Adaptation

Question 1

Where do fleas live and what do they do?

Answer 1

Live in the hair or fur of mammals and suck blood from their host.

Question 2

Adaptations can be:

Answer 2

• Structural: features of an organism’s body structure e.g. Shape and colour
• Behavioural: ways that organisms behave e.g. Migrating to warmer climates in winter
• Functional: related to processes such as reproduction and metabolism

Question 3

Describe sporozoites

Answer 3

The second form of the malaria parasite.

• when the mosquito bites another animal, it transfers the sporozoites into the animal’s bloodstream
• the sporozoites pass through the blood to the liver, wheee they enter the liver cells
• inside the cells, the sporozoites rapidly divide asexually to produces merozoites

Question 4

How are tapeworms adapted to their environment?

Answer 4

• Suckers and hooks to help them hold on to the wall of the host’s intestine
• a body with flattened segments and no gut. The body has a large surface area so it can absorb its food from the host’s gut. The flattened segments produce a lot of eggs so the tapeworm can have a lot of babies.
• a thick outer cuticle to stop them getting digested by the enzymes in the host’s gut

Question 5

Where do tapeworms live?

Answer 5

In the intestines of mammals and some other animals

Question 6

What are extremophiles?

Answer 6

Organisms that live in environments that are very extreme.

E.g. Containing high levels of salt, high temp or high pressures

Question 7

What is the order of the four different forms of the malaria parasite?

Answer 7

1. Gametocytes
2. Sporozoites
3. Merozoites
   4 Schizonts

Question 8

Describe schizonts

Answer 8

The fourth form of a malaria parasite.

• the schizonts divides to produce many merozoite (each merozoites only has one nucleus)
• the red blood cell bursts, releasing merozoites into the blood. Toxins are released too, triggering the fever attacked associated with malaria.
• theses merozoites go on to invade other red blood cells and the cycle is repeated.
• infected red blood cells all tend to burst at the same time - the cycles of bursting cells results in the cycles of fever attached malaria victims get

Question 9

What did organisms require to survive and reproduce?

Answer 9

A supply of materials from their surroundings and from the other living organisms there.

Question 10

What is malaria caused by in humans?

Answer 10

The single-called malaria parasite

Question 11

How are fleas adapted to their environment?

Answer 11

• Sharp mouthparts to help them break the host’s skin and suck blood
• A flattened body so they’re not easily brushed off their host
• A hard body so they’re not damaged when the animal scratches them
• long hind legs so they can jump between hosts

Question 12

Describe gametocytes

Answer 12

The first form of the malaria parasite.

• when a mosquito sucks blood from an animal with malaria, it takes up gametocytes
• the gametocytes reproduces sexually inside the mosquito
• in the mosquito’s salivary gland the gametocytes turn into a new form called sporozoites.

Question 13

What do plants compete with each other for?

Answer 13

• Light and space

- Water and nutrients from the soil

Question 14

Describe merozoites

Answer 14

The third form of the malaria parasite.

• thousands of merozoites are released from the liver cells into the blood
• they invade red blood cells

Path A:

• the merozoites grows and its nucleus then divides asexually to produce a cell with many nuclei called a schizont.

Path B:

• Some merozoites don’t develops into schizonts. They enter a sexual phase of reproduction which results in gametocytes. Red blood cells contains gametocytes can be sucked up if the animal is bitten by a mosquito. And so the life cycle begins all over again.

Question 15

What do animals compete with each other for?

Answer 15

• Food
• Mates
• Territory