7. Discuss with examples, the strategies used by organisms to:
i. Survive in severe weather
ii. Avoid predation
iii. Avoid competition
iv. Improve succession of predation
v. Reduce water loss
i. Survival in Severe Weather: Many organisms have evolved strategies to survive in extreme weather conditions. For example, some animals, such as polar bears, have thick fur coats that help them stay warm in cold climates. Other animals, such as desert tortoises, have adapted to survive in hot climates by burrowing underground and reducing their body temperature.
ii. Avoid Predation: Many organisms have evolved strategies to avoid predation. For example, some animals, such as zebras, have evolved stripes that make them difficult for predators to see. Other animals, such as octopuses, have evolved camouflage to blend in with their environment and avoid detection.
iii. Avoid Competition: Many organisms have evolved strategies to avoid competition. For example, some animals, such as cheetahs, have evolved to be the fastest animals in their environment, allowing them to outrun their competitors. Other animals, such as snakes, have evolved to be stealthy predators, allowing them to sneak up on their prey without being detected.
iv. Improve Succession of Predation: Many organisms have evolved strategies to improve the succession of predation. For example, some animals, such as wolves, have evolved to hunt in packs, allowing them to take down larger prey. Other animals, such as spiders, have evolved to spin webs to trap their prey.
v. Reduce Water Loss: Many organisms have evolved strategies to reduce water loss. For example, some animals, such as camels, have evolved to store water in their humps, allowing them to survive in dry climates. Other animals, such as desert lizards, have evolved to reduce their body temperature during the day, allowing them to conserve water.
i. Surviving in severe weather:
Organisms employ several strategies to survive in severe weather conditions. One common strategy is migration, wherein organisms move to more favorable habitats as weather becomes unfavorable. For instance, in the Arctic region, several bird species migrate to warmer regions during the winter. Another strategy is hibernation, where animals enter a state of dormancy during harsh weather and conserve energy until conditions improve. Examples include bears hibernating during winter months and certain insects entering a dormant stage during extreme heat or cold.
ii. Avoiding predation:
Organisms have evolved various strategies to avoid being preyed upon. Camouflage is one such strategy, where organisms alter their appearance to blend with their surroundings, making it difficult for predators to detect them. For instance, the chameleon changes its skin color to match its environment, providing effective concealment. Another strategy is mimicry, where organisms imitate the appearance of other organisms that are toxic or dangerous to predators. An example is the viceroy butterfly, which mimics the appearance of the toxic monarch butterfly.
iii. Avoiding competition:
Competition for resources among organisms can be intense. To avoid competition, organisms may employ different strategies. One such strategy is niche partitioning, where organisms divide resources and occupy different niches within an ecosystem, reducing direct competition. For instance, warblers living in the same forest may occupy different vertical levels, with some species foraging in the tree canopy while others forage on the ground. Another strategy is territoriality, where organisms defend a particular area or territory, ensuring exclusive access to resources within that territory. This behavior is observed in many bird species that defend nesting sites or feeding areas.
iv. Improving succession of predation:
In order to improve succession of predation, organisms have developed various adaptations. Predators can exhibit co-evolution with their prey, wherein they evolve specialized mechanisms such as specialized feeding structures or hunting strategies to effectively capture their prey. For example, the long neck of a giraffe enables it to reach tall plants that are out of reach for other herbivores. Additionally, predators may develop more efficient hunting techniques, such as pack hunting, where a group of predators cooperatively hunts larger prey. Wolves are a classic example of pack hunters.
v. Reducing water loss:
Organisms living in dry environments face challenges in conserving water. To reduce water loss, several strategies are employed. One common strategy is behavioral adaptations like nocturnal activity, where organisms are active during the cooler and more humid night to minimize water loss through evaporation. Another strategy is anatomical adaptations like reducing body surface area through compact body shape or possessing specialized structures like scales or wax layers on leaves to limit water loss. Examples include cacti, which have thick waxy skins that prevent water loss, and kangaroo rats, which have kidneys that can concentrate urine to conserve water.