Organisms' need to reproduce has a strong influence over adaptations that specifically affect their ability to do so.
What you intend the students to learn about this idea?
All organisms, from bacteria to insects, sunflowers to mammals, share the same drive- to reproduce themselves. Some living things seem to exist for no purpose other than to produce offspring, and they exhibit the most ingenious strategies to achieve it.
There are two key areas to reproductive adaptation:
1. That organism’s utilize different systems and strategies to maximize their reproductive success.
2. That organism’s development and life cycles follow different patterns in relation to their reproductive ability.
Why is it important for students to know this?
It is during reproduction that organisms normally pass on to the next generation the genes that determine and control their traits and characteristics.
Adaptive traits that improve reproductive success- measured as the number of new organisms in the new generation that survive, in turn, to reproduce themselves- will spread in a population.
Organisms have developed strong adaptations to help them pass on their genes to the next generation. These can be caused from rivalries within the same species trying for limited mating partners or simply to reproduce for the ongoing survival of the species.
Ultimately, all adaptations become established if they improve an individuals chances of producing offspring that survive to reproductive age.
What else you know about this idea (that you do not intend students to know yet)?
Adaptations of co-evolution: Many of which are technically a combination of behavioral and reproductive adaptations.
Ie: the cuckoo deposits its eggs in the nest of another species which then raises the cuckoo’s young as its own when hatched. Added to this, when the young hatches, it ejects any other young or eggs from the nest, reducing competition for itself. & Human manipulation of these adaptations for our own means- ie: through selective breeding of livestock and manipulation of the pollination of plants for agricultural and horticultural purposes.
Difficulties/Limitations connected with teaching this idea.
To survive at all, an animal must first feed and defend itself from predators. Only then can it divert resources into reproductive activities.
*Without a firm understanding of this prior to approaching the the Big Idea of reproductive adaptation, its value as an evolutionary tool in the survival of species can not be fully understood nor appreciated.
Knowledge about students’ thinking which influences your teaching of this idea
Recognition that reproductive adaptations are a feature of both plants and animals. Plants have adapted to reproduce in the many unique and varied ways that they do so for survival advantage.
It is the survival advantage provided by reproductive adaptations that influence the existence of individual organisms.
Other factors that influence your teaching of this idea.
Reproductive adaptations tie in strongly with the theory of evolution; the passing of genes from one generation to the next and survival of the fittest, particularly in regards to those that survive to maturity and are able to reproduce.
Again, a firm understanding of adaptation builds the foundations for a clear understanding of both genetics and evolution in VCE Units 3 & 4- particularly in relation to hereditary traits and distribution of organisms. This understanding can help avoid alternative conceptions related to these fields of study by providing knowledge of how adaptations aid an organisms survival.
Teaching procedures (and particular reasons for using these to engage with this idea).
Linking Activity: Questioning Activity Sheet that requires students to demonstrate their understanding of the areas of physiological, structural and behavioural adaptation as it relates to the reproductive advantage or benefit it provides. This series of questioning would best be supported by a screening of both: 'The Private Life of Plants' chapter 3: Flowering
(Attenborough, BBCDVD1235, September 2003)
‘The Life of Mammals’ chapter 1: A Winning Design
(Attenborough, BBCDVD1128, April 2003)
Both of which refer to the reproductive adaptations of plants and mammals respectively.
Example question: See question sheet below (Activity-1)
1. In flowering plants, pollination is very much dependant upon agents of pollination such as wind, water, insects, birds and mammals.
a) What features would you expect to find in the pollen grains of a plant which is wind pollinated?
b) What adaptive features would you expect to find in the stigmata of wind pollinated plants to enable them to catch pollen borne by the wind?
c) How would water pollinated flowers be adapted for pollination? Suggest one adaptive feature for the pollen and one for the structure of the flowers.
ICT Activity: The Mating Game
This interactive activity would best be undertaken through group participation. It is based around the fact that most romantic gestures that help to solidify relationships between one species would be useless between individuals of another species.This interactive site allows students to learn about the reproductive adaptation of organisms that are unique to them. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/sex/mating/index.html (Flash required)
The quiz looks at the reproductive specific adaptations by first giving some background information about the individual organisms. Students are then presented with a range of perspective mates and through the use of specific questions have to identify, without being able to see them, which mate would be best suited to the individual.
The activity looks at a range of animals including:
great crested grebe
burying beetle
sage grouse
satin bower bird
eastern gray tree frog
This gives students examples of both Australian and non-Australian fauna while maintaining some local relevance.
Specific ways of ascertaining students' understanding or confusion around this idea (include likely range of responses).
Students understanding would be demonstrated through the participation in and completion of the above activities. The aim of this Big Idea is to reinforce the notion that all organisms are driven by the need to reproduce themselves. Students ability to utilize their knowledge of the varying forms of adaptation in relation to how they improve an organisms ability to reproduce ultimately displays understanding of this concept.
