BLOG 6 – FORAGING BEHAVIOR AND THE NATURE AROUND ME

The foraging theory studies how animals forage or search for their food to be able to survive. It is a branch of behavioral ecology or ethoecology which is the study of the evolutionary and ecological basis for the animal’s behavior and how it adapts to its environment.

Foraging Behavior, as stated earlier, is the manner on how animals search for their food. There are two groups where an animal can belong according to how it forages, namely foraging specialists and the foraging generalists. As the name implies, foraging specialists are selective in the food they consume. Meaning, they only eat a certain species like most herbivores do, except those which consume a variety of plants. Some examples of food specialists are koalas which only eat eucalyptus leaves, lynx which eats snowshoe hares and some insect species that eat a single plants species. On the other hand, the other category is the opposite of the food specialists. This group eats a variety of food, from different kinds of plants to meat or any type of either plant or meat. Omnivores, those who eat both plants and animals, are usually generalists. Some examples of the animals belonging to this group are opossums which eat from insects and berries to garbage, humans who eat a variety of plants and animals, raccoons which eat berries, insects, eggs and small animals and many more.

The Optimal Foraging Theory

Natural selection favored the maximized consumption of energy through foraging in the shortest time possible. This is referred to as Optimal Foraging. The Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT) predicts the foraging behavior to determine the optimal forager’s behavior. An optimal forager is an organism that can efficiently maximize food intake. It was first proposed by Robert MacArthur together with Eric Pianka and another paper proposed by J. Meritt Emten. OFT is an idea in ecology based on the study of foraging behavior that states the organism’s forage in a manner of acquiring much calories or any nutrient needed in the least time possible. The theory also explains how animals decide what to eat and why they choose it.

Fig. 1. Model of Optimal Foraging Theory

Fig.2 An Example of Optimal Foraging Theory

One Youtube video taken by David Attenborough shows how a certain animal managed to cope with its environment. The video contained how the crow efficiently used its surrounding, a city, to be able to lessen the energy spent to acquire the crow’s needed nutrients. Carrying a nut, the crow dropped it on the road and waited for vehicles to pass by and eventually crack it open; doing so, the crow was successful in preventing loss of too much energy trying to crack the shell of the nut. Now the nest challenge, how can the crow safely consume the cracked nut? Well, our little crow had that in min, too. It made sure that the nut will be dropped in a pedestrian lane, so that when the green light flashes, it would go towards the crack nut and eats it. A very fascinating way on how the crow adapted to the city life of Japan.

Another video, also found in Youtube, is about the BBC’s Planet Earth─Unique Dolphin Hunting Technique. The dolphins were able to reach the shore where food is easier to find by riding the waves. Thus, saves them energy rather than swimming in the vast ocean in search of food. Tail-slapping is the technique dolphins use to stun their pray and consume it. But due to the shallow waters, it doesn’t seem to work. Instead it resorted to gaining some speed and hiding and waiting for its prey. The momentum of its speed enabled them to get close to its prey and eventually consumes it. 

  

Assumptions of OFT

Predators usually select the most fruitful prey; however it is not always abundant to the environment so they resort in eating other prey types that may be easier to find. Energy is not the only nutritional requirement after all. Variation allows a more sufficient diet for the predators themselves.

There are some assumptions offered by the OFT. First, due to Darwins’ theory of evolution, the individual’s contribution to the next generation is based on how it searches for food. Second, there should be inheritance of foraging behavior from parent to offspring. Lastly, the currency of fitness which is the relationships between foraging behavior and fitness.

Models associated with OFT

There are 3 main models based on the rate of maximization explained by the OFT. The first one is the Marginal Value Theory or Patch choice theory. Animals encounter patches of food when they travel. The longer the time the animal spends in the patch, the lesser energy or nutrients it gains. This results to the animal moving to a new patch when the rate of gain on a patch equals the maximum rate of gain. Thus, the more the animal moves from patch to patch the higher the nutrients it gains. When the profitability of patch equals the profitability of the average patch and time for search or travels to a new patch this is the time the animal should leave the patch and search for another. The formula for this is stated below:

dE (h) / dh = E (h) / (s+h)

wherein:

·         energy (E) à acquired net calories by consuming prey

• Handling time (h) time consumed form capturing to digesting
• Search time (s) encounters of items of same food type; ease of locating it.

