Ecology Exam 1

Kin selection

________: related, so still passing on some alleles.

Manipulative Experiment

________: higher power to detect differences, more control, more costly; you remove a top predator or mimic a natural occurring event in a lab or field.

Phenotype

________: physical expression of the interaction between genotype and environment.

hardy Weinburg equilibrium model

The ________ helps identify evolutionary forces over time (changes in alleles)

independent variable

The ________ is not manipulated by the researcher.

Ectotherms

________ rely mainly on external factors for body temps.

Replication

________ is having more than one experimental unit PER Treatment.

Eusocilaity

________: more complex, higher level sociality (Colonies of ants, wasps, bees, termites)

Females

________ are developed from fertilized eggs and are diploid (two allele M and F)

Endotherms

________ heavily relay on internal energy for body temp regulation.

Data

________ is subject to analysis but usually no correlation analysis.

Darwin

Evolution was credited to ________ and Mendel.

Insecticide

________ only kills off the ones who it works on; leaving the bugs left over to breed with those alleles which are suited for it.

Torpor

________: Lower metabolic rate and body temp for a short period of time (Can reduce metabolic rate sigficatly usually just over night tho)

Fitness

________: the number of viable offspring contributed by an individual to future generations.

Hibernation

________: reduced metabolic rate for months in the winter (cold temps)

Population genetics

________: is important in the study of: Evolution, conservation ecology, ecotoxicology.

Microclimates

________ (small- scale weather variation measured in a shorter time period) interact with the local landscape to produce microclimatic variation.

nutrients

Interactions with their environments: temp, water, ________, energy.

Thermal neutral zone

________: range of environmental temps.

Pseudoscience

________: False- Science (can not attempted to be refuted or falsified)

Obervational

________ (Natural): Take advantage of natural events or natural differences.

Sample size

________= of experimental units per treatment (Tanks of fish)

Mate

________ choice, or competition for ________, can result in selection for particular traits.

Homeostasis

________ can be costly if it involves maintaining body temp when the environmental temp outside the thermal neutral zone.

Overproduction

________ makes it hard for offspring to survive creating good offspring to reproduce, individuals with with best suited traits will leave more viable offspring.

Sexual selection

________: Differences in reproductive rates among individuals through differences in mating success.

Greater replication

________: closer to true average, greater power to detect differences.

Random generation of genetic variability

________ leads to differential reproductive success (better fit)

Definition of Science

________: a system of acquiring knowledge; or, the knowledge itself.

Correlation

________ does NOT equal causation.

Origin of species

Darwin: wrote the ________ by means of Natural Selection (1859)

Estivation

________: Reduced metabolic rate for months in the summer (warm temps)

allele frequencies

Evolution: changes in ________ over time.

Intersexual selection

________: one sex chooses mates (opposite sex) based on particualar traits.

sub species

Isolated populations are more likely to diverge into a(n) ________ or a totally new species.

Hyp Ha

________: A tentative statement about nature, the purpose of which is to suggest experiments (a ‘ best guess) Null Hyp H0: There is no significant relationship between observation and hyp.

Kin selection

________ appears to play a key role in the evolution of eusociality.

Natural selection

________: organisms can change over generations if individuals with certain hertiable traits leave more offspring than others.

Definition of Science

a system of acquiring knowledge; or, the knowledge itself

Pseudoscience

False-Science (can not attempted to be refuted or falsified)

Obervational (Natural)

Take advantage of natural events or natural differences

Manipulative Experiment

higher power to detect differences, more control, more costly; you remove a top predator or mimic a natural occurring event in a lab or field

Result of a Quasi-Experiment

Researcher is limited in what he/she can say

Dependent Variable

What is measured

Independent Variable

This is what is manipulated; or the effects of which you wish to determine

Confounding Variable

A variable other than your independent variable, that effects your dependent variable

Thermal neutral zone

range of environmental temps

Torpor

Lower metabolic rate and body temp for a short period of time (Can reduce metabolic rate sigficatly usually just over night tho)

