There are a lot of adaptations of plants and animals to the natural environment. They are surviving and successfully existing because of adaptations. Plants and animals adapting to the large diversity of external factors that different environments provide, but a number of adaptations among species are very different and vary from long neck to seasonal migrations. Following game can give understanding of how adaptations are different depending on impacting factors, species, and environments.

  

RULES

 

Two groups of cards represented here in this game. The first group includes cards with external factors that cause adaptations. These factors are chosen from the large diversity of those as most common and often cause adaptations to it.

 The second group includes cards of adaptations. These adaptations are also chosen as common for different groups of plants and animals. Pictures symbolize different groups of animals that have these adaptations.  

 

The leader of the game (teacher, naturalist) divides participants into groups  (Plants, Insects, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals), and gives out cards with adaptations according to their group. On the square covered by asphalt or floor at the large room, two lines must be made - red on the front and blue behind red. Participants stand in blue line, the leader shows cards of factors one by one. When certain factor appears, participants who have adaptation to it, step forward to the red line. For older participants, it is possible to give them 4-5 cards with adaptations, so they can choose right adaptation and then step forward. Appearing of cards with factors can be repeated to check attention and actions of participants.

 

After the activity, the leader would discuss following questions with all participants:

1. Could you give an example of certain species of plant or animal in your group that use your adaptation(s)?

2. What adaptations did you use for several factors and why?

3. What factors should have the largest amount of adaptations in our game and why?

4. Among showed factors, can you point out ones that only animals have adaptations to it? What do you think, why?

6. Among showed factors, can you point out ones that only plants have adaptations to it? What do you think, why?

7. Besides showed factors, can you generally notice factors that cause only plants’ adaptations?

 

After discussing questions given above, the leader could tell different examples of adaptations to given factors that were the most difficult for participants to react with their adaptation cards. Examples would be like this:

 

1. Many people still think that birds migrating to southern lands because of low temperature. However, the main reason for winter migrants is an absence of food. Those birds which eat only insects, or frogs, or snails, or fish, couldn’t find all mentioned food in the area that usually covered by snow and ice. Moreover, most insects live just in summer. Some insect-eaters, however, adapting to cold winters by changing their ration from insects to seeds and nuts. Regarding low temperature, most winter migrants can easily survive in cold weather; 

 

2. Seasonal migration of birds is one of the most comprehensive and complicated adaptations. Birds can keep flying the right way using their feeling of geomagnetic fields, looking for Sun, stars, and such landmarks as rivers and mountain ridges. In most cases, birds return to same wintering place and same nesting area every year with unbelievable accuracy; 

 

3. Birds and mammals use sharp claws and teeth for hunting and extraction of food much often than for defending from predators or neighboring competitor animal of the same species;

 

4. The bright color of reptiles and amphibians are telling predators that those species are poisonous, but same or similar bright colors of birds are not!