The second model is the Contingency theory or Prey Choice Model which is the selective way of acquiring food. As stated earlier, a predator does not always eat what’s in front of it. For example, shorecrabs eat muscles that are small instead of trying to crack a large muscle with hard shells. Thus, saves energy and increase their net food intake. The variables used in this model are the same as the ones used in the patch use model although there is an added variable. That variable is T which corresponds to the total time foraging (sum of searching and handling times). The formula for the model is:

IF  E₂/h₂ > E₁/(s₁+h₁)

Then the animal should eat food type no. 2 (E2). When there is abundance in food, the animal can be choosier on what it eats. In nature, the model does not exactly apply but is close.

The last model is the Central Place Foraging which means that the food the animal finds is being brought to its storage site or to its offspring. This is commonly observed in birds which deliver worms to their young. Examples of animals that deliver it to the storage site are bees that store collected nectar in their hive.

 Foraging tactics

            Organisms in nature have developed different foraging tactics to more efficiently gather and consume the nutrients they need for survival. There are three major tactics used by animals depending of the tropic level and food type. The different animals are grouped under croppers, active hunters and sit-and-wait hunters. In croppers, the most common foraging tactic makes use of the density of food supply; time and energy devoted to ingesting and digesting the food; less effort in search or capture; ensures high quantity of low quality foods and animals mostly under this group are herbivores and filter feeders. The second group are active hunters. Unlike croppers they use food in low density, patchy or difficult to catch; time and energy devoted to capture or search; less energy use in ingesting and digesting; low quantity of high quality and they mostly compose of mammalian carnivores and frugivorous primates. Last but not the least, the sit-and-wait hunter, which is the least common among the three, uses dense and mobile food; little energy to any component of foraging except capture and digestion; very low quantity of high quality food offset by very low costs as to croppers and active hunters and those organisms included in this group are some predatory fish, ant lions and web spiders.

The foraging tactics in video 1 are active hunters. (Note: Video 2-4 are not working).

Functional Responses

            Functional responses explain how the consumption rate of an individual changes with respect to resource density. Holling identified three types of functional response namely type 1, type 2 and type 3. Type I (linear) response in which the attack rate of the individual consumer increases linearly with prey density but then suddenly reaches a constant value when the consumer is satiated. Type II (cyrtoid) functional response in which the attack rate increases at a decreasing rate with prey density until it becomes constant at satiation. Cyrtoid behavioral responses are typical of predators that specialize on one or a few prey. For example, small mammals destroy most of gypsy moth pupae in sparse populations of gypsy moth. Type III (sigmoid) functional response in which the attack rate accelerates at first and then decelerates towards satiation. Sigmoid functional responses are typical of generalists natural enemies which readily switch from one food species to another and/or which concentrate their feeding in areas where certain resources are most abundant. For example, many predators respond to kairomones (chemicals emitted by prey) and increase their activity. Polyphagous vertebrate predators (e.g., birds) can switch to the most abundant prey species by learning to recognize it visually. 

                Holling (1959) suggested a model of functional response which remains most popular among ecologists. This model is often called "disc equation" because Holling used paper discs to simulate the area examined by predators. This model illustrates the principal of time budget in behavioral ecology. It assumes that a predator spends its time on 2 kinds of activities namely searching for prey and prey handling which includes chasing, killing, eating and digesting.

            Numerical response means that predators become more abundant as prey density increases. The most simple model of predator's numerical response is based on the assumption that reproduction rate of predators is proportional to the number of prey consumed. This is like conversion of prey into new predators. For example, as 10 prey species are consumed, a new predator is born. Aggregational response is better than "numerical response" because it is not ambiguous. Aggregational response was shown to be very important for several predator-prey systems. Predators selected for biological control of insect pests should have a strong aggregational response. Otherwise they would not be able to suppress prey populations. Also, aggregational response increases the stability of the spatially-distributed predator-prey (or host-parasite) system.

