How do adaptations help animals survive in desert and riparian environments? Utah State Science Core Curriculum Topic: ORGANISMS FUNCTION IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT. Through the study of organisms, inferences can be made about environments both past and present. Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions for growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction. Animals use different sense receptors specialized for particular kinds of information to understand and respond to their environment. Standard 4.1.1 Construct an explanation from evidence that plants an