This topic summary covers Knowledge Organiser within Competition Adaptations for GCSE Biology. Topic 2: Competition Adaptations It is section 13 of 14 in this topic. Use this topic summary to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 13 of 14
Practice
15 questions
Recall
20 flashcards
Knowledge Organiser
Key Terms
- Adaptation: An inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival and reproduction in its environment
- Structural: A physical feature of the body (e.g. blubber, large ears)
- Behavioural: An action or pattern of behaviour (e.g. migration, hibernation)
- Functional: An internal biochemical or physiological process (e.g. producing concentrated urine, heat-stable enzymes)
- Extremophile: An organism that is adapted to live in extreme environmental conditions (e.g. very high temperature, high salt, high pressure)
- Intraspecific competition: Competition between individuals of the same species for the same resources — always more intense than interspecific
- Interspecific competition: Competition between individuals of different species
Adaptation Examples (with survival link)
- Polar bear: thick blubber insulates against cold; white fur provides camouflage for hunting (structural)
- Camel: hump stores fat (not water) — metabolised for energy and water when food is scarce (functional/structural)
- Camel: produces very concentrated urine and dry faeces — reduces water loss in desert (functional)
- Desert plants (cacti): spines instead of leaves — reduces surface area for water loss (structural)
- Hot-spring bacteria: heat-stable enzymes that do not denature at high temperatures (functional) — extremophile example
- Migration in birds: behavioural adaptation to avoid cold winters when food is scarce
- Grade 7+ separator: Extremophiles challenge the idea that enzymes are always denatured above ~40°C — their enzymes have a different tertiary structure, held together by more bonds, giving a higher optimum temperature. This links to enzyme structure at higher tier.
What Species Compete For
- Animals compete for: food, water, territory, mates, shelter
- Plants compete for: light, water, space, mineral ions (especially nitrates)
- Intraspecific competition is always more intense — individuals need identical resources
- Natural selection: better-adapted individuals are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass on their adaptations
- Adaptations are inherited (genetic) — an individual cannot develop a new adaptation during its lifetime
Common Mistakes
- Naming an adaptation without linking it to survival: Always explain HOW the adaptation improves survival or reproduction. "White fur" alone scores nothing — "white fur provides camouflage against snow, reducing predation" scores the mark.
- Confusing intraspecific and interspecific competition: Intraspecific is between individuals of the SAME species (competing for identical resources, so most intense). Interspecific is between DIFFERENT species. Students frequently reverse these.
- Saying adaptations are "learned" or "acquired": Adaptations are inherited genetic traits. An individual animal cannot develop a new adaptation during its lifetime — adaptations arise through natural selection over many generations.
- Forgetting plants compete for light: Students often list only water and minerals for plant competition. Light is equally important — plants are in intraspecific competition for light when growing close together.
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Practice Questions for Competition Adaptations
Which of the following do plants compete for?
Explain how the spines of a cactus are an adaptation to its desert environment.
Quick Recall Flashcards
What do plants compete for?
Light, water, nutrients (mineral ions), and space.
Why are adaptations important?
They increase an organism's chance of survival and reproduction in its environment.
15 questions on Competition Adaptations — practise free
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