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Standard Set 3. Life Sciences
3. Adaptations in physical structure or
behavior may improve an organism’s
chance for survival. As a basis for
understanding this concept:
3.b. Students know examples of
diverse life forms in different
environments, such as oceans, deserts,
tundra, forests, grasslands, and
wetlands.
3.a. Students know plants and animals
have structures that serve different
functions in growth, survival, and
reproduction.
by Lillian Duggan
Genre
Nonfiction
Comprehension Skill
Main Idea and Details •
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•
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Text Features
Captions
Diagrams
Labels
Glossary
Science Content
Adaptations
Scott Foresman Science 3.4
ISBN 0-328-23528-8
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Vocabulary
adaptation
biome
desert
grassland
tundra
wetland
Picture Credits
Illustration
8 Robert Ulrich.
Photographs
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ISBN: 0-328-23528-8
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V010 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06
by Lillian Duggan
Living Things’ Needs
Living things have needs. They need food, air, water,
and space to live and grow. Many living things also need
protection from things that may eat them. Living things
also need to produce offspring.
Plants make their own food using energy from the
Sun and carbon dioxide from the air. Plants get the water
and nutrients they need from the soil.
Animals eat plants or other animals for food. Food
gives animals the energy they need to grow. Animals get
water by drinking it or by eating foods that contain water.
They get oxygen from the air or from water.
Animals need shelter. Shelter keeps animals safe from
the weather. It protects them from other animals too.
Meeting Needs Through Adaptations
Not all plants and animals live in the same place.
A structure or ability that helps a living thing meet its
needs in the place where it lives is an adaptation. Most
adaptations are for growth, survival, and reproduction.
Animals have many different adaptations for getting
food. Some spiders build webs to catch insects. Whales
that eat tiny ocean animals have special structures that
filter the animals from the water. Bats use sound to locate
food at night.
The mother kangaroo’s pouch is an
adaptation. It keeps the baby
kangaroo safe and warm.
Bears’ claws are adapted for digging
up plant roots and grasping small
animals to eat.
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Bird Adaptations
Adaptations for Protection
Birds eat different kinds of foods. Birds have bills that
are adapted to catch and eat these different foods. A
hummingbird has a long, narrow beak to help it get food
from long, narrow flowers. A woodpecker has a short,
tough bill that can chisel holes in trees. A red-tailed hawk
uses its hooked bill to tear apart small animals.
Animals protect themselves by the way they behave
or the way they look. Some animals run, fly, or swim
away from danger.
Other animals have special structures or an
appearance that keeps them safe. Shells, teeth, claws,
hoofs, bills, and pointed body parts give animals
protection. Porcupines have sharp quills. The color of
some animals is hard to see. This is called camouflage.
Some animals get protection from other animals.
Clownfish are protected by sea anemones. Anemones
have powerful stingers, but the clownfish is covered by a
coating that keeps it from getting stung.
A woodpecker’s bill is
strong enough to carve
a hole in a tree.
This clownfish uses the sea
anemone as shelter.
This hummingbird uses
its special bill to get
food from a flower.
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Biomes
North American gray wolves and African wild
dogs live on different continents. They are different in
important ways. But in one important way they are
similar. They are adapted to live in large areas of grass.
Major areas that have a similar year-round weather
pattern and support similar kinds of living things are
called a biome. A biome’s living things have adaptations
to help them survive in that biome. Keep reading to find
out about the chaparral, grasslands, deserts, wetlands, and
other biomes that can be found in the United States.
The Chaparral
A dense layer of evergreen shrubs called chaparral
grows on many California hillsides. Chaparral is a biome.
Chaparral grow well in California’s mild, wet winters and
hot, dry summers. The thick, waxy leaves of chaparral
shrubs fuel fires. The fires provide heat that opens new
seeds. Chaparral animals include desert cottontails,
coyotes, and bobcats. The coyotes and bobcats hunt the
cottontails for food. They hunt for the cottontails mostly
at different times during the day. The adaptation of
hunting at different times allows enough food for coyotes
and bobcats.
Gray wolves
Bobcat
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Different Biomes in North America
North America includes several different biomes.
Many biomes are named for the important plants that
grow in them. The plants that grow in each biome can
help determine what kinds of animals live there.
Rain Forest
North America’s rain
forests have cool,
wet weather. Spruce
trees grow there.
Wetland
Coastal wetlands
have salt water.
