Video Transcript
Swallows, shown in the picture,
that inhabit the UK during the spring and summer fly to southern Africa during the
cold UK winters. What term is given to this
behavior?
This question is asking us to work
out the appropriate term that is used to describe a particular behavioral
adaptation. A behavioral adaptation is a
specific action or behavior that an organism performs that makes it well suited to a
particular environment and often helps it to survive. The mass seasonal movements of
swallows described in the question is one such example. Twice every year, a vast number of
adult swallows make an approximately 6000-mile trek between the UK and South
Africa. In the spring and summer, these
swallows tend to nest in the UK when the insects they prey upon for food are
plentiful.
As the UK winter approaches, this
source of food begins to deplete as the weather becomes colder. Therefore, the swallows take action
to ensure they will survive. They start to make a move to
southern Africa around September or October, with many swallows even traveling
across the Sahara Desert. The swallows that survive the
journey reach warmer regions, like South Africa, where food will hopefully be
available until the spring, when they can return to the UK once more. This seasonal journey is called
migration.
Therefore, the term given to this
behavior, and the correct answer to this question, is migration.
