BIO 103 JMU McMullen Exam 2 - topic 7

all living things respond to external stimuli

responses are referred to as the organism’s behavior

responses allow organisms to maintain homeostasis (a stable internal environment), many cases involving movement

other examples: mating calls or visual displays, responding to violation of territory, responding to observing a food item, responding to predators, and responding out of simple curiosity

black mangrove

lives in salt-rich soil, results in excreting excess salt from their leaves to maintain homeostasis

galapagos giant tortoise

territorial or breeding encounters between two males generally involve stretching their necks as high as possible

often seen wallowing in pools of water or mud baths to cool off

~ finches clean insects from the tortoises skin, tortoise position themselves so this is easier

galapagos lava lizard

the males of each species are generally more brightly colored than females

females have a bright red/orange throat color

territorial display of push ups

extremely sensitive to movement, especially small insects

must be constantly aware of potential predators

galapagos land iguana

a typical behavior is to wait under a prickly pear cactus, as eventually fruits or cactus pads might fall and can be eaten

aggressive territorial displays of the males include lowering the head, head nodding, arching the back, and bloating the throat and trunk

absorb the sun ray’s to warm up

to cool off, they retreat to their burrows, or seek the shade of cactus or other vegetation

~ finches and mockingbirds known to clean them of insects

galapagos marine iguana

only sea-going iguanas in the world

feed almost entirely on algae

take in lots of salt, so they excrete through salt glands above their eyes, connected to the nostrils

ectothermic, regulate their body temperature by behavioral means, after sunrise they assume a flat basking posture that exposes as much of the body as possible to the sun’s rays, when it begins to feel too warm, it will change its position to prevent overheating

most commonly assumed posture for cooling is elevated basking, face the sun and raises the front half of the body, reduces the body area exposed to the sun

can lower body temp more by taking a swim, can drop 10 degrees C

typically black in color, but during breeding season, males can be red, orange, and green

territorial displays include head-bobbing, head-butting

waved albatross

courtship involves a complex mating dance: pair faces one another and each one’s bill circles the other, occasionally smack together, bowing later, and male will stick its bill upwards and make a high pitched whoo-oo sound, also one or both birds open their bills in a gaping fashion

sway walk, highly exaggerated rocking back and forth while walking to a different location, then one begins a forward bobbing movement that indicates ownership of the particular location

after hatching, the young feeds on an oily liquid consisting of digested fish and squid, liquid produced in a part of the parent’s stomach called the proventriculus

blue footed booby

courtship dance, male starts sky pointing, once female notices they approach each other, male will also raise its feet alternatively

offer stones or twigs to the other, which probably encourages the nest building instinct

one to three eggs are laid on the bare ground, three to five days apart

nest is surrounded by a ring of guano, represents border of nest, if a chick crosses it may not be allowed back

natural predators of chicks include hawks and owls

flightless cormorant

only species of cormorant that cannot fly

swimmers, capable of diving for fish and eels

courtship involves an aquatic dance, involving both, circle each other with their necks stretched out, while growling, each raises up from the water a bit, point beak upwards, flaps wings, and shakes itself

great frigatebird

males known for their bright red gular sacs which they inflate during the mating season

female fly overhead, males shake their wings, display their pouches, and call to the former

once the female selects a mate, nest building begins

primary prey are fish and squid, also swoop down other foods from the sea, and baby turtles on the sand

galapagos sea lion

lives in colonies, each has a dominant bull

up to 30 or more females and their young

beach master will defend his stretch of coastline against all comers, not unusual to see a young bull challenge the dominant bull

scars are often seen on male sea lions, around upper body

young males hang out in bachelor colonies

females give birth to a single pup

super curious, will play with visitors

bottle nosed dolphin

often react to seeing humans by swimming alongside