An organism is any creature that exhibits the properties of life. Based on this analogy, organisms are classified into distinct taxonomies such as animals, plants and fungi. In this assignment, the various adaptation features of a flea will be explored. In general, fleas are small insects that do not have the characteristics of flying. However, they normally have a knack of jumping out whenever they are in danger. These creatures survive by feeding on the blood of their hosts. In this case, they depend on other animals such as dogs for food. There are about 2500 species of fleas in the world ( Coles & Dryden, 2014). Each flea species has distinct traits that are suited for the preferred host. For example, the “Ischnopsyllidae” has special traits that make it well suited for bats as their hosts.
From an environmental perspective, fleas thrive in high temperatures of about 75 degrees. In this particular temperature levels, the organism is able to complete its life cycle in two weeks. However, in a low temperature of about 51 degrees, it can take about 30 weeks to complete its life cycle ( Gill et al , 2014) . Even though this creature does not have the capabilities to thrive in very low temperatures, it has unique features that make it prevail in adverse conditions. A humid and warm environment allows the fleas to hatch eggs and complete their life cycle in a short period of time. Also, fleas do not do well in grass and bushy areas, they like dark cracks but their main objective is always to seek for a host that can provide them with warmth and food.
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The flea’s role in the environment is to lay eggs, feed on blood and to transmit infectious diseases to the hosts. Even though fleas are disadvantageous in the environment, they still harbor some benefits. For instance, the organisms’ larvae are very crucial in the rotting of organic products. This is very instrumental in enriching the soil with important elements. Also, the infectious agents introduced by the organism to its host helps to reduce the breading frequency of the mammal. Therefore, in a controlled environment, fleas can be used to monitor the breading frequency of an animal.
Based on the phylogenic tree analysis, fleas are more related to the Mecoptera and Diptera ( Dobler & Pfeffer, 2011). Where the scientific name, Diptera implies the true flies and Mecoptera the scorpionflies. This phylogenic relation is based on the similarity of their mouthparts and the four loci. Furthermore, the three species are small in size and their wings are not developed enough in comparison to what their ancestors exhibited. The pictures below elicit some similarities between scorpionflies and fleas.
Figure 1. Pictorial View of a Flea ( Coles & Dryden, 2014) .
Figure 2. A Mecoptera (Coles & Dryden, 2014).
This organism is more characterized by its highly specialized exoskeleton. For instance, they boast of a sclerites lining that covers their entire body for protection. Therefore, in the event that they are subjected to any mechanical stress, this lining cushions them from injuries. Also, fleas have naked eyes covered with hair pointing backward. The slippery nature of its body and the backward pointing hair enables it to smoothly crawl in the host’s fur without notice. Also, the backward pointing hair act as anchors in the event that the organism is being forcefully dislodged from the host. Another important organ is its mouthing parts. Generally, fleas have sharp and long structured mouthing parts that enable it to pierce through the host and suck blood. The mouthing parts are straw-like tubes known as epipharynx. Therefore, when the epipharynx pierces through the host’s skin the organism exerts a lot of pressure which help to channel the blood through the epipharynx into the flea’s body. Furthermore, the insect has three pairs of legs that are well suited for jumping. It is therefore important to note that the three pairs of legs are long and structured with various joints which provide the organism with extreme jumping ability. Even though the legs are tall, the jumping power of the organism is sourced from the resilin store that enables it to catapult with much elasticity.
Fleas have physiologically evolved over centuries in order to prevail in the ever-changing climatic conditions. Due to the harsh environmental conditions, recent studies have shown that modern leas have well developed legs that help them to exhibit a vertical jump of seven inches and a horizontal jump of thirteen inches (Coles & Dryden, 2014). Also, the advent of high-temperature levels has coerced the organism to exhibit a highly developed exoskeleton which ensures that the organism is not burnt to death in the event of extreme temperatures. In this perspective, the sclerites film has become thick enough to cushion the organism from dehydration and for protection. Despite the benefits of resilin store, the organism has physiologically evolved in terms of its jumping mechanisms. For instance, before the organism jumps, the primary catapulting tendon hold the joint close to the body in order to limit the premature release of energy from the resilin. In this condition, the resin pad contracts thus releasing enough energy to catapult the insect to a vertical height of about seven inches. This particular evolution in the jumping ability has enabled the organism to explore other hosts that are taller.
Even though fleas have been taunted to survive in very cold and marshy areas, there are certain things that may change for the organism to survive in the completely new environment. Normally, fleas are known to reproduce asexually in a humid and warm environment. However, in the event that the cold and marshy conditions have prevailed, the organism mates and produces dormant eggs. The produced dormant egg is well encapsulated and can last for a long period of time in harsh environmental conditions. Under such conditions, various organs of the organism may not function properly. For instance, in cold environments, an adult flea may not exhibit huge jumps because of the need to preserve the energy. Even though an adult flea may become smaller, its sucking ability may improve because in cold conditions, the organism normally adapts to the environments by sticking by a warm host for long periods. However, in the event that temperatures drop to about 8 degrees Celsius, an adult flea cannot survive since cold reduces its jumping ability which makes it difficult to hop from one host to the other with ease (Van der Mescht et. al, 2016).
In conclusion, fleas are organisms that have the tendencies to survive in adverse climatic conditions. For instance, floods can wash away the eggs but once they get attached to any host, the organism is able to survive. However, the ability of fleas to survive in any environment is majorly attributed to its unique body organs. Features such as legs, hard exoskeleton and resilin play an important role in the ability of the organism to survive in harsh environments. Even though the organism is beneficial in the decomposition of soil organic materials, it negatively affects the health conditions of its host.
References
Coles, T. B., & Dryden, M. W. (2014). Insecticide/acaricide resistance in fleas and ticks infesting dogs and cats. Parasites & vectors , 7 (1), 8.
Dobler, G., & Pfeffer, M. (2011). Fleas as parasites of the family Canidae. Parasites & vectors , 4 (1), 139.
Gill, P. G., Purnell, M. A., Crumpton, N., Brown, K. R., Gostling, N. J., Stampanoni, M., & Rayfield, E. J. (2014). Dietary specializations and diversity in feeding ecology of the earliest stem mammals. Nature , 512 (7514), 303.
Van der Mescht, L., Le Roux, P. C., Matthee, C. A., Raath, M. J., & Matthee, S. (2016). The influence of life history characteristics on flea (Siphonaptera) species distribution models. Parasites & vectors , 9 (1), 178.
