Adaptation

• databot with temperature sensor

• IOS/Android Smart Device

• Heat and cold sources

• Ladder or other devices to
  simulate different heights

Overview

Background

What You Will Need/Prep

• Test your databot™ connection.

• You will be prompted to select
  and connect to databot™ each
  time you launch an experiment.

• If there are two or more
  databot™'s listed, the one
  closest to your device will be
  highlighted.

• Study the background
  information and terms and
  prepare to explore!

Adaptation

How do animals survive in freezing tundras,
scorching deserts, or atop towering mountains? In
this investigation, you’ll explore how temperature and
altitude shape the survival of living organisms, from
modern species to ancient dinosaurs. Using
databot™, you’ll measure temperature and height in
real-world settings, compare them to the comfort
zones of diverse creatures, and uncover the
incredible adaptations that allow life to thrive across
Earth’s extremes. This lab connects temperature and
altitude to adaptation, giving you hands-on insight
into how organisms conquer sizzling lows, icy highs,
and everything in between!

• Install Vizeey™ on your
  Smart device.

• Scan the QR code to load
  the experiment.

Grades: Middle School

Time: 45 Minutes

Subject: Life Science

Topics: Adaptation, Thermoregulation,
Temperature, Altitude

Temperature and altitude are nature’s ultimate survival
tests. Every creature—whether a desert lizard basking
in heat, a yak trudging up snowy peaks, or a massive
dinosaur lumbering across ancient landscapes—has
adapted to thrive within specific ranges of heat and
height. These factors have sculpted life for millions of
years, sparking adaptations like thick fur for icy cold,
efficient lungs for thin air, or large bodies for heat
retention. Modern species demonstrate these traits
daily, while extinct ones, like soaring pterosaurs or
ground-dwelling sauropods, show how temperature and
altitude shaped the past.

Extremes push life to its limits. Freezing temperatures
demand insulation or heat-trapping behaviors, while
scorching heat calls for cooling tricks like sweating or
shade-seeking. High altitudes, with their low oxygen
and pressure, require specialized breathing or sturdy
frames, while depths below sea level challenge
organisms with crushing forces. Dinosaurs, thriving in a
warmer, flatter Mesozoic world, adapted differently
than today’s altitude-dwelling species. Studying these
factors helps us understand climate shifts, protect
ecosystems, and even imagine life on other worlds—
perhaps a Martian mountain or a lunar plain!

Important Terms

Learning Objectives

In this investigation you will master the following knowledge and skills:

• Investigate how temperature and altitude affect the survival and adaptation of
  organisms.

• Use databot™ to measure temperature and altitude, comparing results to the comfort
  zones of modern and extinct species.

• Analyze how adaptations help organisms endure extreme temperatures and altitudes.

• Build data collection and critical thinking skills by recording and interpreting
  experimental findings.

Temperature: A measure of heat or cold, recorded in degrees Celsius (°C), shaping an
organism’s survival.

Altitude: Height above or below sea level, measured in meters (m), influencing air pressure
and oxygen levels.

Comfort Zone:- The ideal range of temperature or altitude where an organism thrives
effortlessly.

Adaptation: A trait or behavior enhancing survival, like fur for warmth or wings for high
flight.

Thermoregulation: How organisms maintain body temperature, using insulation, sweat, or
movement.

Extinct Species: Organisms like dinosaurs, no longer alive, offering clues about ancient
environments.

Ecosystem: A network of organisms and their surroundings, molded by temperature,
altitude, and more.

Databot™ brings this exploration to life. By measuring temperature in real-world conditions
and simulating altitude with a creative scaling trick, you’ll compare your data to the needs
of living and extinct organisms. This investigation bridges the past and present, showing
how adaptation equips life to endure Earth’s wildest corners—from blistering deserts to
lofty peaks.

Interesting Facts

Frosty Survivors: The Siberian salamander can freeze solid at -5°C and then come back to
life after thawing—nature's own popsicle!

Hot and Cold Records: The Sahara’s sand hits 50°C, while Antarctica dips to -50°C—yet life
adapts to both extremes.

To work with the experiment, you need to run the Vizeey
application. If you don't have it, you can download it from
the Play Store or the App Store.

In this experiment, you’re going to use 2 different
sensors. One of them is a temperature sensor.
You must сonnect it to port “Temp 1”

Turn on databot by pressing the button.