THE NATURE AROUND ME

For an organism to survive, it needs to acquire its lost nutrients through the process of food consumption. Nature offered us with fascinating ways on how various organisms search, capture and consume their prey. Because of man’s curiosity, we have developed different concepts regarding them. I remember once I was watching my son and playmates play with the spiders when about 3 years ago. I recall they the spiders on a stick and the rest was up to them. Of course, in a match there is always a winner or a loser, too bad for the loser because it had to be tied up and enclosed in its foe’s web. It’s a way how spiders adapt to the environment so that they won’t lose much of their energy in immobilizing their prey simply by wrapping them up. My son placed the winning spider and the losing one in the matchbox and he told me that the spider will drink up all that is inside the spider and only the skin will be left. After a few time passed, we checked it out and indeed the web and the skin only remained, though I did not bother to touch it.

Another usual experience I always observe is the case of a lizard waiting for something on the ceiling. Different kinds of insects, especially small ones, tend to gather round in any source of light such as light bulbs. The lizard patiently waits for the right moment to stick its tongue out and have itself a meal. Eventually, of course, it did because there are many insects along the area. I noticed that it decided to go to a place where it would acquire most of the nutrients it needed. Being cautious and making its best efforts not to alarm the insects so that they won’t fly away, it was able to take in nutrients with it expending not too much energy. Same goes when we take our lunch at around 1 pm during weekends that we just see the lizards coming out and looking at us while we eat. Being pitiful about it, we would try some unusual things to happen- pinch off a small part of our food and give it to the lizard. This was possible when the lizard fell down from the ceiling to catch for some food in our table. Trying to place the food very near the lizard caused them to crawl fast, so, we decided to throw it near them. Sometimes only one would eat, sometimes the lizard would bring the food to its companion and eat together. There is one though, which has become accustomed to living with humans. It can actually come near us or near our plates. Every time we see it trying to find the remains of our food in the plate, we will all wait and then laugh. Why? It is because the plate is really close to us, yet, the lizard conquers its fear. The lizard’s nature, as I see it, comes to a place where it can find food mostly in large amounts.

In both experiences, I’ve learned that organisms have different ways of foraging techniques that help them acquire the nutrients they need. They choose the best way possible to consume and catch their prey by expending the least energy possible, as explained by the optimal foraging theory.  Because of this, the science of behavioral ecology grows more and more as time passes by due to the adaptive mechanisms every organism develops to survive their environment. 

BLOG 5 - INTERACTIONS

Biological interactions generally deal with the relationships and interactions of organisms with each other and its environment. Interaction is fundamental as every organism responds to a stimulus, and is indispensible for these interactions can dictate an organism’s survival (and existence in the long run); therefore, an organism’s interaction to its non-living and living environment is vital to it and makes this organism a part of an ecosystem. Interactions also make an ecosystem be what it is, an ecological community together with its environment, functioning as a unit.

The definition of a biological interaction in ecology is ‘the relationship between two species in an ecosystem’. It describes interactions in the ecosystem level, as this is the basic unit in ecology.  This relationship among two species need not always be direct; as components of an ecosystem are shared and can connect to one another, any factor may serve as an intermediary between two species’ interaction.

These biological interactions can be classified into two groups/categories. The first category refers to the quality of benefit or harm in terms of the fitness experienced by the organisms interacting, and includes different combinations of interactions. These are the interactions categorized by effect. The second category, the interactions by mechanism, is where the focus is on nature of the interaction between organisms in relation to their fitness.

            Interaction is a concept anyone can witness happening at every moment. Our  dog Gagay has been infested with ticks and fleas for five months now, and I observed the concept of parasitism infesting our pet, walking around the house, always scratching using his hind leg. One tick was situated around Gagay’s ear area and it stayed there for a long time until it grew to be bigger than usual. The ticks had taken in much blood and Gagay was irritated all day long.

