Video Transcript
Adaptations of organisms can be
associated with their structure, their behavior, or their function. What type of adaptation is the
migration of birds during seasonal changes? (A) Functional, (B) behavioral, or
(C) structural.
This question is asking about a
type of adaptation in birds. To answer this question, let’s
first remind ourselves of what an adaptation is and then look at the three different
types mentioned in the question.
All living organisms face a variety
of challenges in their environment, including avoiding predators, obtaining food,
and surviving extreme temperatures. Most living organisms have special
features or characteristics that make them well suited to the environment and give
them a better chance of survival. These characteristics are known as
adaptations. For example, a camel has wide, flat
feet so it does not sink into the sand of the desert, and a polar bear has a thick
layer of insulating fat to keep it warm.
There are three types of adaptation
mentioned in the answer options. So let’s look at each one in turn
to try and work out which one applies to the migration of birds during changes in
season.
A functional adaptation, also known
as a physiological adaptation, is a special function that an organism’s body
performs that makes it well suited to its environment. For example, if we get hot, we
start to sweat so that when it evaporates, it cools us down. The release of venom, a chemical
toxin, is another example.
Many organisms use venom to protect
themselves from predators and also to catch and kill their prey. The southern short-tailed shrew has
venom in its saliva, and it uses its sharp front teeth to deliver a lethal bite to
its prey. The golden poison frog is the most
toxic poisonous frog and one of the most poisonous animals in the world. It produces poison in its skin from
the food it eats, which acts as a defense mechanism against potential predators.
A behavioral adaptation is a
specific behavior or action that an organism might perform to help it survive better
in its environment. These adaptations are mainly
learned, not inherited. They can include the use of tools,
like the way chimpanzees use sticks to fish for ants or termites. Another type of behavioral
adaptation is the way animals attract a mate, such as the courtship display of the
lyrebird, where the male waves his tail elaborately, dances, and sings, including
mimicking songs from other bird breeds. Other animals have developed
behavioral patterns that help hide them from predators such as decorator crabs,
which attach objects including stones and bits of plant to their bodies to help them
blend into their background.
Opposite to behavioral adaptation
is structural adaptation. Structural adaptation is a special
physical feature of an organism that gives it an advantage in the environment it
lives in. Examples include the long, thin
jaws and sticky tongues of anteaters, which help them get termites and ants out of
their nests so they can feed or the sharp, hooked beak of an eagle to tear into the
flesh of its prey.
Now that we have looked at the
three types of adaptation, let’s return to our question and try to work out which of
these applies to the migration of birds. Migration is an action or behavior,
which involves moving from one place to a more favorable place, maybe in search of
food or for an improved climate.
The correct answer to this question
is therefore option (B). The migration of birds during
seasonal changes is a type of adaptation known as behavioral.
