Question

How does adaptation explain the patterns of distribution of plant and animal species in the world?

Answer 1

Is this a multiple choice question?

Answer 2

no. An essay question

Answer 3

I got this from another person, but here.
Adaptation is basically where organisms 'fit' themselves to the environment. This is through processes like natural selection where the most 'fit' organisms survive and pass on their genetics. For example, in the rainforest, there are really large trees that block out light, so plants underneath them die from lack of sunlight. Adaptation explains that some plants have adapted to grow higher on the trees and live off of their sunlight, so that they can survive (these are parasitic plants
________________________________________________________________________________________

This would explain distributions : like, in the arctic tundra, there are a higher percentage of animals with white fur so that they can blend in with the snow and hide from predators - animals with bright fur would be be easily eaten and thus couldn't reproduce and pass on their genes.

Answer 4

Um...thanks? I would get in trouble for using someone else's work...

Answer 5

This is another answer i got from someone on open study. if you search your question on Google, you could find other answers. And if you would get in trouble using someone else's answers then why did you look here? These would be someone else's work.

Answer 6

Lol i'm just kidding....I know what i'm doing

Answer 7

Ok, and it would be plagiarism if you paraphrase it. (btw if a teacher is looking at this, im not suggesting this.)

Answer 8

I know....and i'm not a teacher lol. I'm a 7th grader

Answer 9

Oh! really so am i. But bye!

Answer 10

um...bye?

Answer 11

Yeah really

Answer 12

I have tried to fix this on more than one occasion. It is not correct to discuss these processes using "fit" as it is used in the above descriptions. In biology, "fit" or "fitness" is a measurement of relative success at propagating an individuals genetics through a population along time.

Species do not "fit themselves to their environment." Adaptation is achieved through differences in fitness (usually measured with the proxy of # of viable offspring). In fact, the most successful geneotypes may be the least adapted to the environment. While this is rare, it certainly occurs.

The reason there is a relationship between mass extinctions and adaptive radiations is because mass extinctions leave multiple niche vacuums that species will eventually fill. This is usually a rapid process because of the lack of inter- and intra-species competition (speed being relative to niche adaptation without large niche vacuums).