i. .

Adaptation is the evolutionary process

whereby an organism becomes better
able to live in its habitat or habitats.
b. . Adaptedness is the state of being
adapted: the degree to which an organism is
able to live and reproduce in a given set of
habitats

Polar ecology is the relationship between plants and animals in

a polar environment. Polar environments are in
the Arcticand Antarctic regions. Arctic regions are in the Northern
Hemisphere, and it contains land and the islands that surrounds
it.Antarctica is in the Southern Hemisphere and it also contains
the land mass, surrounding islands and the ocean. Polar
regions also contain the subantarctic and subarctic zone which
separate the polar regions from the temperate regions. Antarctica
and the Arctic lie in the polar circles. The polar circles are not
visible on the earth but it is shown on maps to be the areas that
receives less sunlight due to less radiation. These areas either
receive sunlight (midnight sun) or shade (polar night) 24 hours a
day because of the earth's tilt. Plants and animals in the polar
regions are able to withstand living in harsh weather conditions
but are facing environmental threats that limit their survival.

The two main

adaptations that desert animals must make are how to deal with lack of water and
how to deal with extremes in temperature. Many desert animals avoid the heat
of the desert by simply staying out of it as much as possible.
Where do animals in the desert get their water from?
Since water is so scarce, most desert animals get their water from the food they
eat: succulent plants, seeds, or the blood and body tissues of their prey.
How do desert animals prevent water from leaving their bodies?
Desert animals prevent water leaving their bodies in a number of different ways.
Some, like kangaroo rats and lizards, live in burrows which do not get too hot or
too cold and have more humid (damp) air inside. These animals stay in their
burrows during the hot days and emerge at night to feed.
Other animals have bodies designed to save water. Scorpions and wolf spiders have
a thick outer covering which reduces moisture loss. The kidneys of desert
animals concentrate urine, so that they excrete less water.

Several animal groups have undergone aquatic

adaptation, going from being purely terrestrial
animals to living at least part of the time in water.
The adaptations in early speciation tend to develop as
the animal ventures into water in order to find
available food. As successive generations spend more
time in the water, natural selection causes the
acquisition of more adaptations. Animals of later
generations may spend the majority of their life in the
water, coming ashore for mating. Finally, fully adapted
animals may take to mating and birthing in water.