Living things find
food in the mud.
Ocean
Giant kelp forests
grow off California’s
coast. These forests
support sea life.
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Desert
A desert is dry.
Plants spread their
roots over large
areas to get water.
Tundra
Trees cannot grow
here. The ground is
too frozen and dry
for their roots.
Grassland
Many grasses and
flowering plants are
found in a grassland.
There are few trees.
Chaparral
The chaparral of
California has mild,
wet winters and
hot, dry summers.
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Life in a Grassland
Grassland, desert, and tundra biomes have few trees.
A grassland is a biome that has many grasses and
flowering plants, but few trees. Winters in a grassland
are often cold. Summers are sometimes hot and dry.
Grasslands usually receive little rainfall. The soil is often
too dry for trees to grow.
Many different grasses grow in grasslands. Deep roots
help some grasses survive grazing animals, cold winters,
or fire. These roots can also reach water that is deeper in
the soil and store food during the winter.
Buffalo used to live throughout the
American grasslands. They graze on
grassland grasses.
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grassland
underground
burrows
Prairie dogs live in underground burrows
beneath grasslands. They stand on their hind
legs to watch out for other animals.
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Surviving in a Desert
A desert is a biome that gets very little rain. Deserts
can be hot during the day and cool at night. Many plants
and animals live in the desert.
Cactus plants are adapted for life in the desert. They
make food in their stems instead of their leaves. Stems
can prevent water from being lost better than leaves can.
Cactus stems expand during rainy periods to store water
for the times when it’s dry. They have a thick covering
that helps keep in water. Cactus leaves are sharp and
spiny. They protect the cactus from thirsty animals.
Many desert animals avoid the heat by resting during
the day and feeding at night. The black-tailed jackrabbit
spends the daylight hours resting in shady shallow places.
In the evening and early morning, the jackrabbit feeds on
grasses and small plants, including cactus plants.
The jackrabbit has another special adaptation for
surviving hot desert days. Its large ears let heat escape.
This helps to keep the jackrabbit cool.
The black-tailed
jackrabbit’s large ears
help to keep it cool.
Cactus spines are a special kind
of leaf that protects the plant.
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The Tundra Biome
Surviving in the Tundra
The tundra is a cold, dry biome located in the
northernmost part of the world and on high mountains.
Tundra makes up parts of Alaska and Canada. These
areas have long, cold winters with high winds, but little
snow. Summer in the tundra is short and cool. During the
summer, the snow melts, but the ground stays frozen.
In the tundra, daylight hours are many in the summer
and few in the winter. Some parts of the tundra have
winter days with no sunlight.
Only very small plants and grasses can grow in the
tundra. Larger plants and trees cannot grow roots in the
frozen soil. Snow protects the plants of the tundra from
the winter wind.
When summer arrives, it brings ducks, geese, swans,
and other birds. They nest near ponds formed from
melting snow. Insects hatch in the tundra in spring and
summer. They provide food for many kinds of birds. The
birds fly south to warmer places when winter returns.
Rosebay willowherb grows
on the Arctic tundra.
There is enough food in the tundra
during spring and summer for snow
geese and other birds.
Musk oxen live on the tundra.
They are closely related to buffalo.
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Life in a Forest
Forest biomes have many trees. You can find
coniferous forests in places with cold, snowy winters and
cool, dry summers. The branches of coniferous trees bend
downward. This forms a cone shape. Snow can slide off
without breaking the branches.
Coniferous trees keep many of their leaves in the
winter. The leaves can survive the cold of winter. Their
shape keeps them from drying out in the cold winter
winds. The leaves are ready to start taking in sunlight as
soon as spring arrives. Their shape allows them to gather
sunlight from almost any direction.
The thin needles of a pine tree can
gather sunlight from most directions.
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Surviving in a Deciduous Forest
In a deciduous forest, trees grow during the warm,
rainy spring and summer. In the fall, these trees shed their
leaves. This helps them to save energy during the cold
winter. A deciduous forest is home to shrubs and other
plants. These grow beneath the trees.
The animals that live in deciduous forests are adapted
to using the trees. Trees provide animals with food and
shelter. For example, birds and squirrels build their nests
in trees. Birds, squirrels, bears, and other animals eat the
fruit and nuts that grow on trees.
Squirrels collect food such
as acorns, nuts, and seeds,
and store it for the winter.