Hibernation

reduced metabolic rate for months in the winter (cold temps)

Estivation

Reduced metabolic rate for months in the summer (warm temps)

Fitness

the number of viable offspring contributed by an individual to future generations

Intrasexual selection

individuals of the smae sex fighting over a mate (competing)

Intersexual selection

one sex chooses mates (opposite sex) based on particualar traits

Eusocilaity

more complex, higher level sociality (Colonies of ants, wasps, bees, termites)

Caste

groups of physically distinct members with different roles

Darwin

wrote the Origin of species by means of Natural Selection (1859)

Natural selection

organisms can change over generations if individuals with certain hertiable traits leave more offspring than others

Two key observations of Natural selection

over production and variance

Evolution

changes in allele frequencies over time

Bottle Neck

By chance, certain alleles may be over or under represented among survivors, usually reduces genetic diversity, can be caused by habitat fragmentation.

Founder Effect

Genetic drift in a new colony, Founder population has different allele frequencies than source pop. (by random chance)

BACI Experiment Design

Before, After, Control, Impact. Allows you to take into account; differences among sites at the start, environmental changes over time

Migration

Transfer of alleles into or out of a pop. (Random), Movement of individuals among population, Increase or decrease of genetic diversity 

Substitution

 (or replacement) of nucleotide

Observational (Natural) Experiment:

Take advantage of natural events or natural differences for a study

Manipulative Experiment:

higher power to detect differences, more control, more costly; you remove a top predator or mimic a natural occurring event in a lab or field (you do the change)

Descriptive Scientific Method

* Observational methods oldest
* Explanations may come from myth, religion
* __No testable hypothesis__

Inductive Scientific Method

No testable hypothesis, Data is subject to analysis

Control

1. A treatment against which one or more other treatments can be compared.
2. Identical except does not receive the manipulation under investigation 

Randomization

1. Process of randomly allocating treatments and controls to experimental units
2. OR randomly selecting samples from the population of interest

Elements of a good experimental design

1. Control
2. Replication (sample size)
3. Randomization

Bias

A systematic error that can involve favoring of something or an outcome

Quasi-Experiments

(one or more key components missing)


1. Money 
2. Logistics; rare animals, transportation issues
3. Ethical problems; what is it going to do to humans or animals
4. The independent variable is not manipulated by the researcher
5. Treatment and control groups might not be randomized
6. May lack a true control

Result of a Quasi-Experiment: Researcher is limited in what he/she can say

Counter current Exchange in Mammals

* flesh furthest away from the heart starts to get colder first
* Blood moves in opposite directions arteries away from the heart (warm blood) veins move blood to the heart (Cold blood)
* With the current moving in the opposite directions it creates a heat exchange 
* (arteries carry blood away from the heart)

Counter current Exchange in fish

* Oxygen and cold water moves through the gills
* The viens transport warm blood to the muscles for energy and the artires carry cold blood to the heart creating counter current exchange
* (arteries carry blood to the heart)

Asexual Reproduction

* Only one parent; no meiosis, no fertilization
* Bacteria, some fungi, some plants, starfish, water fleas
* Less energy is required compared to reg. Mating
* Rapid colonization and more offspring
* One major flaw in asexual reproduction is the lack of genetic diversity

Sexual Reproduction

* Fusion of distinct male and females gametes to produce a zygote
* Mammals, birds, some plants, many invertebrates
* Advantages: genetic diversity
* Disadvantages: Costly (production of flowers, gonads, elaborate displays)

Sequential __hermaphrodites__

an organism that starts out one sex then later in life converts into the other sex

Cooperative Breeders

* Members of groups may have reduced mating opportunities
* Non-breeders cooperate in rearing others’ offspring

Haplodiploidy (Honey Bees)

* Males develop from unfertilized eggs and are haploid (only one allele F)
* Females are developed from fertilized eggs and are diploid (two alleles M & F)
* Queen can choose whether the egg she lays is fertilized or not; creating males and females 
* Evolutionary, it is better for a daughter to help rear he sisters because they are 75% related