AdaptationsSpec 4.7.1.4
In short
Adaptations are features that enable organisms to survive in the conditions in which they normally live. They may be structural, such as a polar bear's thick fat; behavioural, such as migrating for winter; or functional, such as a camel producing very little, concentrated urine. Extremophiles, such as bacteria in deep sea vents, live in very extreme environments.
Organisms have features called adaptations that enable them to survive in the conditions in which they normally live. Adaptations may be structural, behavioural or functional.
| Type | What it is | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Structural | A feature of the body's structure | A thick layer of fat and a white coat on a polar bear. Spines and a thick, water-storing stem on a cactus |
| Behavioural | The way an organism acts | Migrating to a warmer place for winter. Hunting at night to avoid the heat of the day |
| Functional | How a body process works | A camel producing very little, concentrated urine to save water |
(opens full size in a new tab)Extremophiles
- Extremophile
- An organism that lives in an environment that is very extreme, such as at high temperature, pressure or salt concentration. Bacteria living in deep sea vents are extremophiles.
When you explain an adaptation, you are given information about the environment. Name the feature, then say how it helps survival.
Use the pattern 'feature, then how it helps, then in that environment'. For example: thick fat (feature) reduces heat loss (how it helps) in the cold Arctic (environment).
Quick check
Put in order, smallest to largest: community, organism, ecosystem, population.
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Organism, population, community, ecosystem.
What do plants often compete for?
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Light, space, water and mineral ions from the soil.
What do animals often compete for?
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Food, mates and territory.
What is a stable community?
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One where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so population sizes remain fairly constant.
What is an extremophile?
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An organism that lives in very extreme conditions, such as high temperature, pressure or salt concentration.
Written and checked against the AQA GCSE Combined Science (8464) specification · Updated October 2026