What is Adaptation?- Definition, Types and Importance

Adaptation refers to the quality of an organism that makes it adjust to its surroundings. It is the process or the state of adjusting or changing in order to become suited to an environment. Every type of organism needs a specific place to survive and reproduce properly. There are different types of animals in our environment that are able to adapt to different conditions but only for a short period of time.  Let’s learn more about adaptation and discuss some important questions.

Key takeaways: Adaptation, theory of adaptation, survival of the fittest, structural adaptation, behavioral adaptation, physiological adaptation.

Read more: Ecology and Environment

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What is Adaptation?

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“Adaptation can be defined as the physical or behavioral characteristic of organisms helping them to survive better in the contemporary world.”

Organisms adapt to their environment depending on various biological factors such as genetics, physiology, reproduction, and several others. This is the biological meaning of Adaptation.

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Theory of Adaption (Survival of the Fittest)

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The theory “Survival of the Fittest” states that:

Given by Charles Darwin, the theory points out that habitat changes accompany some other changes as well:

• Habitat Tracking- Search for a similar environment as the previous one.
• Extinction- If a similar environment is not found, Species die or go extinct.
• Genetic Change- Organisms with slight mutations survive better in an environment than the others there.

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Types of Adaptation

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Adaptations can be classified into the following types:

Structural Adaptation

Such adaptation involves the physical features of an organism helping them to survive in the environment including the different types of terrestrial habitats. These physical changes are the changes in the physical environment.

Fig: Structural Adaptation

You must be familiar with weather conditions in deserts with very high temperatures, water scarcity, and a fall in the temperature at night but still, have you seen both flora and fauna existing there? All of them look so refreshing and energetic. Ever Wondered Why?

Plants: They have found different ways to store water, either in their roots, stems, or leaves, and use it when required:

•  Thick waxy cuticles- Unlike those with porous leaves, desert plants like Cactus have thick waxy cuticles which help them in reducing transpiration (the process of releasing water from the leaves to the air).
• Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM)- Plants like Pineapple, Agave, and others keep their stomata closed during the day and open in the night when the temperature is low to take in CO₂ and at the time of sunrise, they release it.
• Leaves into Spines- Some plants have leaves modified into spines to reduce the surface area and prevent loss of water due to transpiration. Eg- Opuntia

Animals:

• Animals like Kangaroo Rat are majorly dependent on dry seeds for their diet and don’t even require extra water intake. Their source of water is the metabolized activity of the seeds they consume.

While organisms have adapted to the high temperatures, they have also adapted to the cold climate. However, to survive in a cold climate, one must keep the body warm by not letting the heat escape. Here comes Allen’s rule given by Joel Asaph Allen which states that the mammals living in cold climates have shorter ears and limbs than those in the warm climate. This reduces the surface area and thus, prevents the heat from escaping. Eg- Snowshoe Hare.

Behavioral Adaptation

Anything an organism does, that is their action to survive in the environment is known as Behavioural Adaptation. Birds Migrate, Rabbits dig borrow, Desert Lizards bask in the sun. All these are examples of Behavioural Adaptation.

Fig: Behavioral Adaptation

Physiological Adaptation

Physiological adaptations like structural adaptations, also include physical changes in the species. Physiological adaptations, however, are not always observed in the organism’s appearance. Such adaptation can be either due to changes in the environment or because of the behavior of other species.

Fig: Physiological Adaptation

Another example can be snakes making venom to kill their prey or a squid spraying ink.

Thus, physiological Adaptation is How our body adapts to certain stimuli. It majorly is the internal changes that take place inside the body.

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Importance of Adaptation

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• Adaptation is important for living organisms to survive. Animals die as they are unable to adapt to environmental changes. These adaptations are due to genetic changes. The animals that manage to survive, pass on the mutated genes to their offspring which is called natural selection.
• Adaptations such as camouflage and coloration protect animals from predators. In dangerous environments, DNA mutations help in the longer survival of animals and such traits of survival are passed on to their future generations. All these adaptations make it easier for a variety of organisms to thrive on planet earth.
• Darwin, who gave the Adaptation Theory, studied two turtles. One with short legs and straight shells ate from the lower ground while the other with long legs and round shells gradually. The latter were the ones who could reach a great height which can help them to get food, especially at the time of a natural calamity and so, were selected. Thus, the new generation of species grew with these adaptations.
• This shows the importance of Adaptation for the survival of organisms and how natural selections play a role here.

Also Read: Productivity in Ecosystem

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Things to Remember

• Adaptation refers to the quality of an organism that makes it adjust to its surroundings.
• Given by Charles Darwin, in simple words, states that you adapt to the changes, You Survive, you aren’t able to adapt, you are eliminated
• Structural Adaptation is adaptation where organisms change the structure of their body to adapt to the environment
• Behavioural Adaptation is the adaptation where the actions are taken by organisms to adapt to the environment
• Physiological Adaptation is the way our body adapts to the surrounding.
• According to Joel Asaph Allen, the rule states that mammals living in cold climates have shorter ears and limbs than those in a warm climate.

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