Adaptation

This is the process of becoming adjusted to an environment or to any conditions in an organism's life. Adaptation also refers to the result of this process.

Pests tend to be very good at adapting to their surroundings and this gives them an edge.

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For example, a farmer sprays a field:

The weeds that didn't survive the spraying die out.
But some weeds may survive.
These continue growing and eventually reproduce.
A year later the weeds are back and the farmer sprays that field.
Again, some weeds survive, unfortunately because the gene pool now has more of those adapted to survive the spraying, this time there is a higher percentage of survivors and a smaller percentage is killed.
These survivors continue growing and eventually reproduce.
After a few years of the spraying leaving some weeds surviving, the only weeds left in the field are those whose parents survived the spraying.
The repeated spraying has selected the weeds most able to survive the spraying. This field is now resistant to the sprays that have been used. The repeated spraying has turned a weed problem into an intractable problem. These plants must have something that allows them to survive the spraying. They may
- have a different leaf shape that get less spray
- have a more resistant coating on the leaves
- be better hidden among the crop plants because of their shape or size
- be less affected by the chemical once it gets inside the plant.
So, the spraying has just pushed evolution along in a direction that does not benefit the farmer.

It is not the spray that has done it. Rather, it is the repeated use of an effective tool or technique.

It is not the strongest of the species who survive,
not the most intelligent, but
those who are the most adaptive to change
Charles Darwin

This is an example of individual weeds adapting to changed circumstances. As a result of those weeds surviving while others didn't, the population of the field adapted to the new circumstances.

An example of adaptation occurring in nature without assistance from humans is the shape of the beak of any bird species. This is the result of that bird species adjusting to the food sources it has had around it during the time it evolved.

Beak shape is an evolutionary adjustment by a species, rather than one made by an individual bird.

An adjustment or adaptation made by an individual bird is seen when a crow or a galah (an Australian cockatoo) feeds on the roadside and doesn't take flight despite the passing traffic, unless something unusual happens.

These and many other species of birds have learnt to feed well on animals killed by cars or on grain spilled from trucks. The adaptation is to the traffic, something that would normally scare them.

Some birds become over-adapted and don't take flight when they need to and as a result they become the next feed for a crow.

Adaptation is a key part of succession which is such a big factor in nature and farming. It has long-term and short-term forms:

Sensory adaptation: This is a short-term adaptation that allows an animal to filter out a strong source of sound, smell or light. It can happen through a reduction in the excitability of a sense organ that is stimulated frequently, strongly or continuously. This is the form of adaptation shown by the birds feeding on the roadside. Their senses have become less responsive to the noise, wind and vibration of passing vehicles.
Sensory adaptation allows humans to overcome pain or to filter out excessive images in our environment. An example is where many people filter out banner ads and anything else that looks like a banner ad on websites.

Physiological adaptation: These are short-term adaptations and include the modification of an organism in response to environmental conditions such as:
- growing more hair when the animal has been moved to a colder climate; or
- bacteria producing more of a specific enzyme to break down a different food in a different situation. When we look at the level of a cow or a sheep rather than at the level of bacteria, a law coming when physiological adaptation: also applies to the development of a different balance of species in the rumen of a ruminant and in the digestive tract of any animal. This is why we accustom animals to fodder. Otherwise there would not be enough time for a suitable number of the right "bugs" to breed and the animal would not be able to digest this new feed.
  
  At the least, if the animal is not able to digest new feed it will not get the full benefit from fodder. At the worst, difficulty digesting new feed can lead to major problems including death.

Evolutionary adaptation: This is a very long-term adaptation. Evolutionary adaptation is the result of natural selection and is the process brought about by natural selection. The survivors of natural selection are the ones that are better suited to the conditions the organisms live in. This process of natural selection brings about the survival of organisms that have greater suitability or fitness for life in a particular environment. The adaptation may involve:
- the whole organism
- just its structure
- how it goes about living or
- some part of it, such as a change in color to provide better camouflage.
Some examples are:
- the highly specialized shape of the beak that allows a bird to get nectar from a long thin flower or
- the multipurpose shape of a hen's beak that allows it to graze, dig and peck at food in an environment where it needs to source its food from anywhere it can get it. The domestic fowl is an omnivore, an animal that naturally eats all types of food.
- an increase in those weeds that are more able to cope with a herbicide that is used repeatedly - in other words, the development of resistance to the herbicide and
- the success and spread of weeds that thrive when drought or other conditions make it hard for crops to survive. This is the first step in a natural succession towards a different ecosystem - one governed by the laws of nature as distinct from one steered by a farmer with the aim of producing a crop for harvest and sale.

Unfortunately, adaptation happens a lot quicker in most farming situations than it does in the wild. This is because

we repeatedly apply the same sort of pressure (such as a particular type of weed spray)
at the same time
year in and year out
our tools and techniques are very effective

As a result, those organisms that are not able to survive the pressure die out rapidly. So, the survivors are left with little competition and they do very well.

Heed the old saying:
That which changes, lasts.
That which doesn't, doesn't.

Essentially, life is a constant process of adaptation, for microbes, plants and animals, including humans. We either adapt or become like the dinosaurs - headed for personal or species extinction.

And it is the same for farming and grazing systems. We either adapt our farming and grazing systems to changing circumstances or they will cease to be successful in the new environment. For example:

As trade demands change we need to adjust what we supply and how to suit a different market - local or global
As pests adapt to what we do, we need to find ways to beat them at their own game, using their own tools and techniques rather than the ones they can quickly and easily adapt to.
As the global climate continues to change we need to adjust to perhaps:
- hotter summers
- less water as rain or irrigation
- storm events that are more frequent and more severe
- and so on.
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This page was updated on December 27, 2007