NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS CURRICULUM SUPPORT
Biology
Case Study on Animal
Adaptations to Survive
Low-Oxygen Niches
Teacher’s Guide
[HIGHER]
The Scottish Qualifications Authority regularly reviews
the arrangements for National Qualifications. Users of
all NQ support materials, whether published by
Learning and Teaching Scotland or others, are
reminded that it is their responsibility to check that the
support materials correspond to the requirements of the
current arrangements.
Acknowledgement
Learning and Teaching Scotland gratefully acknowledges this contribution to the National
Qualifications support programme for Biology.
The publisher gratefully acknowledges permission to use the following sources: Diving and
asphyxia: A comparative study of animals and man by Robert Elsner, Brett Gooden from
http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=v708AAAAIAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq= ©
Diving and asphyxia: A comparative study of animals and man by Robert Elsner, Brett
Gooden, Cambridge University Press, 1983; text about Pinniped from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinniped © Wikipedia; Text about Cetaccea from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetacea © Wikipedia; Use of diagram Oxyhaemoglobin
dissociation curve from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oxyhaemoglobin_dissociation_curve.png
Every effort has been made to trace all the copyright holders but if any have been inadvertently
overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first
opportunity.
© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2011
This resource may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational purposes by educational
establishments in Scotland provided that no profit accrues at any stage.
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Contents
Up high, down low: an introduction
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Curriculum links
4
Introducing the task
5
Resources
7
Other optional activities
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Up high, down low: an introduction
This activity shows students how to research for relevant information within a
given resource. Students take on the role of journalists and write a report for
use in a school or university magazine. This is a good way of introducing
journals, books and research techniques that will give students a taste of
university projects.
Curriculum links
Ages 16–17
Successful learners, confident individuals and effective contributors
Key concepts
Applications and implications of adaptations of vertebrae living in low
oxygen niches.
Key processes: communication
Students should be able to:
Use appropriate methods, including ICT, to communicate scientific
information and contribute to presentations and discussions about scientific
issues.
Personal, learning and thinking skills
 To build and maintain positive relationships in small or larger groups .
 To organise and plan how to go about a task or project, considering
resource and time requirements.
Running the activity
Approach
Research and discussion.
Context
Students to analyse and research how vertebrate have adapted to live in low
oxygen niches.
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Introducing the task
Write the words ‘adaptation’ and ‘extremeophile’ on the board, and ask
students to define these words as they relate to animals. Why do animals have
special adaptations to their habitats? What examples of animal adaptation can
students think of? What types of adaptations have students learned about
which allow organisms to live in extreme environments? Try to guide the
lesson towards diving mammals and human adaptations.
Possible answers:
Problems faced by diving mammals:
Lack of oxygen (hypoxia) coupled with high pressure
Temperature regulation
Energy metabolism
How to ensure tissues have a constant supply of oxygen (blood components)
The need to limit carbon dioxide build up in the blood
Nitrogen gas compression
How/what adaptations they may have to store oxygen
Bends
Lung structure
Blood composition
(similar answers will be given for the problems humans face)
Activity
 Setting the scene. Explain to the students that you are the editor of a
science magazine. As employees of the magazine, students have been
asked to prepare an article based on how vertebrae adapt to survive in low oxygen niches.
 Setting student roles. Put students into groups of two to four. Students are
to research the adaptations and biology behind vertebrate adaptation. All
students will be readers, writers and proof readers, and each will choose
either an organism or a particular adaptation to research. For example, a
group of two may choose to compare adaptations of humans at high and
low altitudes, or a group of four may take one or more organisms and
divide the research work by focusing on one adaption each (blood, lungs
etc).
 Each student is given a set of information cards, journal articles (‘Diving
adaptations of the Weddell seal’, a paper submitted to Barologia, the
journal of the South African Society for underwater science, ‘The
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS TO SURVIVE LOW OXYGEN NICHES (H, BIOLOGY)
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 challenges of diving to depth’ and ‘The physiology and ecology of whales
and porpoises’). The following link is available to students researching
adaptations of humans at high altitudes: http://www.summitpost.org/highaltitude-what-happens-to-the-human-body-in-the-death-zone/371306.
 The aim is for the students to re-write the information from these
resources so that a student at school or university level can understand
them. This means explaining not only the adaptation but also any
underlying science.
Below is the information given to students so that they can determine their
role within the project.
Step 1: Determine if you are going to research organisms found to live in one
particular niche ‘up high’ or ‘down low’, or a make a comparison of
organisms living in both environments.
Step 2: Identify at least three areas of adaptation to focus on (eg blood, heart
rate, pressure, physiological, behavioural, anatomical adaptations) . Develop
appropriate questions (eg what physiological adaptations do these organisms
have which allow them to survive in extreme habitats). Get involved in
interactive discussion about the adaptations and decide who will research
specific adaptations in your group.
Step 3: Once you have identified how organisms are able to survive in the
extremes you can compare and contrast the adaptations of two or more
vertebrates (you may use given resources, ie printed journal/magazine
articles, or research your own choice of organisms, depending on the
resources available). For example, you may wish to compare human
adaptations that allow them to survive in ‘up high’ or ‘down low’
environments, or concentrate solely on organism adaptations that allow them
to occupy a particular extreme habitat.
Step 4: Each member of the group is responsible for their own research. Once
sufficient research and evidence have been gathered it is time to collate and
organise your research as a group. A plan must be made and an example
article template collected. Each member of the group then writes their own
article. You must all proof-read each other’s work before handing it ba ck to
the editor.
Step 5: Review, refine and improve. You will collect and complete a review
form to assess the other articles produced by the class. Your teacher will
collect feedback from you and use this to look at your improvements and
recommendations for other students’ articles.
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Step 6: Your teacher will provide feedback and assessment of learning . You
will be given the opportunity for self-assessment (using the extreme news
assessment sheet) for your own document and use this plus the class review
forms to improve your article before it is sent to the publishers.
Resources
 Resource sheets 1–3, access to journal articles, review form (for other
students’ work) and extreme news assessment sheet (for self -assessment).
 Writing template for a research article. This can be created by the student
or if the school has access to Comic Life (excellent resource).
 Journal articles (‘Diving adaptations of the Weddell seal’, a paper
submitted to Barologia, the journal of the South African Society for
underwater science, ‘The challenges of diving to depth’ and ‘The
physiology and ecology of whales and porpoises ’).
Time scale
 1 or 2 lessons
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Other optional activities
1.
In groups of four students choose one of the group to be an ‘animal
expert’ who is responsible for using the given resources to research one
of the identified organisms. This ‘expert’ can choose any animal that
lives in a low-oxygen niche and if appropriate use school books and/or
computers to research it. If this is not an option groups of three can
complete the course with the resources in the pack.
2.
Another option is to identify one adaptation per student, for example
blood composition (ie myoglobin content) or physiological adaptations
of the lungs and rib cage.
3.
The following areas are identified above. These could be split amongst
the class or the teacher could identify specific areas for research:
Challenges of vertebrates with reference to low-oxygen niches in
marine environments, taking into consideration the following points:








lack of oxygen (hypoxia) coupled with high pressure
ensure tissues and constant supply of oxygen (blood components)
limit carbon dioxide build up in the blood.
nitrogen gas compression
storing oxygen
bends
lung structure
any other additional information to furthe r support your findings.
Challenges of vertebrate with reference to low -oxygen niches at
high altitudes, taking into consideration the following points


blood composition
behavioural, physiological and anatomical adaptations.
4.
Other methods of presenting the information include poster, PowerPoint
presentation, information leaflet, video, use of Comic Life (if school
has subscription).
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