How do plants and animals adapt to their environment?

Level: Secondary

If you are looking for New Zealand based information, like how different plants and animals have adapted to live in New Zealand's unique environment, then Te Ara is a very useful website.

1. Click on 'The Bush'. We want this section because it has information on all the plants and animals of New Zealand.
2. Now click on 'Understanding the Natural World'.
3. Next is 'Evolution of Plants and Animals'.
4. Click on 'The Full Story' on the left hand side.

The Science Learning Hub is one of our favourite websites to look at for the answers to all kinds of scientific questions. Do a search for 'adaptation' in the search bar at the top. If you are looking for a specific plant or animal then you can use that animals name as your keyword as well. For example, type in 'tuatara adaptations' to find information about how the tuatara has adapted to life in New Zealand.

HOT TIP: We chose Te Ara and the Science Learning Hub because they’re either from a government organisation OR a reputable organisation. You can tell this by their web address – they have either .org or .govt in their address. They’re also New Zealand sites, so relevant for us.

Another place to look is Wikipedia which has great coverage of many topics, including adaptation. But you need to be aware that this information is contributed by lots of different people. If you are using this site, it always pays to check the information against that on other sites or in books from the library.

For more details information you can explore the EPIC databases. A really good place to look is Science In Context. Use your search terms 'animal adaptations' or change the terms to suite what kind of adaptation you are looking for.

HOT TIP: To get to the EPIC databases you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or, you can log on to AnyQuestions.co.nz between 1 and 6pm Monday to Friday, and one of the librarians can help you online.

Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.

A really useful website for NCEA students is Study It. From here you can choose your year level, topic and achievement standard and get a whole lot of tips about how to study. It will even give you some great revision websites for your topic. There is a section about how to study for your Evolution unit standard if you select 'Biology', 'Level Three' then 'Patterns of Evolution'.

Last but not least, check out our Many Answers entry on Tuatara Adaptations!