Adaptations Chemicals Forces Genetics Earth Electricity Timeline 
Home Jnr Science Biology
Year 8 KS3 Adaptations and Competition

Ecosystems will often have a finite amount of resources. The amount of food, water and shelter available will be limited.

When we have multiple organisms, from different species or even the same species competing for these resources it’s called competition.

Click here for more information on Competition.  

Although animals do compete with each in an ecosystem, some actually work together.

There are different types of relationships throughout an ecosystem.

Click here to learn more about animal relations.

Wether you like it or not, you have to live with other organisms in any environment.

Sometimes the environment or the other organisms will be to much for some organisms and they will die.

Those that don’t die, must adapt to survive.

Click here for more information on adaptations

Click here for a quick test on adaptations

Click here for a worksheet on adaptations

Click here for a quick test on relations

Use the words below to fill in the spaces


Shorter, hot, predator, flat, summer, thick, space, fur, food, tides, slipping, winter, habitat, cold, daylight, day, white, minerals, cold, environment, water, species, water, disease, sand, temperature, adapted, water, space, light and water.


The place where an organism lives is called its_ _ _ _ _ _ _. The conditions in a habitat are called the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. The physical environment includes conditions such as the temperature and amount of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.


Every organism has certain features or characteristics (e.g._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _) that allow it to live successfully in its habitat. Polar bears live in the Arctic, which is _ _ _ _. Here are some of the polar bear's adaptations to living in this environment:

•_ _ _ _ _appearance to camouflage it against the snow and ice

•_ _ _ _ _layers of fat and fur for insulation

•wide feet with hair on their soles to avoid _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.


Camels live in deserts, which are hot and dry during the _ _ _but _ _ _ _ at night. Here

are some of the camel's adaptations to living in this environment:

•they can go for a long time without _ _ _ _ _(but they don't store water in their humps)

•slit-like nostrils and two rows of eyelashes to help keep the _ _ _ _ out

•wide, _ _ _ _feet to help them walk on the sand


Many habitats (do / do not) stay the same all the time. Daily changes to the environment include:

•change from a high water level to a low water level, in accordance with _ _ _ _ _.

Seasonal changes to the environment include:

•change from _ _ _ weather in the summer to cold weather in the_ _ _ _ _ _.

•change from long hours of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in the summer to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ days in the winter

•change from lots of vegetation in the _ _ _ _ _ _ to bare trees and snow-covered ground in the winter.

COMPETITION

Animals compete for:

•_ _ _ _

•_ _ _ _ _

•_ _ _ _ _

Plants compete for:

•_ _ _ _ _

•_ _ _ _ _

•_ _ _ _ _

•_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

EXTINCTION

A species becomes extinct when there are no more individuals of that _ _ _ _ _ _ _ left.

An extinct species is gone _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Here are some of the things that can cause a species to become extinct:

•a new _ _ _ _ _ _ _

•a new _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

•a change in the physical environment, such as a change in the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

or rainfall

•competition from another species that is better _ _ _ _ _ _ _, including competition

from humans.

FILL IN THE BLANKS ANSWERS.doc