Physiological final(Soaring, Diving, Allometry)

Where on Earth is chlorophyll less abundant, leading to high competition for resources at the poles?

Chlorophyll is less abundant on the equator of the Earth.

What type of breeder uses 'savings' by storing energy to decouple feeding and reproduction?

Capital breeders

What type of breeder is analogous to living 'paycheck to paycheck', requiring constant feeding during reproduction?

Income breeders

Salmon and sea lions are examples of _____ breeders because they decouple feeding and reproduction.

capital

Small birds, deer, and humans are examples of _____ breeders because they require constant feeding during reproduction.

income

What is the foraging strategy of the Laysan Albatross regarding its nest?

They fly long distances from the nest to get food, then return to deliver it and incubate the egg.

In bird flight morphology, what is the 'aspect ratio' of a wing?

It is the ratio of the length of the wing to its breadth (width).

What is the advantage of a larger wing aspect ratio for a bird like an albatross?

A larger aspect ratio makes the bird a better glider.

What is the term for the flight technique used by albatrosses that allows them to fly without flapping their wings?

Dynamic soaring

How does the metabolic cost of soaring for an albatross compare to its metabolic cost of sitting on an egg?

The metabolic cost of soaring is the same as the cost of sitting on an egg.

What is a primary physiological adaptation related to body size that allows albatrosses to fast for long periods?

Their large body size allows them to hold a high level of energetic reserves.

What critical tissue can an albatross preserve while fasting, which is essential for its foraging flights?

It can maintain its fast without risking its flight muscles.

What is the first energy store an albatross burns during a fast?

It first burns the energy stores located in its stomach.

After using stomach energy stores, what is the second type of reserve an albatross burns through while fasting?

It burns through its fat reserves.

Why are fat reserves a more efficient energy source than muscle for a fasting albatross?

Fat has more ATP per gram than muscle tissue.

What is the final energy reserve an albatross will burn once its fat stores are depleted?

muscle

The albatross's ability to fast for long periods is an adaptation primarily to avoid what?

To avoid nest competition

What two categories of adaptations enable the Laysan Albatross's long-distance foraging and fasting strategy?

Flight morphology and fasting physiology

How does the lung size of deep-diving mammals compare to terrestrial mammals of similar size?

Deep divers do not have larger lungs; their lungs actually collapse during a deep dive

What is the major oxygen store for deep-diving mammals?

Their blood is the major oxygen store

How does the blood volume per kilogram of tissue in deep divers compare to that of humans?

Deep divers have twice the blood volume per kilogram of tissue compared to humans.

What two factors related to red blood cells allow deep divers to hold more oxygen in their blood?

Higher hematocrit (more RBCs per ml) and more hemoglobin (Hb) per red blood cell.

What does a high hemoglobin (Hb) affinity for oxygen favor?

It favors the loading of oxygen from the lungs into the blood.

What does a low hemoglobin (Hb) affinity for oxygen favor?

It favors the offloading of oxygen from the blood into the tissues.

The oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve for shallow divers is shifted to the _____.

left

Why do shallow divers need a higher hemoglobin affinity (a left-shifted curve)?

They need to pull oxygen into the blood even when the partial pressure of oxygen in their lungs gets low.

The oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve for deep divers is shifted to the _____.

right

Why do deep divers that rely on blood oxygen stores need a lower hemoglobin affinity (a right-shifted curve)?

It allows oxygen to move into the tissues even when the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood is very low.

In the study of the Irish Elk, what two variables were compared to demonstrate allometry?

Antler length was compared against shoulder height

What did the allometric analysis of the Irish Elk reveal about its antler size?

Its antlers were not too large for its body size and followed the expected allometric line exactly.

What are the two likely reasons cited for the extinction of the Irish Elk?

human hunting and a change in their foraging habitat

Why do moose antlers appear disproportionately small on allometric graphs that compare antler weight to body weight?

Because the study depends on the mass, not the length, of the antler, and moose antlers are very thick.

What specific morphological feature of moose can lead to inaccurate body size measurements in allometric studies?

Moose have very long legs due to their environment, which can skew body weight measurements relative to torso size.