Then in the Vizeey app, select "Add experiment from QR
code" and scan the QR code prepared for this experiment.
Your experiment will appear in the list of experiments.

When you start the experiment you will be immediately
offered to connect to your databot.

You can see two different tabs for this lesson, so
select the one you need from here

Here you will see a graph that illustrates the changes
in temperature over time.

Before measuring height with the altimeter sensor,
calibrate it first by scanning the QR code.

This is a system tool used for managing databot.

Current temperature

You can fix the current temperature value
by pressing this button

Enter the height data 0.01 and
run the program.

More details are written in
experiment 2

Part 2: Hypothesis

Temperature and Survival

How do you think temperature affects where animals can live comfortably?

Your turn:

I predict that __________________________ will be best for _______________________because

(temperature condition)

( animal)

(reason)

I predict that __________________________ will be best for _______________________because

(temperature condition)

( animal)

(reason)

Your turn:

I predict that __________________________ will be best for _______________________because

(altitude condition)

( animal)

(reason)

I predict that __________________________ will be best for _______________________because

(altitude condition)

( animal)

(reason)

Part 3: Experiment Procedure

• Connect the temperature sensor to databot™ using the Temp 1 port.

• Tap on "Adaptation" in Vizeey to load the experiment. Use the first tab of

the experiment “Temp Probe” for this part of the measurements.

• You will be prompted to connect to databot.

  • Hint- if there is more than one databot in use, the one closest to you will be in blue!

  • A solid blue light on databot means you are connected.

• Start your experiment using:

• Use these icons at the top of the screen in Vizeey to start and to pause
  the experiment.

Form Your Team:

Pair up with a classmate. One of you will be the Temperature
Hunter, searching for ways to hit the target temperatures, while
the other is the Data Fixer, ready to capture the readings in
Vizeey™.

Step 1:

Step 3:

Step 2:

Experiment 2

Form Your Team:

Pair up with a classmate. One of you is the Height Seeker,
moving databot™ to hit target altitudes, while the other is the
Data Fixer, capturing readings in Vizeey™.

Temp 1

Temp 2

• Tap on "Adaptation" in Vizeey to load the experiment. Use the second tab of
  the experiment “Altitude” for this part of the measurements.

• You will be prompted to connect to databot.

  • Hint- if there is more than one databot in use, the one closest to you will be in blue!

  • A solid blue light on databot means you are connected.

• Start your experiment using:

• Use these icons at the top of the screen in Vizeey to start and to pause
  the experiment.

Return to Vizeey™, tap “Adaptation” and switch to the “Altitude” tab. Hit the play button

to start recording altitude data in real time. Notice how the numbers change now: lift

databot™ up, and the altitude increases; lower it, and the values drop.

Your goal is to match the ideal altitudes by moving databot™ and scaling the readings
(multiply by 1000). Here’s how:

• -1000 m (Deep-sea Fish): Lower databot™ 1 m below your starting point (e.g., down a
  staircase or to the floor). Reading: -1 m × 1000 = -1000 m.

• -500 m (Sea Sponge): Lower databot™ 0.5 m (e.g., halfway down a desk). Reading: -0.5
  m × 1000 = -500 m.

• 0–200 m (Human): Keep databot™ at 0 m (table level) or lift slightly to 0.2 m. Reading:
  0.2 m × 1000 = 200 m.

• 500–1500 m (Hawk): Raise databot™ 0.5–1.5 m (e.g., stand on a chair or climb stairs).
  Reading: 1 m × 1000 = 1000 m.

• 1000–2000 m (Mountain Goat): Lift databot™ 1–2 m (e.g., higher stairs or a tall
  teammate’s reach). Reading: 2 m × 1000 = 2000 m.

• 1500–2500 m (Marmot): Raise databot™ 1.5–2.5 m (e.g., top of a staircase). Reading:
  2.5 m × 1000 = 2500 m.

• Use stairs, desks, or floors—be creative but safe!

Step 1:

Calibrate the Altitude Sensor:

Before you start your measurements, calibrate databot™. Scan the QR code
for the calibration service app. Place databot™ on the table, run the calibration
program, and enter the altitude - 0.01 m. This is your sea level starting point!

• Once you run the experiment, look at the data: you will see your altitude above sea level.
  When you raise databot, the data will increase, and when you lower it, the data will
  decrease. Working with this data can be challenging, since there is no exact reference
  point. Let's calibrate it.

Step 2:

Step 3:

Part 5: Concept Questions

Part 6: Reflection