                                                                  Our Pet  "Gagay"

            For vegetarians like one of my students who will always share to me that she sees predation happening everyday. As she sees her friends eat meat, she will tell me that “they consume another living species”. This again happened during the weekend last week when the whole batch of my students had an overnight activity in Calauan, Laguna.  As we took our breakfast, lunch and dinner I would always look at her because I knew she ate the vegetable dish only. I sounded “bad” when I whispered to her that “as you eat vegetables, you exhibit herbivory, consuming autotroph”. She just laughed anyway. Sometimes I can’t help but react but I have to understand her because she is a vegetarian.

            To speak in greater depth, a very prominent example of parasitism I observe is when some of my students are dependent on other classmates for assignments, drills and exercises. Of course, I never tolerate that but the reality is that when their papers are checked, I can always see exactly the same answers and mistakes. The one who shares the assignment (that will depend on the person if he/she will count it as being negatively affected), and the parasite-classmate gains a point. This happens all the time, I suppose.

            As I snorkeled in Puerto Galera once (with my family), I saw schools of different fishes rush to the bread crumbs being fed to them, and felt the desperation of each fish to get even the smallest crumb. In Palawan when I attended the BIOTA conference last year, I could observe the desperation of opportunistic monkeys in obtaining food. I teased two monkeys with the chocolate I held in my hand. I thought at first they would do nothing but stare, but after I took a picture of them and turned around, one monkey jumped and grabbed the chocolate from my hand! I saw the jealous look of the monkey that was with it.

In a field trip at the Manila Ocean Park, I observed in their large aquarium a very beautiful, bizarre symbiosis. Who knew a fish and a giant turtle could be best friends? Their symbiotic relationship was surprising, because I observed them circling around the whole aquarium together, with the fish on top of the turtle’s back all throughout their movement. After around two rounds, I saw the fish, this time, beneath the turtle, as if carrying it on its back! This shows a very cute exhibition of commensalism.

In the forestry staff housing when I visited a friend, I observed much biodiversity: ranging from the smallest of ants, cockroaches, fireflies, gigantic spiders to the largest of lizards on the ceiling. And all are interacting at that very moment.

BLOG 4 - HABITAT USE

As I learned from the article by Krausmann, habitats are defined as the resources and conditions present in an area or the sum of the specific resources needed by organisms (Thomas 1979) that produce occupancy, including survival and reproduction, by a given organism.  Such resources include food, cover, water, and special factors (Leopold 1933).  It follows that wherever an organism is provided with resources that allow it to survive, that is habitat. 

A few months back, along Puypuy, Bay, Laguna area, everybody was so excited to see the newly-constructed BASF Agricultural Research Foundation Research Facility. From a manufacturer of the first synthetic dyes in 1865, BASF has developed into a leading global chemical company producing a comprehensive range of chemical products. BASF's chemicals products are used in a wide range of industries, e.g. agriculture, textile, leather, automotive, construction, electrical appliances and electronics, paper, food, feed, cosmetics, printing and packaging. Particularly in Bay, Laguna, the Research facility was constructed to serve as the laboratory for testing pesticides/insecticides. The residents of Puypuy can not complain at all since the new building is already there and without saying a word, they just breathe the bad air brought about by the smell of the pesticide. This bad smell or air pollution, may cause upper respiratory infection or perhaps, aggravate the condition of some residents with asthma.  Not only that, but the possible leak of the pesticide in the water pipes of the baranggay may easily affect the health of all the residents living near the area. Also, upon application of the pesticide, foreign or non-native plant and animal species, AKA exotic species may be  introduced in the area which can compete with and even replace the original, native species there. This creation of a new environment for exotic species may even lead to a worse effect because the species may even give more harm to the residents of the baranggay. The key concept I apply here which I learned from one of the modules I have read is habitat use.

As defined in Krausmann’s article, “habitat use is the way an animal uses the physical and biological resources in a habitat”. For sure, the introduction of new species in the area via the use of pesticides, will give the species a new habitat where these species can freely evolve and adapt. However, their introduction will greatly affect all the other species thriving in the area. For one, these new species will compete simultaneously with the original species in terms of the use of physical and biological resources such as food, home, etc. As mentioned in the article, habitat may be used for foraging, cover, nesting, escape, denning, or other life history traits.  An area used for foraging may be comprised of  the same physical characteristics used for cover, denning, or both (Litvaitis et al. 1996). The effect will be the decreased percentage of survival and reproduction of the original species. Also, the introduction of the new species is based on their habitat selection because the environment the species will use as a habitat provides them for cover availability, forage quality and quantity, and resting or denning sites.

