Gen Bio - Exam 3 Renne

Behavior

observable response of organisms to internal or external stimuli

Behavioral Ecology

study of behavioral responses that contribute to the survivorship and/or reproduction of organisms

Behavior Proximate Causes

stimulus (ie. change in day length)

Behavior Ultimate Causes

effects on reproduction or survivorship

Innate Behaviors

driven by genetic programming (not learned)

Learning

modify behavior based on previous behavior (adaptive value)

Habituation

one of the simplest forms of learning

• Ignore/Respond less to repeated stimulus

• animals habituate to humans (where no hunting)

• can be modified in the future

Genetic Influence

a single gene can have dramatic impact on behavior

Associative Learning

association develops between stimulus and response

Classical Conditioning

involuntary response becomes associated positive or negatively with a stimulus that did not originally elicit the response

ie. Pavlov’s dogs

Operant Conditioning

animal’s behavior reinforced by a consequence (reward or punishment)

Cognitive Learning

ability to solve problems with conscious thought and without direct environmental feedback (assessment)

Critical Period

time when many animals develop species-specific patterns of behaviors

Behavior Composed of

both innate and learning

Migration

long range seasonal movement generally linked to seasonal ability of food

Navigation Mechanisms

piloting, orientation, navigation

Piloting

animal moves from one familiar landmark to the next

Orientation

ability to follow compass bearing and travel in straight line (cannot adjust course)

Navigation

follow compass bearing but also set or adjust path

Bird Navigation Tool Kit

position of sun by day, stars at night (celestial objects)

landmarks

earth’s magnetic field

Foraging Optimality Theory

animals should behave in a way that maximizes benefits of a behavior while minimizing costs

Defending Territory

has costs and benefits

Territory

fixed area in which individuals or group generally excludes others

Territory is Expected

when benefits exceed costs

• access to resources

• costly to defend

Communication

specifically designed signals or displays to modify the behaviors of others

Types of Communication

Chemical

Auditory

Visual

Tactile

Chemical Communication

scent trails

phermones produced

Auditory Communication

sounds traveling through air

ie. lure predators, attract mates

Visual Communication

competition between males for breeding

ie. fireflies flash

Tactile Communication

establish bonds between group members

ie. honeybees dance to convey food location

Living in Groups

reduce predation (protection in numbers)

aggression tends to increase

competition is high

Many-Eye Hypothesis

living in groups, individuals may decrease the amount of time scanning for predators and increase feeding time

Altruism

behavior that benefits others at a cost to the actor

ie. Kin Selection

Kin-Selection

acts that lower the individual’s fitness but increase the fitness of relatives

Group Selection

a group containing altruists would have a survival advantage over a group composed of selfish individuals (not as likely)

Individual Selection

(more likely) mutant individuals use more resources

genetic-based selfishness can immigrate and spread to other areas

Coefficient of Relatedness

probability that any two individuals will share a copy of a particular gene is a quantity r

Hamilton’s Rule

evolution of bright coloration to advertise distastefulness

Sexual Conflicts Among Males and Females

the higher the variance in offspring reproduction, the greater the degree of sexual dimorphism

Sexual Selection

intrasexual competition (male vs. male)

intersexual competition (choice for particular traits)

Intersexual Choice

members of one sex chooses mate based on particular characteristics (female mate choice)

Intrasexual Competition

members of one sex compete over partners w/ the winner performing most of the mating

Mating Systems Types

monogamy

polygyny

polyandry

polygamy

Monogamy Mating

one male one female

Polygyny Mating

one male more than one female

Polyandry Mating

more than one male one female

Polygamy Mating

more than one male and female

Mating System Driven By

ability to defend resources, opportunity to defect after mating, opportunity to get/prevent extra pair copulations (ecological conditions)

Population

a group of interbreeding individuals that occupy the same habitat at the same time

Population Ecology

study of the ecological factors affecting population size and how these factors change over space and time

