Chapter 4: Ecology and Evolution

Exam 1

Weather

short term

Climate

long term

Large-scale spatial variation

impacted by factors like climate, land topography, and soil type

Small-scale variation

impacted by factors like plant structure and animal behavior

Phenotypic plasticity

vary to environmental factors

Acclimation

individual physiology

evolutionary arms race

one interaction of a species evolving leads to the evolution of another species

hermaphrodites

individuals that produce both male and female gametes; individuals are able to fertilize their eggs with their own sperm

Inbreeding depression

the decrease in fitness caused by matings between close relatives due to offspring inheriting deleterious alleles from both the eggs and the sperm

Thermal optima

range of temperatures in which an organism best performs

Ectothermy

body temp depends on heat energy from the environment

Costs of ectothermy

exposure to predators, limits avaiable habitat, limits activities-foraging and mate seeking

Benefits of ectothermy

can enhance preformance

Endothermy

body temp depends on heat from metabolism

Benefits of endothermy

benefit of accelerated biological activity in colder climates

Costs of endothermy

energetically costly, requires more resources & running the furnace

Homeothermy

pattern of temp regulation where body temperature remains constant

Poikilothermy

pattern of temp regulation with large fluctuations in tb that are due to environmental conditions

Dormancy

dramatically reduce their metabolic processes

Diapause

involves a partial or complete physiological shutdown in response to unfavorable conditions

Hibernation

individuals reduce the energetic costs of being active by lowering heart rate and decreasing bt

Torpor

a brief period of dormancy in which individuals reduce activity and Bt

Aestivation

the shutting down of metabolic processes during the summer in response to hot or dry conditions

Foraging decisions

plastic behavior because different feeding strategies represent different behavioral phenotypes

Central place foraging

go out acquire food and bring back to place

Risk-sensitive foraging

foraging behavior that is influence by the presence of predators

Optimal diet composition

decisions on handling time in addition to the energetic and nutritional value of various resources

Diet mixing

one type of food might not provide all of the necessary nutrients