Having realized the effect of the facility on the people, I found myself very enthusiastic to possibly work on making a research proposal on the Impact Assessment of the facility. And perhaps, whatever good results I obtain, I will furnish the local government of Bay a copy so that the issue/problem may be addressed properly. Of course, this is a wishful thinking having to consider the budget in accomplishing the report.

BLOG 3 - RESOURCES AND CONDITIONS

I live in Anos, Los Banos, Laguna and I always travel via my car when I go to my workplace and when I bring my youngest to Maquiling School. In order not to experience the heavy traffic in the crossing area, I make it a point to find an alternative route, and this is taking the Jamboree road. As I drive through this road with my daughter, I always appreciate the wonders of God’s creation. I get to see the beauty of Mt. Makiling as I start driving from PCARRD to UPLB. I feel the fresh air and I see the diversity of plant species there. I really enjoy looking at the tall trees that abound the whole road. I appreciate what a great source of resources Mt. Makiling is to a variety of organisms. For example, along the area of the Magnetic Hill, I get to see residents wash their clothes via the water that comes from the mountain. Mt. Makiling is also an important habitat/home for many animals.  I get to realize this everyday when I pass by the area!

When I took my MA in Environmental Education, my thesis involved Mt. Makiling so since then, Mt. Makiling  has had a soft spot in my heart. Having been exposed to environmental issues due to my graduate courses, it has been my habit to observe the environment and find solutions to every problem I see and witness. A particular problem that prevails along the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve is deforestation. As I pass the road, I observe the proliferation of many residents squatting in the place which is a proof that much of the area has undergone deforestation. Not only used as a residential area, most of the areas are utilized to plant some crops which serve as the  residents’ sources of food and income. The evidence to this is the area where I see many residents selling backyard crops like fruits (papaya, mango, banana, buko) and vegetables (string beans, raddish, ampalaya). Since I am a lover of fruits and vegetables for my diet, I habitually stop along one of the stores there to buy. However, as I interact with the people living there, there is this question in my mind, “For how long are they going to live there since  they are just squatter residents there?” It really goes to say that the resources in Mt. Makiling must be very abundant making many people reside there for a longer time.  This is an example of how human activities affect the organisms and this is the key concept that I learned from Module 3. As I may be a true environmentalist, I never stop of thinking ways on how to solve partially the problem of deforestation in Mt. Makiling. As residents may not be totally relocated, some important “bald” areas should totally undergo reforestation. For a fact, reforestation will take a long process and perhaps years will be considered for one to say that the area has undergone reforestation. To speed up the reforestation procedure, dormancy in the seeds to be planted should be broken. By understanding the ecology of dormancy among dormant plants, it will be easy to think of possible measures or ways to induce the process. From Module 1, dormancy is defined as a state or a period of temporary metabolic inactivity or minimal activity. Dormancy tends to be closely associated with environmental conditions. Seasonal dormancy may be a valid way of colonizing an environment beyond tolerance ranges.

In plants, dormancy generally occurs in response to adverse growing conditions. For example: perennial plants going dormant during cold period or grass going dormant in intense heat. Growth stops to conserve energy until better conditions take place. This happens naturally as seasons and weather change. For some reasons, dormancy can also be artificially controlled. This is  to store plants for shipping or to get them to flower for particular holidays. In animals, dormancy takes place when growth, development, and physical activity are temporarily stopped. This is to minimize metabolic activity and therefore helps an organism to conserve energy.

Proven as effective, from my readings in biology journals, Trichoderma is one microorganism that is able to break the dormancy of some important plants. I maybe ambitious, but perhaps, I can explore on this and look for some dormant plants that can thrive in the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve for the rehabilitation, conservation and preservation of this national park.

