Lesson 3 Page 3
Completion requirements
Explore: Adapting Behaviour
Pixabay- Some wetland shellfish can use less oxygen by closing their shells.
Pixabay- To hunt for prey, frogs often submerge themselves in plants or mud leaving only their eyes above water.
Pixabay - Some birds hide in grasses to avoid predators.
Unsplash- A snowy egret will stand with its wings outstreched, because it knows that fish are attracted to shade. This behaviour will allow it to eat more fish.
Pixabay - Poisonous frog
Pixabay - Scarlet ibis
Another type of adaptation is a change in behaviour. You, for example, can swim, jump, or climb trees. The more you are in water, the better you learn to swim. The more time you spend in a tree, the better you learn to climb the tree.
Animals can adapt or change their behaviour to suit their environment.
Frogs that are poisonous are less likely to be eaten by a predator. So, frogs will eat poisonous ants and beetles. This will allow frogs to become poisonous themselves and it becomes dangerous for a predator to eat them. It is advantageous to frogs to eat poisonous ants.
Similarly, the scarlet ibis gets it brilliant colour from eating shrimp and other red shellfish. Brighter coloured birds are healthier birds without as many parasites. They are more attractive to mates. It is an advantage to have coloured feathers in the tropics like Trinidad.
On the other hand, brightly coloured feathers are not an advantage to an ibis in a North American swamp. Brown feathers make it easier to hide from predators and to hunt for prey.
Animals can adapt or change their behaviour to suit their environment.
Frogs that are poisonous are less likely to be eaten by a predator. So, frogs will eat poisonous ants and beetles. This will allow frogs to become poisonous themselves and it becomes dangerous for a predator to eat them. It is advantageous to frogs to eat poisonous ants.
Similarly, the scarlet ibis gets it brilliant colour from eating shrimp and other red shellfish. Brighter coloured birds are healthier birds without as many parasites. They are more attractive to mates. It is an advantage to have coloured feathers in the tropics like Trinidad.
On the other hand, brightly coloured feathers are not an advantage to an ibis in a North American swamp. Brown feathers make it easier to hide from predators and to hunt for prey.
Pixabay- Whitefaced Ibis
What is an adaptation, and how do plants and animals adapt to survive in wetlands?
Resources
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Digital Field Trip to Wetlands
- Open the program and follow the instructions in the notebook activity.
- Alberta Government - Living in the Wet Scroll down to page 4 Animal Adaptations and page 5 Plant Adaptations
Check Your Answers
Once you have completed this activity, check your answers below.
Answers should include:
- Development of specialized senses
- Physical characteristics that help animals find food
- Characteristics that allow animals to move in the environment
- Characteristics that help animals regulate temperature
- Specialized plant cells that block salt from entering the plant
- Special cells that allow the plant to hold extra water
- Characteristics that allow plants to live where their only nutrients come from rainwater