Exam Tips: Competition and Adaptations

Always link feature to function: Never just name an adaptation — always explain HOW it improves survival. "The polar bear has white fur" scores 0 marks. "The polar bear has white fur which provides camouflage against the snow, allowing it to ambush prey more effectively" scores the mark. The examiner needs to see the survival advantage.

Use the word "inherited": When explaining what adaptations are, use the word "inherited" — this shows you understand that adaptations are genetic traits passed from parents to offspring, not acquired during an individual's lifetime. This is a key mark-scoring word in adaptation definition questions.

Know the difference between intra- and interspecific: Intraspecific competition is between individuals of the same species (they compete for identical resources). Interspecific competition is between different species. Intraspecific is always more intense — this is a frequently examined one-mark point.

Give three examples for three marks: Adaptation questions often ask for multiple examples. Prepare one structural, one behavioural, and one functional adaptation for both a desert animal (camel) and a cold-climate animal (polar bear). This covers the most common exam contexts.

Extremophiles link to enzymes: Extremophile bacteria in hot springs have heat-stable enzymes. This links to the enzymes topic — in most organisms, high temperatures denature enzymes, but extremophiles have enzymes with a different tertiary structure that remains stable at high temperatures. Taq polymerase (used in PCR) comes from Thermus aquaticus, a hot-spring bacterium.