BLOG 2 - HOW THE ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS THE ORGANISMS

An environment consists all the living and non-living things that occur naturally on Earth. As part of the living components of the environment, we observe a variety and variability of different life forms on Earth. These life forms include all plants, animals, protists, bacteria and fungi that naturally live and grow on the Earth as well as their habitats and all of the natural processes of which they are a part. Of course, I can not see all of these organisms unless I use a microscope for the microscopic ones. We recognize the presence of a diverse group of organisms as our life support system because it provides everything we need in order to survive. Such support includes the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the medicines that we take to keep us strong and healthy. Important abiotic components that have a profound influence on the organisms in order to survive and sustain existence include temperature, light intensity, concentration of oxygen, carbon dioxide, wind exposure, availability of chemicals, soil type, etc.

In the advent of global industrialization, we expect the proliferation of many establishments all over the parts of the globe. In Laguna, industrialization continues to dominate some areas of the locality affecting the rate at which the organisms operate at maximum efficiency. For example, the construction of SM outlets in Calamba and San Pablo City and the nearly to be finished Health Serve Hospital in Los Banos, Laguna will contribute to pollution all over the Laguna Lake. I really appreciate looking at these buildings as I see them along the stretches of Calamba, San Pablo and Los Banos. Moreso, I experience the happiness everytime my family and I visit these places and explore what is inside. These establishments may not be as large as SM North Edsa or SM MOA, though. Just recently, my family had a hop from SM Sta. Rosa to SM Calamba and to SM San Pablo. We really enjoyed doing this stuff but when we took our dinner at a fastfood chain in SM Pablo where we had the last stop, I could not help but think about the wastes of the food chain as the crew was holding the trash bag full of trash for disposal. I even asked my kids, “where will such wastes be thrown?” My kids were so sensitive about this and we shared the same concern. Then, while eating, we had an educational discussion about the problem, particularly on water pollution. My kids and husband were laughing at me because, I, being a teacher dominated the discussion. Of course, I had to capitalize on that so that they would all listen to me and learn from me. Then, I started sharing to them bits of information about water pollution. I told them that though some solid waste materials may be recycled, the non-biodegradable stuff will just pile up in an area where they are deposited. And since this part of the year that we are still under the effect of the La Nina phenomenon, much of the non-biodegradable stuff will flow to Laguna Lake resulting to increased water pollution. I continued telling them that the accumulation of wastes on the water surface decreases the rate at which aquatic photosynthetic life forms may perform photosynthesis. Except for my eleven-year old kid, my two boys and my husband understood completely what I said. It was actually a fast discussion while we had our dinner. In between my sharing would be some laughter because I mentioned not so familiar words in Biology. They teased me for being so “scientific”. We went home with some questions at the back of my kids’ minds. True enough, when we were at home, my high school son insisted that I explain more about water pollution.
Not all people would know that due to water pollution, the aquatic organisms’s ability to survive is restricted and this tolerance limit restricts the organisms to operate more efficiently. The key concept here that I learned from Module 1 is “Limit to Tolerance”. Covering the surface of the water with such non-biodegradable waste materials will cause decreased dissolved oxygen since there is no chance that sunlight penetrates down the waters. Due to this, some organisms down below may be killed. This kind of abiotic environment has an effect on other organisms which may thrive in the place. It is because the biodeterioration or biodegradation of solid wastes is not complete since the enzymes of microbial communities that feed on its residues cannot cause its disappearance or conversion into another compound. Sewage and waste-waters such as the effluent from bathrooms, kitchens, laboratories, laundries and clinics which also add to the water pollution. In addition, the sewage effluent from industrial wastes discharged to sewer will lead to accumulation of heavy metals in important aquatic animals. All these physical and chemical variables are important in order to evaluate the ability of important organisms to survive.

On my part, as I realize that industrialization and urbanization can not be controlled if only for the improvement of the economy of our country, perhaps an action I will do is to solve this environmental issue on water pollution by coming up with a research on a kind of microorganism which has the ability to degrade important solid wastes in Laguna Lake, thus improving water quality and maintaining an aquatic environment that will favour the growth and survival of the aquatic life forms.

