NEED TO LOOK OVER

Economic defensibility

the degree to which monopolization and defence of resources provides a net fitness benefit

condition-dependent dispersal strategy

when an organism's decision to move or stay in its current location depends on its internal state and external conditions. This means that dispersal behavior can change based on factors like body condition, resource availability, and the presence of other individuals. 

Phases of dispersal process

1. immigration: individual leaves

2. transfer: individual moves to new location

• passive (wind, current, animal vector)

• active (does not require assistance)

3. settlement: individual settles in new area (survives to reproduce)

Types of migration

1. Obligate

2. facultative

3. partial

4. differential

5. irruptive

Obligate

all individuals from a population migrate at roughly the same time each year

facultative

occurs when individuals from a population migrate after reproduction in response to conditions and/or environmental stressors

partial

fraction of the population remains either in breeding or non breeding area while remainder moves away

differential

differences in the migration patterns of older and

younger individuals, or between sexes

irruptive

involves movements of entire populations and can

occur in any season

Juveniles during first migration

tend to follow different routes or timings than adults

Exploratory behaviour

individuals vary consistently in how they respond to new environments

• fast explorers

  • thrive in resource-rich, low-risk years

  • tend to reproduce earlier, have more offspring, take more risks

• slow explorers

  • survive better during resource-scarce or high-risk years

  • exhibit more cautious behaviour, avoid predators better

How to determine differences between exploratory and residency behaviours based on movement

speed variance

Turning angle

ALSO THE SAME AS RELATIVE ANGLE

movement angle relative to previous absolute direction of movement

Absolute direction

movement angle relative to the horizontal plane (0 degrees)

• solve using geometry and SOHCAHTOA

net consumer productivity

remaining energy content availability to organisms of

the next trophic level

net production efficiency

how efficiently organisms incorporate the energy

they receive into biomass

individual energy budget

the efficiency with which an individual uses its energy affects its role within a trophic system

individual energy budget endotherms vs ectotherms

Endotherms maintain constant body temperature through metabolic heat production

• Ectotherm body temperature fluctuates with the environment

endotherms require more energy and therefore exert greater pressures on prey populations due to higher consumption rates

marginal value theorem

describes how animals weigh the benefits of staying a patch against the costs of moving to another patch

• benefit = energy per unit time they are gaining from it

• costs = time and energy travel will use up

eventually benefits of staying no longer outweigh the costs of moving

predicts optimal patch departure time varies between environments due to diff. in patch quality and distances between them

Indeterminate vs. determinate growth patterns

indeterminate: growth slows with age but no genetic max size

• reptiles, fish, amphibians

• also attenuating

determinate: growth slows with age and then stops once maximum size is reached

• birds, mammals, etc.

• also asymptotic

growth type vs growth pattern

growth type (attenuating vs. asymptotic) and

growth pattern (indeterminate vs. determinate)

Annual cycles in animal ecology

• reproductive

• migration

• hibernation

• melting/coat changes

homologous vs. analogous

homologous: develop from similar embryo substances and thus have similar basic structure and development patterns

analogous: are superficially similar + similar functions but different structure and developmental patterns

indirect mutualism

occurs when one species benefits another by affecting a third species

indirect commensialism

One predator species will also consume the main prey of the other predator species

Overall profitability based on functional responses

type 1: handling time is negligible or overlaps

type 2: consumption rate increases with prey

type 3: search and handling time is longer at low food densities and accelerates as density increases

intake vs assimilation efficiency

what is consumed

what is actually digested and absorbed

trophic cascade

where changes in one species cause cascading effects across multiple trophic levels

convergent evolution

a process by which a similar trait or character evolves independently between two species

• tends to occur when selection pressures are similar between environments

polypheniesm

a single genotype can produce two or more distinct phenotypes in response to environmental cues (ex: solider ant vs worker ant)

• inductive environment —> genotype (cue or signal from environment that triggers it)

• selective environment —> alternative phenotypes (natural selection acts on the expressed phenotype where it needs to survive or no longer exist)

phenotypic plasticity

ability of a single genotype to produce different phenotypes under different environmental conditions

phenotypic plasticity vs. polyphenism

phenotypic plasticity is a broad umbrella term

• the general ability of a single genotype to produce different phenotypes depending on the environment, includes:

  • continuous traits

  • reversible changes

  • irreversible changes

polypheniesm is a specific type of plasticity

• when an organism develops into one of two (or more) distinct phenotypes

  • discrete not gradual, based on enviro. cues during development

  • not reversible

evolutionary morphological adaptation

A heritable change in body structure over generations that improves survival or reproduction in a specific environment.

urban filtering

The process by which only species with traits suited to urban environments survive and thrive, leading to altered community composition.

behavioural flexibility

The ability of an animal to modify its behaviour in response to changing environmental conditions.

it is a type of phenotypic plasticity, specifically a reversible one, since behaviour can often change rapidly and repeatedly based on context.

bet hedging

An evolutionary strategy where organisms reduce risk by spreading out reproduction or development across time or conditions to cope with environmental unpredictability.

Example: Laying some eggs that hatch quickly and others that stay dormant in case conditions change.

Eltonians niche

species role in the ecosystem, including interaction of other species

• More about what a species does

• Functional role

• Biotic factors

  

grinnellian niche

focuses on abiotic constraints, physical environment a species can survive in.

hutchinsonian niche

combines both biotic and abiotic factors of the species

• combined grinnells abiotic constraints and Eltons biotic interactions

Fundamental niche

full range of abiotic environmental conditions under which a species can survive and reproduce

• Temperature, soil, moisture

• No competition considered

realized niche

environmental conditions and resources specifically used by species, considering biotic interactions.

• Fundamental is the space/environment they could occupy, but realized is where they actually are considering the effects of other species

  • Competition, predation, diseases, etc.

• More about where and how a species lives.

Dimensionless ratio

age of maturity / lifespan

• Defined as C

  • Lower C means mature earlier

  • Higher C means mature later

r-selection vs k-selection

r looks at quantity of offspring

k looks at quality

Rapoport’s rule

species at higher latitudes can survive through more latitudes and greater ranges than species at lower latitudes

• Glacial events have driven to extinction, leaving only those that survive best

• Extreme weather means they can survive