Animal and Plant Adaptations and Behaviours

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/adaptations

Adaptations help organisms survive in their ecological niche or habitat; adaptations can be anatomical, behavioural or physiological.

Anatomical adaptations are physical features such as an animals shape. Behavioural adaptations can be inherited or learnt and include tool use, language and swarming behaviour. Physiological adaptations include the ability to make venom; but also more general functions such as temperature regulation.

Dry tolerant

Dry tolerant plants and animals are able to cope with conditions where water is hard to find. Strategies include preventing its loss, storing for later use and being able to survive on less than normal. These adaptations aren’t only important for organisms that live in tropical hot deserts. They’re also necessary for those that inhabit the cold deserts of the polar regions, and non-desert areas that suffer from periodic or seasonal droughts. Cacti are among the most drought resistant plants on the planet and are able to store water in their stems and roots. Some can even survive years of drought after a single rainfall.