Question

What is the inter-relationship between adaptations of organisms and their surroundings?

Answer 1

Adaptation is defined as the modification or change in the organism's body or behaviour that helps it to survive in a particular environment. The environment in which an animal survives consists of many different things and it must learn to adapt to each of these factors in order to survive. These factors can be in the form of climate, the kinds of food plants that grow in it, other animals that may be predators or competitors etc. This fact is evident from the following examples:

• Cactus has thick cuticle on their leaf surface and their stomata are arranged in deep pits to minimise water loss by transpiration. They have special photosynthetic pathway, CAM in which stomata remains closed during day time. Their leaves are reduced to spines to minimise water loss, and photosynthetic functions are performed by flattened stems.
• Camels have very long legs that help it to walk in the sand and prevent the heat of the sand from reaching their bodies. The camel has a prominent back or hump. It stores food which helps it to survive without food in the deserts for several days.