12.7 Adaptations as Outcomes of Structural Change

Last updated at July 16, 2026 by

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Fins for water, feathers for flight, thick fur for the cold — an animal’s body is a record of the challenges its ancestors survived.

How are adaptations outcomes of structural change?
Adaptation from Structure Body structure changes over long periods Fins, feathers and fur suit each habitat Mammary glands help the young survive A wide diversity of body forms results
  • Today’s animal diversity results from changes in body structure over long periods .
  • Fins and gills let fish move and breathe in water; feathers and hollow bones make flight possible in birds.
  • Fat storage in camels, thick fur in polar bears and mammary glands in mammals show how structural features support survival in different environments .
✅ Test Yourself
  1. What allows a fish to move and breathe in water?
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    Fins allow it to move and gills allow it to breathe — both are structural changes that developed over long periods of time.
  2. Write the seven levels of classification in order.
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    Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species.
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