Question

Answer in 200 to 250 words:
a) What is Adaptation?
b) Write the causes and symptoms of 'Altitude sickness'.
c) What is 'Brood Parasitism'? Give an example.

Answer 1

a) Adaptation is defined as a genetic change which helps an organism to survive in its environment. An adaptation can be structural or behavioural. Structural adaptation is physical changes in the organism. Behavioural adaptation is a change in an organism's behaviour.

b) Altitude sickness is caused by being at a high altitude where air pressure is low. This happens because of prior acclimatisation to such a condition. Some symptoms are-

1) Shortening of breath.

2) Exhaustion and fatigue.

3) Swelling of the hands, feet and face.

c) Brood parasitism is a condition in which some species of birds thrive by leaving their eggs in the care of other birds due to similarities in physical features. For example, cuckoo leaves its eggs in the crow's nest. This cuckoo egg hatches and matures for some period of time in the crow's nest and then flies away.