Idiadaptation, along with aromorphosis, is one of the main evolutionary processes of living organisms. Unlike the latter, it contributes to the appearance in animals and plants of not general, but of particular changes, which can be associated with the geographical features of their habitat and other environmental factors.
Vivid example
The most striking example of idioadaptation among living things is the prevalence of closely related species categories in various, and often contrasting latitudinal zones. This is especially evident in the dog and wolf families. Their representatives can be found in almost all parts of the globe, from the Arctic belt to the tropics. And all thanks to the formation of various idioadaptations in the species, and this significantly reduces competition between them.
Types of idioadaptation
Depending on the changes in the body structure or life processes, it is customary to distinguish the following types of idioadaptation:
- According to the structure of the body. These devices are associated with the transformation of limbs, organs, or the whole organism, depending on the nature of the landscape, the type of food, the presence of interspecific and intraspecific competition (especially the shape of the body of fish, the elongated neck of a giraffe, atrophied wings in birds).
- By coloring. A change in the color of the skin can be seasonal or depend on the state of the body. A striking example of idioadaptation is the "winter" and "summer" color of the hare. You can also distinguish chameleons and octopuses, which change color depending on the ambient temperature, when frightened or threatening the enemy. Some living organisms have a very bright, causing color scheme of the epidermis. This is called a “warning” color. It can most often be found on poisonous reptiles and insects. Also a good example of idioadaptation is mimicry. It can be found on non-dangerous representatives of the animal world. They use bright colors to protect against predators, thus misleading them.
- By the nature of movement. Such adaptations were formed in animals under the influence of their habitat. The fish appeared air sacs, allowing them to stay in the water, the forelimbs of seals and walruses were transformed into flippers, and the birds received keel and tubular bones for easy and smooth flight.
- By breeding. As you know, there are several types of reproduction that have formed under the influence of the environment and evolution. Some organisms are viviparous, fish spawn, reptiles lay eggs, and insects larvae.
- By adaptability to environmental conditions . Everything is simple here: depending on the climatic conditions of the natural zone in which the organism lives, this or that idioadaptation is formed. Examples: subcutaneous fat in representatives of the polar fauna, seasonal molt, camel hump.
Idiadaptation in animals
Consider the most striking examples of idioadaptation in animals. Among mammals with the most outstanding type of private fitness, an anteater can be distinguished. His oral cavity gradually transformed into a trunk, some teeth atrophied as unnecessary, and the tongue acquired considerable length and elasticity. Similar metamorphoses were caused by the nutritional characteristics of this species. With such a structure of the jaw, the anteater is much easier to get his favorite treat - termites and insects. However, with a lack of basic food, it becomes very vulnerable, since such a structure of the mouth significantly narrows the range of possible food sources, which can adversely affect the quantitative composition of the population and increase intraspecific competition.
Various changes in the body structure of the mole are also a good example of idio-adaptation. His paws adapted to digging the earth, the auricles are atrophied, his eyes do not have a crystalline lens and a retina due to lack of light, and the properties of his coat allow the animal to move in narrow underground passages in any direction.
Idiadaptation in birds
In general, the great
diversity of birds on the planet itself is the result of multiple adaptations. In feathered representatives of the fauna, idioadaptation is most often manifested in the transformation of various parts of the body. So, for example, depending on the type of food, fundamentally different forms of beak are observed in different species of birds. In tropical parrots and toucans, this part of the body is notable for its considerable size and massiveness, which allows them to easily eat fruits and large nuts. Beaks of small birds have a pointed and elongated shape for the extraction of the main sources of food - seeds and insects.
Another striking example of idioadaptation is the transformation of limbs. So, waterfowl appeared membranes, and eagles and hawks - powerful claws for hunting rodents. It is also worth paying attention to the wings. In ostriches and penguins, they are generally absent due to their habitat in the lowland territories and rather heavy weight.
Idiocaptation in fish
The streamlined body shape and the presence of an air bubble are particular changes inherent in almost all
marine inhabitants. Moreover, in connection with living at various depths, many began to appear individual idioadaptations.
In the upper oceanic layers you can find a huge variety of tropical fish, but their bright color, they are primarily due to a large amount of penetrating sunlight. But, for example, the bottom inhabitants are distinguished by their structural features. They adapted to the high pressure of the water column due to the flat shape of the body (stingrays, flounder).
Insect adaptation in insects
Insects are living creatures that are most prone to idioadaptation. They, like many microorganisms, have learned to withstand various critical conditions created by the environment. The most obvious example of insect adaptation is coloration. Bright chitinous cover of some species warns predators of their toxicity. But harmless insects acquired a similar color as a fraudulent, but at the same time very effective means of protection.
Idiocaptation in plants
Depending on the
type of soil, the nature of the climate, and also under the influence of environmental conditions, an idioadaptation of plants is formed. Examples:
- In desert areas, where there is a significant moisture deficit and a large amount of solar radiation, the plants adapted to survive due to the long and very developed root system and small leaves covered with a hard layer of cuticle.
- In the circumpolar regions, plants are not large, their vegetation period has been reduced by almost half, and the leaves are very small and leathery.
- Under waterlogged conditions, plants transformed their leaf plates, which became very wide and smooth so as not to absorb excess water.