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How Rain Forest Plants Survive
How Rain Forest Animals Survive
One type of rain forest biome has moderate
temperatures and heavy rain in the winter. Coniferous
trees grow high above the forest floor. As with all trees,
the taller a rain forest tree grows, the better chance its
leaves have of absorbing sunlight.
Because of the tall trees, little sunlight reaches the
ground. Plants such as moss, which is adapted to live in
the shade, grow on the tree trunks. Branches and dead
trees cover the ground. Mushrooms and other fungi live
inside the dead trees and other plants. Fungi break down
the dead wood and use it for food.
The spotted owl lives among the branches of rain
forest trees. The branches protect the owl from another
owl that hunts it—the great horned owl. Spotted owls
hunt for squirrels as they fly. The owl can swoop down so
quietly that the squirrel can’t escape. The owl grasps the
squirrel with its sharp talons and carries it away.
Another animal adapted for living in the rain forest
is the flying squirrel. The flying squirrel doesn’t fly like a
bird does. Instead, it glides through the forest as a way
to save energy. The squirrels feed on mushrooms called
truffles, which grow next to the roots of trees.
This temperate rain forest
grows in Washington State’s
Olympic National Park.
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Spotted owls hunt at night in
the rain forest. Their eyes help
them see well in the dark.
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Life in Wet Places
Some water biomes have fresh water and some have
salt water. Some wet biomes have a mixture of fresh and
salt water. Different kinds of plants and animals live in
each of these biomes.
A wetland is a low area that is covered by water for
at least part of the year. Water washes nutrients into the
wetland. This allows plants to grow.
Wetlands are found in coastal areas and inland areas.
Salt water from the ocean flows into coastal wetlands
with the tide. Some living things are able to survive in
salty conditions. Others can survive with only a small
amount of salt. This causes living things to spread out in
different parts of the wetland.
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Surviving in Mud
The mud of a salt marsh is full of life. Worms and
clams are carried into the salt marsh by the tide. Many
tiny living things survive by eating dead plant material in
the mud. These tiny creatures are food for crabs, shrimps,
and snails.
The small animals that live in the marsh are a food
source for many birds. Some shorebirds have adaptations
for finding food in a marsh. Their long legs keep their
bodies above the water as they wade. The special shape
of their feet keeps them upright in the mud. The long,
thin bills of some shorebirds help them dig in the mud.
This shorebird is adapted
to eating the small animals
that live in a salt marsh.
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Surviving in Oceans
Oceans cover a large part of Earth’s surface. Ocean
water is salty. Clams, crabs, algae, and coral live near the
shore. Seabirds find food by flying above the ocean. They
scoop or dive down to the surface to catch their meal.
Forests of algae, called kelp, grow farther out from
shore. Gas-filled “floats” keep the kelp upright in the
water and close to sunlight near the surface.
Many animals live in the kelp forests, including many
fish. Fish and other ocean animals bring oxygen from
the water into their bodies through structures called gills.
Fish can swim quickly due to their slippery surface and
long and narrow shape.
Gas-filled floats keep
these kelp from sinking
to the ocean bottom.
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Some ocean animals breathe through lungs. These
include whales, sea lions, and sea otters. These animals
cannot breathe underwater, so they must come to the
surface for air. Like fish, these animals have bodies that
can move quickly through the water. Fur can slow down
animals in water. Sea lions have short hair instead to help
them move fast. Whales have almost no hair. The thick,
oily fur of sea otters keeps them warm.
A whale surfaces to breathe
(left). Whales keep warm
with blubber.
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Glossary
What did you learn?
1. How does a hummingbird’s bill help it get food?
adaptation
biome
a structure or ability that helps a plant
or animal meet its needs
major areas that have a similar yearround weather pattern and support
similar kinds of living things
desert
a biome that gets very little rain
grassland
a biome that has many grasses and
flowering plants, but few trees
tundra
a cold, dry biome located in the most
northern part of the world and on high
mountains
wetland
a low area that is covered by water at
least part of the year
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2. What adaptation does a porcupine have?
3. Why do only small plants grow in the tundra?
4.
You learned that desert
animals have adaptations for surviving in the heat.
Write a paragraph that describes a black-tailed
jackrabbit looking for food. Consider when and how
the black-tailed jackrabbit searches for food.
5.
Main Idea and Details What is the main idea of
page 20? What are some details that suport the idea?