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This lesson covers adaptations — the features that help organisms survive in their environment — as required by the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification (1SC0). You need to understand the three types of adaptation (structural, behavioural and functional), explain how adaptations arise through natural selection, and describe how extremophiles survive in extreme environments.
An adaptation is a feature or characteristic that has evolved in an organism, making it better suited to its environment. Adaptations increase an organism's chance of survival and reproduction.
Adaptations arise through natural selection: organisms with beneficial features are more likely to survive, reproduce and pass on the genes for those features to the next generation.
| Type | Definition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Structural | Physical features of the body | Thick fur for insulation; thorns on plants; streamlined body shape |
| Behavioural | Actions an organism takes to survive | Migration, hibernation, courtship displays, nocturnal activity |
| Functional | Internal processes that help survival | Production of venom; antibiotic resistance in bacteria; desert plants closing stomata during the day |
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