For a printable copy of this page click here

Scenario: A brief look at how organisms are adapted to their environment, with particular emphasis on thermoregulation and water conservation strategies for living in stressful environments (the desert and tundra).

Concepts Taught:

Icon Key:

activity

animation

diagram

quiz

text explanation

• Adaptation
• Biomes
• Tundra
• Desert
• Thermoregulation
• Homeostasis
• Metabolism
• Counter-current exchange
• Feedback Loop
• Surface Area to Volume Ratio
• Gradient
• Osmoregulation
• Active transport of sodium
• Passive transport of water (osmosis)
  

Concept Map:

Fire & Ice Desert Tundra Thermoregulation Counter-Current Exchange Loop of Henle

Concepts Reviewed:

• Hypothesis
• Variable
• Review pp. 34-49 in Studying for Biology

Examples of In-Class Discussion/Thought Questions: 

• What problems do organisms in each biome face?
• What is your hypothesis for the graphs of Body Temperature vs Environmental Temperature of poikilotherms and homeotherms?
• How and why do animals thermoregulate?
• How do animals avoid overheating?
• Where do kangaroo rats get their water from?
• How do organisms deal with extreme cold/heat and lack of water in order to survive in desert and tundra environments?
• What are some rules that govern body shape? How can they be used to predict organismís adaptations to biomes?

Major Terms Introduced:

Lab 2: Body Shapes influence the rate of heat gain of loss in a predictable way.
Lab 3: How is metabolic rate influenced by ambient temperature?
Lab 4: How do various factors influence the passage of materials through a membrane?

Text Readings:

Click here for Text Readings!

 Corresponding Essential Study Partner Segments:

The Essential Study Partner is part of the McGraw-Hill Web Site. To access it go here. Then follow these relevant paths below:

Left click into Ecology > Biosphere> then you have a choice of a variety of topics

Also try:

Cells > Cell Membrane > Diffusion

Cells > Cell Membrane > Osmosis

Cells > Cell Membrane > Active Transport

Animals > Osmoregulation > Introduction

Animals > Osmoregulation > Kidney Function

Tutorials:

Osmosis/Dialysis Animation

Osmosis Tutorial

There are also animations available on:
Diffusion
Active Transport
Osmosis

Useful WWW sites:

The site for your textbook Life by Ricki Lewis

source	The Desert Biome This site provides general information concerning the climate, plants, and animals of the desert biome. In addition, the site provides some interesting facts on the desert biome, as well as links to other, related, websites
source	Mojave National Preserve Website Here is your source to discover Mojave National. Click on the links on the left-hand margin to learn more about the Mojave Desert--the Desert Ecology link and the Desert Plants and Animals link are epesically informative!
source	McGraw-Hill Tutorial on isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic solutions (requires shockwave, must click on downward pointing gray arrow at the bottom of the page)
source	Urine Concentration - This is a more detailed animation and explanation of how the nephron works from the ESP that accompanies a physiology textbook. If you are the kind of person that needs or wants more detail, this might be fore you.

Textbook Flashcards:

The website for your textbook has flashcards organised by chapters. You are only responsible for topics discussed in class. For this scenario, flashcards with the Major Terms Introduced can be found in:

Chapter 38: Regulation of Temperature and Body Fluids
Chapter 44: Biomes and Aquatic Ecosystems

Bibliography:

1. Lewis, R. 2002. Life. 4th Edition. WCB/McGraw-Hill: NY.
2. French, D. 1998. Investigating Biology; A Laboratory Resource Manual. Harcourt Brace: NY.
3. Lawson, A. 1995. Studying for Biology. Benjamin/Cummings: NY.
4. Breakwell, D.P. and A.R. Stevens. 1998. Student Study Guide to Accompany Life 3^rd Edition by R. Lewis. WCB/McGraw-Hill: NY.