Select the incorrect option with respect to the adaptations seen in organisms.
Select the incorrect option with respect to the adaptations seen in organisms.
The correct option is A Desert lizard – Bask in sun and absorb heat, this is a physiological adaptation to increase the body temperature
In order to survive in the harsh environmental conditions, many organisms rely on adaptations which can be categorised as morphological, physiological and behavioural.
OPTION A: Desert lizards are unable to maintain a constant internal body temperature by physiological means. However, they maintain a constant body temperature via behavioural means. When the desert becomes too hot during the day, it hides in shady places to keep itself cool. Whereas when the temperatures fall below its comfort zone, especially during the winter, it basks in the sun to keep itself warm.
Therefore, option a is an incorrect option as basking in the sun and absorbing heat to raise the body temperature is a behavioural adaptation but not physiological adaptation.
OPTION B: Allen’s rule describes a morphological adaptation in animals stating that mammals living in colder climates adapt to the surroundings by having shorter extremities (limbs and ears). This helps them to reduce heat loss from the body.
OPTION C: The stomata in most desert plants remain closed during the day to prevent transpiration. This can interfere with the plant’s photosynthetic ability as plants take in carbon dioxide via the stomatal pores. Hence, these plants follow a specialised photosynthetic pathway known as the Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) pathway that allows the stomata to be closed during the day, without hampering the process of photosynthesis.
OPTION D: As we move to higher altitudes, the density of gases in air decreases gradually. Due to this the availability of oxygen at higher altitudes is less. This causes people, moving to places at higher elevations, to initially experience difficulty in breathing, dizziness, etc.
The feeling however passes with time and an individual gets adapted. This is due to some physiological adaptations that the body undergoes to adjust to the less availability of oxygen in the air. For short term relief, the rate of breathing is increased so that more oxygen can be inhaled per minute. The affinity of haemoglobin towards oxygen is also reduced to allow faster dissociation of the oxyhaemoglobin complex near the tissues. A long-term adaptation is the increase in the number of red blood cells to increase the transport of available oxygen to the tissues.
Hence, tribes living in high altitudes of Himalayas have a higher RBC count than the people living in the plains.
In order to survive in the harsh environmental conditions, many organisms rely on adaptations which can be categorised as morphological, physiological and behavioural.
OPTION A: Desert lizards are unable to maintain a constant internal body temperature by physiological means. However, they maintain a constant body temperature via behavioural means. When the desert becomes too hot during the day, it hides in shady places to keep itself cool. Whereas when the temperatures fall below its comfort zone, especially during the winter, it basks in the sun to keep itself warm.
Therefore, option a is an incorrect option as basking in the sun and absorbing heat to raise the body temperature is a behavioural adaptation but not physiological adaptation.
OPTION B: Allen’s rule describes a morphological adaptation in animals stating that mammals living in colder climates adapt to the surroundings by having shorter extremities (limbs and ears). This helps them to reduce heat loss from the body.
OPTION C: The stomata in most desert plants remain closed during the day to prevent transpiration. This can interfere with the plant’s photosynthetic ability as plants take in carbon dioxide via the stomatal pores. Hence, these plants follow a specialised photosynthetic pathway known as the Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) pathway that allows the stomata to be closed during the day, without hampering the process of photosynthesis.
OPTION D: As we move to higher altitudes, the density of gases in air decreases gradually. Due to this the availability of oxygen at higher altitudes is less. This causes people, moving to places at higher elevations, to initially experience difficulty in breathing, dizziness, etc.
The feeling however passes with time and an individual gets adapted. This is due to some physiological adaptations that the body undergoes to adjust to the less availability of oxygen in the air. For short term relief, the rate of breathing is increased so that more oxygen can be inhaled per minute. The affinity of haemoglobin towards oxygen is also reduced to allow faster dissociation of the oxyhaemoglobin complex near the tissues. A long-term adaptation is the increase in the number of red blood cells to increase the transport of available oxygen to the tissues.
Hence, tribes living in high altitudes of Himalayas have a higher RBC count than the people living in the plains.