Activity-1 Question Sheet Reproductive Adaptations of Organisms 1. In flowering plants, pollination is very much dependent upon agents of pollination such as wind, water, insects, birds and mammals.
a) What features would you expect to find in the pollen grains of a plant which is wind pollinated?
b) What adaptive features would you expect to find in the stigmata of wind pollinated plants to enable them to catch pollen borne by the wind?
c) How would water pollinated flowers be adapted for pollination? Suggest one adaptive feature for the pollen and one for the structure of the flowers.
2. What adaptations would the eggs of the following animals have?
a) Animals that live in hot, dry habitats.
b) Animals that live in areas where food supplies run out frequently.
c) Animals that live in fast running, freshwater streams.
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of the following reproductive characteristics?
a) The production of shelled eggs.
b) The birth of young in an undeveloped state and their further development on the outside of the body cavity of the mother.
c) A long gestation period.
d) Where the parents care for only the older of their young offspring.
e) Different roles for different adults in reproduction- for example: males to gather food and protect the nest, females to tend to the
young.
Activity -1 Adapted from: Fung, S. & Hambur (1991), Patterns in Biology: Adaptations- Designs for reproduction and survival (Chapter 3, Reproduction, pg.85), Longman Cheshire Pty Limited, Melbourne, Australia.
Organisms' need to reproduce has a strong influence over adaptations that specifically affect their ability to do so.
There are two key areas to reproductive adaptation:
1. That organism’s utilize different systems and strategies to maximize their reproductive success.
2. That organism’s development and life cycles follow different patterns in relation to their reproductive ability.
Many of which are technically a combination of behavioral and reproductive adaptations.
Ie: the cuckoo deposits its eggs in the nest of another species which then raises the cuckoo’s young as its own when hatched. Added to this, when the young hatches, it ejects any other young or eggs from the nest, reducing competition for itself.
&
Human manipulation of these adaptations for our own means- ie: through selective breeding of livestock and manipulation of the pollination of plants for agricultural and horticultural purposes.
*Without a firm understanding of this prior to approaching the the Big Idea of reproductive adaptation, its value as an evolutionary tool in the survival of species can not be fully understood nor appreciated.
Again, a firm understanding of adaptation builds the foundations for a clear understanding of both genetics and evolution in VCE Units 3 & 4- particularly in relation to hereditary traits and distribution of organisms. This understanding can help avoid alternative conceptions related to these fields of study by providing knowledge of how adaptations aid an organisms survival.
Questioning Activity Sheet that requires students to demonstrate their understanding of the areas of physiological, structural and behavioural adaptation as it relates to the reproductive advantage or benefit it provides. This series of questioning would best be supported by a screening of both:
(Attenborough, BBCDVD1235, September 2003)
‘The Life of Mammals’ chapter 1: A Winning Design
(Attenborough, BBCDVD1128, April 2003)
Both of which refer to the reproductive adaptations of plants and mammals respectively.
Example question: See question sheet below (Activity-1)
1. In flowering plants, pollination is very much dependant upon agents of pollination such as wind, water, insects, birds and mammals.
a) What features would you expect to find in the pollen grains of a plant which is wind pollinated?
b) What adaptive features would you expect to find in the stigmata of wind pollinated plants to enable them to catch pollen borne by the wind?
c) How would water pollinated flowers be adapted for pollination? Suggest one adaptive feature for the pollen and one for the structure of the flowers.
ICT Activity: The Mating Game
This interactive activity would best be undertaken through group participation. It is based around the fact that most romantic gestures that help to solidify relationships between one species would be useless between individuals of another species.This interactive site allows students to learn about the reproductive adaptation of organisms that are unique to them.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/sex/mating/index.html (Flash required)
The quiz looks at the reproductive specific adaptations by first giving some background information about the individual organisms. Students are then presented with a range of perspective mates and through the use of specific questions have to identify, without being able to see them, which mate would be best suited to the individual.
The activity looks at a range of animals including:
- great crested grebe
- burying beetle
- sage grouse
- satin bower bird
- eastern gray tree frog
This gives students examples of both Australian and non-Australian fauna while maintaining some local relevance.Reproductive Adaptations of Organisms
1. In flowering plants, pollination is very much dependent upon agents of pollination such as wind, water, insects, birds and mammals.
a) What features would you expect to find in the pollen grains of a plant which is wind pollinated?
b) What adaptive features would you expect to find in the stigmata of wind pollinated plants to enable them to catch pollen borne by the wind?
c) How would water pollinated flowers be adapted for pollination? Suggest one adaptive feature for the pollen and one for the structure of the flowers.
2. What adaptations would the eggs of the following animals have?
a) Animals that live in hot, dry habitats.
b) Animals that live in areas where food supplies run out frequently.
c) Animals that live in fast running, freshwater streams.
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of the following reproductive characteristics?
a) The production of shelled eggs.
b) The birth of young in an undeveloped state and their further development on the outside of the body cavity of the mother.
c) A long gestation period.
d) Where the parents care for only the older of their young offspring.
e) Different roles for different adults in reproduction- for example: males to gather food and protect the nest, females to tend to the
young.