Skip to content
    Biology GCSE

    Adaptation

    What Adaptation means in Biology GCSE, as defined for AQA.

    Definitions of Adaptation

    Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.

    Check what you remember

    Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Adaptation in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.

    Reference: AQA

    An inherited feature that improves an organism's chance of surviving and reproducing in its normal habitat.
    AQA · Adaptations (study guide)
    A feature that allows an organism to survive, such as heat-stable enzymes or salt-balancing mechanisms.
    AQA · Adaptations (study guide)
    A feature or behaviour that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.
    AQA · Adaptations (study guide)
    An inherited feature that raises survival and reproductive success.
    AQA · Plant defence responses (study guide)

    Topics that use Adaptation

    Related terms

    Using Adaptation in the exam

    Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.

    Practise Biology questions

    Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.

    Start free

    A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge

    All Biology GCSE terms