7.1.4: Adaptations
Not started yet — this one needs some love.
Adaptations: features that enable organisms to survive in the conditions in which they normally live.
Structural adaptations are physical features.
Behavioural adaptations are actions that help survival.
Functional adaptations are internal processes that help survival.
Extremophiles: organisms that live in very extreme environments, such as at high temperature, pressure, or salt concentration.
Bacteria living in deep sea vents are extremophiles.
Common exam mistakes
Do not just name a feature; link it to how it improves survival or reproduction.
Do not label ordinary animals in hot or cold habitats as extremophiles; AQA uses extremophiles for organisms in very extreme environments.
Behavioural and functional adaptations can be credited as well as structural adaptations.
Avoid saying an organism chooses to adapt; adaptations are features organisms have.