Niche and adaptationEdexcel International A Level Biology: Mind map

Exam questions on Niche and adaptation

1. A tropical rainforest contains many species of tree frog. Several species live in the same area of forest, but each feeds at a different height in the trees, at different times of the night and on different kinds of insect.
   Explain why several species of tree frog can live in the same area of forest without competing strongly.2 marks
2. The kangaroo rat lives in a hot desert and never drinks. It produces very concentrated urine, spends the day in a cool, humid burrow and searches for seeds at night. The Namib desert beetle stands on a dune crest in the early morning with its body tilted head-downwards, so that fog condenses on its back and runs down to its mouthparts.
   Explain how spending the day in a burrow and searching for food at night reduces water loss in the kangaroo rat.2 marks
3. The fennec fox lives in the Sahara and has very large ears. The Arctic fox lives in northern Canada, where winter temperatures fall to −40 °C, and has small ears and a thick coat. When resting, the Arctic fox curls up with its tail over its nose, and it constricts the blood vessels in the skin of its legs and paws.
   Explain how the difference in ear size is an anatomical adaptation in each fox.3 marks