Adaptation Of Plants And Animals (1957)

[Music] foreign [Music] what is the climate like where you live is it a temperate climate or a climate that is warm all year perhaps you live where winters are long but wherever you live you have probably adjusted to your surroundings [Music] over many centuries plants and animals too have adjusted to their surroundings we call these adjustments adaptations all forms of life adapt or change to conditions about them otherwise they cannot live these are animals that lived on the earth millions of years ago they were unable to adapt to changing conditions about them in this case an exceptional change in climate this was one of the reasons they died and became extinct most plants must also adapt to their surroundings otherwise they too will become extinct what will happen to this growing plant when its surroundings change so fast that it cannot adapt let's keep the plant away from sunlight and not give it any water without water and sunlight the plant soon stops growing the speeded-up action shows us that several days later it begins to wither this experiment shows that unless living things adapt to their surroundings they cannot live finally the plant dies we must remember however that most adaptations take place over hundreds even thousands of years of the many plant and animal adaptations the three main kinds of adaptations are adaptations for protection adaptations for food getting and adaptations to environment that is the places where things live water land and air birds like this seabird live and travel in the air much of the time birds special adaptation to their environment are wings birds have wings strong enough to carry their bodies through the air their environment other animals are better adapted to life on land the bear for instance has powerful legs that support its heavy body for land travel what animals are adapted to a water environment beavers have webbed feet and broad flat tails special adaptations for living in water what other animals are adapted to life in the water fish are animals whose environment is water like all animals fish must have air to breathe they obtain air through gills a special adaptation for breathing underwater some plants like the water hyacinth are also adapted to life in the water hollow bulbous stems keep the water hyacinth afloat and its roots hang down freely and draw their food material from the water most plants such as corn have roots that obtain food from the earth soil here in speeded-up action as the corn seeds sprout we see the roots growing roots that are adapted to a land environment environment is also related to seasons and climates in dry climates plants like the cactus have special adaptations for storing up water these cactus plants have fleshy branches and stems adaptations that help them store and conserve water in this dry climate camels are desert animals adapted to the dry climate in which they live these animals can store large amounts of water in their bodies this is one reason camels can live for days without water on the desert other animals are best adapted to life in other kinds of environments some environments have climates with well-marked seasons which change throughout the year where the seasons change some animals move or migrate to places where the climate is more favorable ducks and other migratory birds fly to warmer climates during the winter and cooler climates during the summer migration is another kind of adaptation to environment some animals like the squirrel live in one place all year during the warm months the squirrel gathers more food than he can eat he will store part of the food he gathers to have a winter food supply the food gathering and food storing activities of animals like the squirrel are another kind of adaptation to seasons let's remember that some plants too adapt to seasons during the spring and summer trees give off water through their leaves water which they absorb through their roots during the late summer and early autumn the leaves give off less and less moisture this is part of a special adaptation of leafy trees during the fall the tree begins to grow a waterproof layer at the base of each leaf where it is attached to the branch as time passes this layer becomes thicker and thicker the layer cuts off most of the food and water supply from the tree to the leaves the leaves fall and the waterproof layer grown by the tree will prevent the loss of moisture which the tree needs to live during the winter we have seen some plant and animal adaptations to environment now let's look at some adaptations for protection the kangaroo's powerful hind legs are an adaptation for protection the kangaroo uses speed as a protection look at him go the kangaroo usually outruns any of its enemies the deer is another animal that depends upon speed an adaptation for protection how does a slow large animal like the bear protect itself because it is such a large and powerful animal the bear protects itself with strength very few animals would dare attack the bear animals that are smaller than the bear have other adaptations for protection there's a snowshoe rabbit in this picture can you see it its winter coat matches the snow and makes the animal hard to find or see color is another kind of adaptation for protection this bird the whipper will is protectively colored the feathers of this young whipperwell blend well with its surroundings the measuring worm is another animal protected by color its shape is another adaptation to protect it from its enemies the measuring worm looks almost like a twig birds might have difficulty seeing it can you see the measuring worm in this scene there it is is this a good adaptation for protection the turtle has another adaptation for protection see how it can draw its soft body under its hard shell the porcupine also has a protective outer covering a covering of sharp quills these quills are the porcupines adaptation for protection some plants too have quills or needles that prevent animals from disturbing them the cactus is one of many kinds of plants protected by needles or thorns we have seen some plant and animal adaptations for protection now let's see some adaptations for food getting dogs are meat eating animals their teeth are adapted to tearing and chewing meat this diagram of a dog's teeth shows the sharp pointed front teeth that are suited to tearing meat these back teeth are used to grind meat into pieces small enough to swallow however many large four-footed animals like the horse are plant eaters the teeth of the horse and other plant eaters are different from those of meat-eating animals this diagram shows that a horse has sharp front teeth which are used to bite off grass and broad flat back teeth which are well suited to grinding grass and other plants before they are swallowed horses and other large animals are only a few of the many plant eaters the tiny aphid about as big as the head of a pin is a plant eater it has a special adaptation for drawing juices from plants this drawing shows the long pointed mouth parts which the aphid pushes deep into plants to draw up the plant's juices the hummingbird has a similar mouth part adaptation the long thin beak of the hummingbird enables it to draw nectar from flowering plants not all birds eat plant food this bird the marsh hawk is a meat eater his beak sharp and pointed is especially adapted to tearing meat hawks and other birds of prey have another adaptation keen eyes as they hover in the air these birds can see moving animals to catch for food the roseate spoonbill also has an adaptation for food getting look at this spoonbill's broad flat beak the broad beak helps spoonbills secure food scooped up from shallow water we have seen some adaptations for food getting let's try to remember the three main kinds of adaptations we've seen adaptations for protection adaptations for food getting adaptations to environment is one adaptation of fish to their environment what is the turtle's adaptation for protection what is the hummingbirds adaptation for food getting all animals and plants must adapt in some way to the conditions about them if they're to continue to live can you notice some of these adaptations in your animal pets or in the plants of your garden can you notice any adaptations among the plants and animals that you see on your way to and from school [Music] you