Most habitats do not stay the same all the time.

Daily changes to the environment include:

• change from light and heat to dark and cold, as night falls

• change from a high water level to a low water level, as the tide changes

Seasonal changes to the environment include:

• change from hot weather in the summer to cold weather in the winter

• change from long hours of daylight in the summer to shorter days in the winter

• change from lots of vegetation in the summer to bare trees and snow-covered ground in the winter

Let's look at two examples of how organisms are adapted to such changes.

Limpets

If you have ever been to the seaside and looked for creatures in rock pools, you are likely to have seen lots of limpets on the rocks.

When the tide is in, limpets move over sea-covered rocks, scraping off tiny bits of seaweed. When the tide goes out, limpets clamp themselves very tightly against the newly exposed rock. This makes it difficult for predators to pull them off the rock to eat them. It also stops the limpets losing water, or being washed away by waves.

Snowshoe hare

The snowshoe hare lives in Canada and other parts of North America.

The snowshoe hare has brown fur during the summer, to help camouflage it amongst the earth and plants. Its fur is white during the winter, to help camouflage it in the snow. This adaptation makes it more difficult for predators to see the snowshoe hare, whatever the season.