Tools of Demography

birth rates, death rates, age distribution, size and growth of populations

Dispersion Patterns

clumped, uniform, random

Clumped Dispersion

most common, resources clumped in nature

Uniform Dispersion

competition may cause this, result from social interactions

Random Dispersion

rarest, where resources are common and abundant

Semelparity Reproduction

produce all offspring in single reproductive event, reproduce once and die

Iteroparity Reproduction

reproduce in multiple years or breeding seasons

IxMx (Demographic Analysis)

Ix - age specific survivorship rate

Mx - age specific fertility rate

= contribution of each age class to overall population growth; estimates population growth

IxMx (Significant)

can estimate age structure and population growth, also focus management efforts on the most important age classes

Type 1 Survivorship Curve

high quality young, die later on in life

Type 2 Survivorship Curve

fairly uniform death rate

Type 3 Survivorship Curve

huge decline in young, loss low for survivors

Logistic Growth

resources limiting, limits to growth

dN/dt = rmaxN (K-N/K) = rmaxN (1- N/K)

(K-N)/K

density-dependent term

Density Dependent Factors

parasitism, predation, competition (limited resources)

influence varies with population size and density

Density Independent Factors

physical factors (weather, drought)

influence not affected by change in population size or density

How, When, and Where to Allocate Limited Resources to an Organism’s Fitness

life history strategy, or life history tradeoffs

Life History

organismal adaptations that affects it Darwinian fitness (W)

R-Selected Traits

maximize reproductive output, spread when ecological conditions conductive to rapid growth

K-Selected Traits

maximize competitive ability, opposite of r-selected traits

R-Selected Attribution

intrinsic rate of increase (rmax)

rapid development

early & single reproduction

many offspring (small)

K-Selection Attribution

competitive ability

slow development

late & large reproduction

few offspring (large)

Age Structure

relative numbers of individuals in each defined age group, population pyramid

Interaction Graph - Competition

Sp1: -

Sp2: -

Interaction Graph - Predation, Herbivory, Parasitism

Sp1: +

Sp2: -

Interaction Graph - Mutualism

Sp1: +

Sp2: +

Intraspecific Competition

between individuals of the same species, usually the strongest

Interspecific Competition

between individuals of different species

Exploitation Competition

organisms compete indirectly through the consumption of a limited resource

Interference Competition

individuals interact directly with one another by physical force or intimidation

Ecological Niche

all of the ecological factors that affect the survivorship and reproduction of a species

Fundamental Niche

value of n

Realized Niche

often smaller than the fundamental niche

Gause’s Competitive Exclusion Principle

two species cannot occupy the exact same niche and coexist

Resource Partitioning

differentiation of niches, both in space and time

similar species to coexist through a reduced interspecific competition

Character Displacement

adaptive divergence in morphology and resource, species co-occur

driven by interspecific competition

(reduces competition and promotes coexistence)

Antipredator Strategies

Chemical Defense

Cryptic Coloration (Camouflage)

Mimicry

Displays of Intimidation

Fighting/Mobbing

Agility

Armor

Masting

Mullerian Mimicry

two distasteful species converge on a particular morph, benefiting both (remain stable)

Batesian Mimicry

palatable prey avoid predators by looking like a distasteful species, (instability)

Masting

synchronous production of many progeny to satiate predators

Plant & Herbivore Coevolutionary Arms Race

generalist herbivores can feed on many plant species

specialist herbivores restricted to few plants

Mutualisms

interaction between two or more species, benefiting both

involves:

1. transportation of gametes

2. nutrient reward

3. protection

Species Richness

increasing from polar to temperate to maximum in tropical areas

Latitudinal Gradient Diversity Hypothesis

1. Time - via migration

2. Productivity - plants results greater in warm and wet climates

3. Area - larger areas for more species (does not support)

Intermediate-Disturbance Hypothesis

highest numbers of species are maintained in communities with intermediate levels of disturbance

• few stressors tolerators dominate in high disturbance areas

• few strong competitors dominate in low disturbance areas

Succession

gradual and continuous change in species composition and community structure over time

Primary Succession

newly exposed surface, little to no organic matter

Secondary Succession

site that has already supported life but has undergone a disturbance (fire, tornado, flood, etc.)

Bottom-Up Model

food limitation controls population density

Top-Down Model

natural enemies control population densities