Homeostasis
Types of Adaptations
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What is an adaptation?
Adaptations are the features and strategies which assist organisms in surviving in a particular environment, including by maintaining their internal environment within tolerance limits. The three main adaptations include;
Physiological processes
Structural features
Behavioural adaptations
What are physiological adaptations?
Physiological Adaptations: Adaptations related to how an organism, system, organ, tissue or cell functions; internal body processes that take place to regulate and maintain homeostasis for an organism to survive in its environment
Physiological processes maintain a balanced, internal environment through monitoring and adjusting to changing conditions, involving three components of a negative feedback system; a receptor, control centre and effector.
What are structural adaptations?
Structural Adaptations: Adaptations related to an organism's shape, specialised features and size, enhance an organism's chances for survival in particular environments; these features have a function, including cell structure and the size and shape of an organism
What are behavioural adaptations?
Behavioural Adaptations: Adaptations related to how an organism acts in order to increase its chances for survival in environments; examples of behavioural adaptations include migrating to a different area, huddling together with other members of the population for warmth etc.