Flora, Fauna and Their Adaptations

There are many adaptations that
flora and fauna must have in order to survive.
During our field trip to Plum Island, I noticed many different kinds of
adaptations that the plants had developed.
Many of the plants had deep roots in order to retain water because they
live in sand.  Because the plants are
living in sand, the long roots help the plant to reach a water source.  The plants also had waxy leaves in order to
wick the salty ocean water away.  By wicking
the salt away from its roots, the plant avoids becoming dried out from the
salt.  Many of the plants were very flexible.  This flexibility helps the
plant to survive because it helps the plant move with the water instead of
trying to stand in powerful waves.  The flora at Plum Island has adapted over the years to withstand the extreme
conditions that the beach has to offer.

As I walked the beach at Plum Island, I noticed that not only the flora had
adaptations, but the fauna did also.
These animals, including seagulls, fish, etc. have evolved to live on
the beach or in the ocean.  The seagulls
had webbed feet so that they could float and move around in the ocean water.  I also noticed that they had hard, curved
beaks to help them to break the shells of their prey.  The fish had gills so that they could take in
oxygen from the ocean water.  They also had scales that could help them to camouflage from their prey.  Finally, I saw many crabs that had claws for protection from their predators.  Some of the crabs had multicolored patterns in order to scare off their predators.  The fauna at Plum Island have adapted and will continue to adapt as the climate and conditions of the beach change.

The adaptations of flora and fauna are directly related to the changes that occur
at the beach.  For example, as the climate gets colder, the flora and fauna must change in order to survive.  As the climate gets cooler, the plants must get more hardy and durable.  The fauna must also create adaptations to stay warm and get through the winter.  As Plum Island changes, the flora and fauna will adapt accordingly.

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