classifying animals and animal adaptations
to analyze some pictures and answer questions about some birds. This exercise should take you
about 20 minutes. (Students may like to listen to music while they work. After students have
completed the worksheet, you may choose to discuss it as a class or have them turn it in for a
grade.
Objective 3. Students will begin to see the role of adaptations in the viability of a
population.
After 20 minutes are up, check the progress of students and introduce this activity for students to
begin as they are ready. Hand out the Peppered Moth Simulation Activity.
There are many times when entire populations of a species have adapted to a drastically changed
environment. One such example is the peppered moth. Industrial Melanism is a term used to
describe the adaptation of a population in response to pollution. One example of rapid industrial
melanism occurred in populations of peppered moths in the area of Manchester, England from
1845 to 1890. Before the industrial revolution, the trunks of the trees in the forest around
Manchester were light grayish-green due to the presence of lichens. Most of the peppered moths
in the area were light colored with dark spots. As the industrial revolution progressed, the tree
trunks became covered with soot and turned dark. Over a period of 45 years, the dark variety of
the peppered moth became more common.
You’re job is to find out how this effected the predator/prey relationships in that environment and
how successful the adaptation was. Read over the directions for this activity with the students.
Give students about 20 minutes to complete this activity.
Review/Summary
At the end of the period, bring students back together to synthesize the learning from the
day. Summarize the vocabulary words on their worksheets and talk about the analysis
questions on both the worksheets. Verify that students have done these things:
Objective #1 Students will develop a basic understanding of the relationship between
environment and adaptations of an animal.
Objective #2 Students will begin to infer characteristics of an animals habitat and
lifestyle based off their physical attributes.
Objective #3 Students will begin to see the role of adaptations in the viability of a
population.
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
5
Application
Extended classroom activity:

Students could create a food web drawing for the ecosystems in their area.

Similar to the beaks and feet worksheet, students could begin to classify breeds of
livestock species by their physical characteristics and imply information about
their lifestyle.
FFA activity:

Adaptations are also a necessary part of every chapter’s programs. Develop a
group of students to modify the current calendar to better meet the needs of
students in your school.
SAE activity:

Revisions to a student’s SAE plan is also a form of adaptation. Encourage
students to revise their plans.
Evaluation
Grades for the analysis portion of the two worksheets as well as the graphs and tables
completed will serve as an evaluation of the student’s effort.
Answers to Assessment
Animal Adaptations: Bird Beaks and Feet Key
Bird
Type of Feet
Type of Beak
Probable Diet
Probable Habitat
Bluebird
3 toes in front
Chisel, flat, pointed
insects
Tree, perching
Chicken
Short legs, blunt
claws
Short and rounded
Insects, seeds
Roost, ground
Duck
Webbed
Flat, square shaped
Algae
Water
Eagle
Large talons, 3 toes
in front
Hooked
Rabbits, mice, fish
Tree, perching
Sparrow
3 toes in front
Chisel, flat, pointed
insects
Tree, perching
Flamingo
Long, skinny legs
Hooked
Fish, water plants
Water
Heron
Long, skinny legs
Hooked
Fish, water plants
Water
Kingfisher
Tiny short legs, 3
toes in front
Spear shaped
Fish
Owl
3 toes in front
Hooked
Rabbits, mice, fish
Tree, perching
Pelican
Webbed
Long and fat, scoop
Fish
Water
Hummingbird
Tiny short legs
Long and tubular
Nectar
Trees
Woodpecker
2 toes in front, 2
behind
Chisel shaped, flat and
pointed
Insects
Trees
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
6
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What features of a hummingbird make it adapted for its style of feeding?
Tiny legs for hovering, shape of beak for nectar
Imagine an ideal flying predator. What type of beak and feet would it have?
Large talons, hooked beak.
Different birds may have similar beaks and diets. Loons, herons, and kingfishers, for
instance, all have long sharp pointed beaks for spearing fish. Their feet, however, are
quite different. Describe how the loon, heron, and kingfisher differ in the method by
which they hunt for fish (using their feet to help you answer)
Herons wade, kingfishers don’t
Owls have large eyes that enable it to see well at night. Both the hawk and the owl hunt
similar things: small rodents or snakes. How do the hawk and the owl avoid competing
with each other?
They hunt at different times.
Birds the live on the prairie have short but muscular legs (like the pheasant). Prairies are
large grasslands that have few numbers of trees. What do you think the legs of a pheasant
are adapted for?
Running to escape predators.
Peppered Moth Simulation Key
1. What did the experiment show about how prey is selected by predators?
Prey is primarily selected by sight.
2. What moth coloration is the best adaptation for a dark (newspaper) background? How do you
know?
The newspaper coloration, because it camouflages the animals.
3. What would you expect the next generation of moths to look like after trial 1? What about the
next generation after trial 3?
4. How does the simulation model natural selection?
Survival of the fittest!
6. Explain in your own words what the graph shows.
The type of moths that were not camouflaged decreased in population because they were preyed
on more.
7. Describe a situation where this type of selection might occur.
In many animals that use camouflage as a natural defense.
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
7
Animal Adaptation Notes
Record definitions for these words.
Environment:
Stimulus:
Response:
Adaptation:
Homeostasis:
Biotic factors:
Abiotic factors:
The Organization of Life: _________________, _________________, _________________,
_________________, _________________
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
8
Complete the following crossword puzzle by using the clues below.
Across
4. reaction to stimulus
5. condition in the environment that requires adjustment
Down
1. regulation of an organism’s internal environment
2. air,water,weather,temperature
3. structure, behavior or internal process that enables an organism to respond to stimuli
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
9
Animal Adaptations: Bird Beaks and Feet
Name _________________________________________ Date _______________________
Introduction: A bird's beak and feet can tell us much about their habitat and lifestyle. Most birds
are even classified according to structural similarities between their beaks and feet. In this
exercise, you will look at pictures of birds and make inferences about their lifestyles.
Description
Function
Beaks
short & rounded
multipurpose, eating insects and seeds
spear shaped
spearing fish
chisel shaped, flat & pointed
drilling for insects
flat and square-shaped
straining algae
long and fat, like a scoop
scooping up fish
Hooked
catching and tearing prey
long and tubular
sucking nectar from flowers
Feet
long muscular legs
running
long skinny legs
wading
short legs with blunt claws
scratching, ground walking
three toes in front, one behind
perching
Webbed
swimming
large hooklike claws (talons)
grasping prey
tiny short legs
hovering
two toes in front, two behind
climbing
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
10
Examine the images of birds and write your inference about what the bird eats, and where it
lives in the data table on the following page.
Bluebird
Chicken
Duck
Eagle
Sparrow
Flamingo
Kingfisher
Owl
Heron
Woodpecker
Pelican
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
Hummingbird
11
Data Table
Bird
Type of Feet
Type of Beak
Probable Diet
Probable
Habitat
Bluebird
Chicken
Duck
Eagle
Sparrow
Flamingo
Heron
Kingfisher
Owl
Pelican
Hummingbird
Woodpecker
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
12
Analysis: Answer the following questions about the birds you observed.
1.
What features of a hummingbird make it adapted for its style of feeding?
2.
Imagine an ideal flying predator. What type of beak and feet would it have?
3.
Different birds may have similar beaks and diets. Loons, herons, and kingfishers, for
instance, all have long sharp pointed beaks for spearing fish. Their feet, however, are
quite different. Describe how the loon, heron, and kingfisher differ in the method by
which they hunt for fish (using their feet to help you answer)
4.
Owls have large eyes that enable it to see well at night. Both the hawk and the owl hunt
similar things: small rodents or snakes. How do the hawk and the owl avoid competing
with each other?
5. Birds the live on the prairie have short but muscular legs (like the pheasant). Prairies are
large grasslands that have few numbers of trees. What do you think the legs of a pheasant
are adapted for?
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
13
www.biologycorner.com
Peppered Moth Simulation
www.biologycorner.com
Materials
Sheet of white paper
Newspaper
Forceps
Colored Pencils
Clock with Second Hand
30 newspaper circles (made with hole punch)
30 white circles (made with hole punch)
Purpose: In this lab, you will simulate how predators locate prey in different environments. You
will analyze how color affects and organism's ability to survive in certain environments.
Industrial Melanism is a term used to describe the adaptation of a population in response to
pollution. One example of rapid industrial melanism occurred in populations of peppered moths
in the area of Manchester, England from 1845 to 1890. Before the industrial revolution, the
trunks of the trees in the forest around Manchester were light grayish-green due to the presence
of lichens. Most of the peppered moths in the area were light colored with dark spots. As the
industrial revolution progressed, the tree trunks became covered with soot and turned dark. Over
a period of 45 years, the dark variety of the peppered moth became more common.
Procedure.
1. Place a sheet of white paper on the table and have one person spread 30 white circles and 30
newspaper circles over the surface while the other person isn't looking.
2. The "predator" will then use forceps to pick up as many of the circles as he can in 15 seconds.
3. This trial will be repeated with white circles on a newspaper background, newspaper circles on
a white background, and newspaper circles on a newspaper background. Record the data in chart
below.
Starting Population
Number Picked up
Trial
Background
Newspaper
White
1
white
30
30
2
white
30
30
3
newspaper
30
30
4
newspaper
30
30
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
White
Newspaper
14
Analysis
1. What did the experiment show about how prey is selected by predators?
2. What moth coloration is the best adaptation for a dark (newspaper) background? How do you
know?
3. What would you expect the next generation of moths to look like after trial 1? What about the
next generation after trial 3?
4. How does the simulation model natural selection?
5. Examine the table and construct a graph. Plot the years of the study on the X-axis, and the
number of moths captured on the Y axis. You should have 2 lines on your graph - one for light
moths, and one for dark moths.
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
15
Year
# of Light # of Dark
Moths
Moths
Captured Captured
2
537
112
3
484
198
4
392
210
5
246
281
6
225
337
7
193
412
8
147
503
9
84
550
10
56
599
6. Explain in your own
words what the graph
shows.
7. Describe a situation
where this type of
selection might occur.
Unit 7, Lesson 5: Animal Adaptations
16