Name: Characteristics of Temperate Grasslands
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 2 min 26 s
Description: Temperate grasslands are characterised as having grasses as the dominant vegetation. Trees and large shrubs are absent. Temperatures vary more from summer to winter. Learn more in this video.

Question

Differentiate between adaptation and acclimatisation.

Accepted Answer

The major differences between adaptation and acclimatisation are listed below:

Characteristic feature Adaptation Acclimatisation

Definition The presence of specific features or certain habits, which enable a plant or an animal to live in its surroundings, is called adaptation. The changes which happen in the body of a single organism over a short duration; due to sudden changes in its surroundings is called acclimatisation.

Example The camel has many adaptive traits for their life in the desert. They have wide feet for walking in sand. They have long eyelashes and thin, slit nostrils that they can close to protect them from blowing sand. When a person (who lives in the plains) goes to a mountain, he may experience difficulty in breathing initially. Within a couple of days, he would begin to breathe normally because his body learns to make adjustments.

Differentiate between adaptation and acclimatisation.

ROOTS: the roots of lotus plants are reduced in size and the main function of the roots is to hold the plant in its place.
STEMS: the stems of lotus plants is soft, flexible, long, and hollow from the inside. This helps the plant to withstand against water currents.
LEAVES: the leaves are large and have a waxy coating that makes their surface waterproof and prevents them from rotting. The stomata are located on the upper surface of the leaves

Important Questions on Habitat and Adaptation

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