Understanding and Appreciating the Principles of Ecology

Understanding and Appreciating The Principles of Ecology

by LEA C. GARCIA

Bio 260 Advanced Ecology

Animals’ lives are shaped by basic needs. In order to survive, animals need to reproduce themselves, protect them from their enemies and to find food. These needs are obtained as long as there are interactions among the animals and other factors in the environment and maintaining the interaction means that there is balance of nature.

Animals live in a variety of unique environments. To survive in many of these environments, animals have adapted both behaviourally and physically. The key concepts here are adaptation and survival. Animals adapt to the environment in order to survive. As I learned about this, I get to appreciate some feeding and protective behaviours of animals through direct observation at home and at the Wildlife Zafari Zoo during the school’s field trip or through film strip presentation at the National Geographic channel.

A variety of feeding behaviours of animals can be considered merely by direct observation. Flies and mosquitoes have this long structure (proboscis) extended to pick up the food and suck up blood, respectively. Dogs have sharp teeth to tear food and to protect themselves and cats have whiskers to serve as "feelers," telling the animal whether or not it can fit into a specific area and also these whiskers are use for food-searching.  Birds have wings and fish have scales for movement and protection, respectively.

As I observed some of the animals at the Zafari Zoo, I realized that animals adapt either physically or behaviourally. From readings, an animal adapts physically if there is a structural modification to a part of the body while an animal that adapts behaviourally is something an animal does – how it acts - usually in response to some type of external stimulus. By looking at the animals, I could easily see some of its adaptations - like what it is able to eat, how it moves, or how it may protect itself. Different animals have many different ways of trying to stay alive. Their adaptations are matched to their way of surviving. Each group of animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) has its own general adaptations.

Physical and behavioural adaptations fall into three categories: body parts, body coverings, and behaviours. Some body parts for adaptation that I observed in the animals at the Zoo are the sharp claws of the lion, sharp teeth of the tigers for tearing and chewing of food and for defense, large beaks of birds like macaw for food getting. For the body coverings, I observed some animals such as the tiger with striped fur and the leopard with spotted fur both for camouflage, brightly colored feathers of ostriches, potbellies, wild boars and guinea fowls which they use for camouflage, defense, and mating, scales of snakes, crocodiles, lizards, iguanas, turtles and a lot more cold blooded animals for protection. How the animals respond to any stimulus is the specific behaviour one gets to observe.

Also at the Zoo, I got to observe that there are animals that have evolved their adaptations. This means a long period of slow change resulted in an animal's adaptation(s). For example, the spots on the leopard did not emerge overnight. Instead, this process took generation upon generation of leopard physically adapting to their environment for characteristic spot patterns to evolve. As I observed these leopards, I noticed that there are more leopards with spot patterns than those without spots. This allowed the longer surviving leopards to reproduce and create more leopards with spot patterns like their own. Indeed, this process of change over time is the key to how many organisms develop adaptations. Some adaptations can arise quickly through genetic mutations; these mutations also maybe deadly.

From the National Geographic Channel, I got to see that snakes have the Jacobson’s organ deep inside the mouth for detecting odors.  Woodpeckers use their hard, chisellelike beaks to search for food. Catfish have whiskerlike sensory organs called barbels that sift through mud and sand to find food.  For defense with some animals that rely on their camouflage to avoid predators, some camouflage may include having coloring that blends into the background or having a shape that resembles that of another object. Some insects such as butterflies are brightly colored and stand out from their surroundings.  A rattlesnake’s rattling noise is part of its defense against attackers.

All these things are what Ecology is all about. It is the science that deals with how organisms relate to other organisms and how the organisms relate to their environment. Ecology explains many life processes and adaptations. Adaptation is the evolutionary process whereby a population becomes better suited to its habitat. This process takes place over many generations, and is one of the basic phenomena of biology. The term adaptation may also refer to a feature which is especially important for an organism's survival. Learning about ecology becomes more meaningful as the concept of natural selection comes in. It is because such adaptations of animals to the environment  are produced in a variable population by the better suited forms reproducing more successfully, that is, by natural selection. Therefore, as organisms interact with one another, natural selection provides an adaptive mechanism for an evolutionary change in populations.