To survive in the shrublands and cope with all its limiting factors, organisms must develop special adaptations. Adaptations are specific traits that help an organism to survive in its environment. For instance, birds can fly to escape predators, and flowering plants use nectar to get certain insects to come and spread their pollen. These both help these organisms live successfully in their environment. Organisms in the shrublands have their specific adaptations as well.
Many organisms in the shrublands have special adaptations as well. For instance, to cope with the hot, dry summers, certain plants have grown a waxy coating over their leaves to contain their moisture. Animals often are small so they can burrow in the soil during the day time. Animals also typically are nocturnal, so they can feed when it's cool, and many animals camouflage to avoid predators or to sneak up on prey. Plants have adapted to the spontaneous fires as well. The shrubs in the shrublands have a considerably high amount of flammable substances in them, so to cope with the fires, some have fire-resistant seeds, and some seeds will only germinate if exposed to fire.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
While these examples are very helpful, sometimes simple adaptations are not enough. After all, you're just one individual in a big wide world. That is why many organisms have developed symbiosis, an close interaction of two organisms of different species to at least one of the organism's benefit. With different species, there are different strengths and weaknesses, which helps many organisms survive. There are three types of symbiosis: parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism.
Parasitism (+ -) is symbiosis in which one organism is benefited, and the other is harmed. The one that benefits is called the parasite, and their partner is called the host. An example of parasitism in the shrubland biome is with the black-tailed deer and the deer tick. Deer ticks solely eat blood, which they get from deer. The tick benefits from its host because it gains its nutrients from the deer. Inversely, the deer is harmed, not just because it is losing nutrients and blood to the deer tick, but also because of the diseases they get from the symbiosis. Many black-tailed deer are allergic to deer ticks, and their allergic reaction can cause their skin to feel itchy and irritated. Because of this, the deer will often excessively groom their skin, eventually causing their fur to fall out and leaving patches of their skin bare. This is known as "hair loss syndrome". Many black-tailed deer deaths have been thought to be related to the syndrome.
Commensalism (+ o) is symbiosis in which one organism is benefited, and the other is unaffected. One example of commensalism seen in the shrublands is seen with the cactus wren and various bushes. Shrublands have few trees, and those there are small and offer little protection. Therefore, the cactus wren make nests in and lay their eggs inside thorny bushes, to deter predators from their young. While the cactus wren benefit greatly form their strategy, the bushes are mostly unaffected from the wrens making nests inside them. This scenario seems to make sense being commensalism. However, despite that, many scientists debate whether commensalism actually exists. How could an organism live so closely to another and not be affected by it? Is there a benefit or harm in the relationship we just don't see?
Mutualism (+ +) is symbiosis in which both organisms benefit. It's in a way the ideal symbiosis, where both parties gain and neither lose anything. We humans experience mutualism in our own bodies. There's over a thousand bacteria helping digest our food in just our stomachs! There's plenty of mutualism in the shrublands as well. For example, many shrublands have lichen, a symbiotic pair of fungi and algae/cyanobacteria. Algae use sunlight, though photosynthesis, to make their food. The fungi surround the algae and gain nutrients from them. In return, the fungi protect the algae and keep them cool and moist. This way, the fungi gets all the nutrients it needs, and the algae are able to spread into habitats that would otherwise be too harsh for them.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
While we went over a lot of organisms and a lot of their traits, there are many, many more that live the shrubland biomes around the world. For some extra information, you can look at the chart below to look at the characteristics of seven unique organisms:
Many organisms in the shrublands have special adaptations as well. For instance, to cope with the hot, dry summers, certain plants have grown a waxy coating over their leaves to contain their moisture. Animals often are small so they can burrow in the soil during the day time. Animals also typically are nocturnal, so they can feed when it's cool, and many animals camouflage to avoid predators or to sneak up on prey. Plants have adapted to the spontaneous fires as well. The shrubs in the shrublands have a considerably high amount of flammable substances in them, so to cope with the fires, some have fire-resistant seeds, and some seeds will only germinate if exposed to fire.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
While these examples are very helpful, sometimes simple adaptations are not enough. After all, you're just one individual in a big wide world. That is why many organisms have developed symbiosis, an close interaction of two organisms of different species to at least one of the organism's benefit. With different species, there are different strengths and weaknesses, which helps many organisms survive. There are three types of symbiosis: parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism.
Parasitism (+ -) is symbiosis in which one organism is benefited, and the other is harmed. The one that benefits is called the parasite, and their partner is called the host. An example of parasitism in the shrubland biome is with the black-tailed deer and the deer tick. Deer ticks solely eat blood, which they get from deer. The tick benefits from its host because it gains its nutrients from the deer. Inversely, the deer is harmed, not just because it is losing nutrients and blood to the deer tick, but also because of the diseases they get from the symbiosis. Many black-tailed deer are allergic to deer ticks, and their allergic reaction can cause their skin to feel itchy and irritated. Because of this, the deer will often excessively groom their skin, eventually causing their fur to fall out and leaving patches of their skin bare. This is known as "hair loss syndrome". Many black-tailed deer deaths have been thought to be related to the syndrome.
Commensalism (+ o) is symbiosis in which one organism is benefited, and the other is unaffected. One example of commensalism seen in the shrublands is seen with the cactus wren and various bushes. Shrublands have few trees, and those there are small and offer little protection. Therefore, the cactus wren make nests in and lay their eggs inside thorny bushes, to deter predators from their young. While the cactus wren benefit greatly form their strategy, the bushes are mostly unaffected from the wrens making nests inside them. This scenario seems to make sense being commensalism. However, despite that, many scientists debate whether commensalism actually exists. How could an organism live so closely to another and not be affected by it? Is there a benefit or harm in the relationship we just don't see?
Mutualism (+ +) is symbiosis in which both organisms benefit. It's in a way the ideal symbiosis, where both parties gain and neither lose anything. We humans experience mutualism in our own bodies. There's over a thousand bacteria helping digest our food in just our stomachs! There's plenty of mutualism in the shrublands as well. For example, many shrublands have lichen, a symbiotic pair of fungi and algae/cyanobacteria. Algae use sunlight, though photosynthesis, to make their food. The fungi surround the algae and gain nutrients from them. In return, the fungi protect the algae and keep them cool and moist. This way, the fungi gets all the nutrients it needs, and the algae are able to spread into habitats that would otherwise be too harsh for them.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
While we went over a lot of organisms and a lot of their traits, there are many, many more that live the shrubland biomes around the world. For some extra information, you can look at the chart below to look at the characteristics of seven unique organisms:
That covers the last of the information you'll need to complete the questions! Click the "Next" button to look at the sources all this information was obtained from. You can click "Previous" to look over the "Factors in the Shrublands" page.
If you think you're ready, go ahead a scroll down to the bottom of the "Home" page to answer the questions!