Question

Animals evolved certain traits in order to adapt to their environments. These traits inform their life histories such as where the species lives, what it eats, and how it behaves. Explain at least two anatomical differences between amphibians and reptiles which explain their very different relationships to water. Explain two anatomical features that would shed light on the life history of a bird species, such as what it eats, where it lives, or any other feature. Explain the anatomical feature that would most help a scientist trying to figure out what kind of food a mammal species eats.

Answer 1

1.

Amphibians during larval stages breathe through the gills ,later they develop lungs

Amphibians had external fertilization ,sperm had to swim through water to reach the eggs

Moist and thin skin helps for cutaneous breathing while moving in water,

Reptiles breath through the lungs only .

Reptiles internal fertilization

Reptiles had scales skin which prevents them from drying out.

2.

Many of the bones presant in the birds are naturally fused to reduce mass and streamlined body which enables them to fly ,their four chambered heart helps to get more oxygen.

Birds have well-developed brains and keen eyesight. In order to fly, they must show very quick reactions

Beaks are one of the most distinctive characteristics and they are widely varied by the evolutionary adaptation,they find the food by having specially adapted legs and beaks ,

Longer beaks helps to catch more food ,as the adaptation precedes the birds develop different beaks depending on the environment around and food source that is availabile,eagles have sharp beak to eat food

Some birds undergo behavioural adaptation that is migration in order to survive in certain climatic conditions

in summer gray whales are found in alaska,in fall the ocean becomes colder they swim towards south .

they undergo structural adaptation ,which allows them to survive int he certain environment .

3.

What kind of food eaten by the mammalian species can be identified by studying the teeth and bones ,By looking at the size and shape of a teethand the elements presant in the bones upon analysis, scientists can say about the diet they had taken.

Study of the digestive system helped to know the diet,Herbivores requires a large intestinal tract as the vegetation is very harder to digest than meat,carnivores had small intestinal tract compared to that of herbivores.