Exam 2 - Ornithology (all sets combined)

What does R.O stand for?

~ Reproductive Output

2 multiple choice options

What does R.O. mean?

~ The number of offspring produced over the course of a LIFETIME

3 multiple choice options

Which Sex has the greatest potential for a higher reproductive output?

~ Males

2 multiple choice options

Why do Male have a higher R.O than females (usually)

~ It is constrained by the number of females he can mate with

2 multiple choice options

What are the constraints of female's R.O?

~ Energetic demand in producing an egg

~ Energetic demand in taking care of young

3 multiple choice options

How does Sexual Selection effect a males R.O?

~ If a male doesn't get selected to mate, his R.O is little to none

3 multiple choice options

Generally, within a non-monogamous mating system, which sex does more with the young? Why?

~ Females

~ Males don't have the guarantee that those eggs are actually his offspring

2 multiple choice options

Generally within a mating system, who spends more energy trying to attract a mate?

~ Males

1 multiple choice option

What do females want from a mate?

~ Commitment

- Flashy = quality

~ Ability to provide

3 multiple choice options

How do females judge a potential mate?

~ Plumage

~ Display

~ Food/gift Giving

~ Territory

2 multiple choice options

Why do females judge a males plumage when determining a mate?

~ Underlying assumption that his plumage is an underlying indicator of his quality

2 multiple choice options

Why do females judge a males display when determining a mate?

~ The longer the better, is an indication of his quality

- Smart

- Endurance

2 multiple choice options

Why do females judge a males territory when determining a mate?

~ If he has a good territory means he's been able to protect it

2 multiple choice options

What does a male want in a female? (subjective)

~ Ability to produce healthy young

~ Some sort of Fidelity

2 multiple choice options

How does a male judge a potential mate?

~ Not very reliable judgements

~ Receptivity of Female

~ Fidelity

1 multiple choice option

What influences can influence the type of mating system?

~ Availability of resources

~ Ability to raise young alone

~ Current and future reproductive effort

~ Uncertainties of Parentage/Paternity.

3 multiple choice options

How does Resource availability effect mating systems?

~ If it is possible for females to raise the young alone, then he can go off alone

2 multiple choice options

How does the ability to raise young alone effect mating systems?

~ Some young can feed by themselves

~ If young are easy, male is gone, if young are difficult, male is there

2 multiple choice options

How does the current and future reproductive effort effect mating systems?

~ If the female is wearing self down, she won't be able to mate in the future

- If a monogamous female finds that her mate won't come back, she will abandon her eggs

2 multiple choice options

What are the types of mating systems?

~ Monogamous

~ Polygamy

~ Promiscuity

2 multiple choice options

Within Polygamy, what are the other subcategories?

~ Polygyny

~ Polyandry

~ Polygynandry

2 multiple choice options

What does Monogamy mean?

~ One male and one Female that work together to raise young

3 multiple choice options

What are the two reasons that Monogamy is seen as essential?

1.) To aid in the successful growth of the young

2.) Seen as the inability to dominate enough resources

2 multiple choice options

Is Monogamy equal in partnership?

~ No

1 multiple choice option

What is EPC?

~ Extra Pair Copulations

- i.e. Extramarital affairs

2 multiple choice options

"Socially Monogamous Birds are rarely Blank monogamous"

Genetically

2 multiple choice options

What bird is best known for it's EPC?

The Hedge sparrow

3 multiple choice options

What benefits does the Male get when having EPC?

~ Higher percentage that the young he is caring for is his

3 multiple choice options

What is the benefits to the female having EPC?

~ Multiple males taking care of her and her young

~ She might find a better male that has better genetics

~ May get access She might find a better male that has better genetics

2 multiple choice options

What mating system is most common?

Monogamy

3 multiple choice options

What does Polygamy mean?

~ Any system that involves pair bonds with multiple members of the opposite sex

2 multiple choice options

What does Polygyny mean?

~ 1 male, many females

3 multiple choice options

What does Polyandry mean?

~ 1 female, many males

2 multiple choice options

What percent of overall birds practice Polygyny? What percent of birds in N.A practice it?

~ 2%

~ 5%

3 multiple choice options

Which Sex has more R.O variability?

~ Males, it depends on their success in getting females

2 multiple choice options

What is RDP? How common is it?

~ Resource Defense Polygyny

~ The most common type

~ Males control a limited resource, i.e. Food or Nest sites

3 multiple choice options

"Females on blank territories do better that females paired with males on blank territories

~ Good

~ Sub-par

3 multiple choice options

Why was the Lark Bunting mentioned for RDP?

~ They nest in shady spots, meaning the more shady spots your territory has, the better the R.O

~ Male gets multiple mates, but only aids the primary in raising the young

3 multiple choice options

Why was the Great Reed Warbler mentioned for RDP?

~ Females in Polygyny relationships share a male equally

~ Males do a balancing act between mating and taking care of mates

~ The rating of the territory depends on the number of predators present, not food source.

3 multiple choice options

What is FDP?

~ Female Defense Polygyny, (basically RDP)

~ Males control a group of females, Harem

2 multiple choice options

What is MDP

~ Male Dominance Polygyny

~ Males compete to show who is best

~ Little pair bonding

3 multiple choice options

What is Polyandry?

~ One female, Multiple males

~ Female doesn't take care of the nest

~ Female defends territory and competes for males

3 multiple choice options

Who has more variability in R.O in polyandry

~ Females

2 multiple choice options

What is the evolutionary benefit in Polyandry?

~ Most birds are Charadriiformes, meaning they only lay 4 eggs per clutch

~ If female doesn't incubate, there is no trigger of inhibiting hormones, leading to more eggs being laid

2 multiple choice options

What is Simultaneous Polyandry?

~ Females defend a territory, she fills nests for multiple males, and continues to aid in caring for the young

~ Jacanas

1 multiple choice option

What is Sequential Polyandry?

~ Females make and break pair-bonds

- Mate, Lays eggs, and dips

~ Most common

Sandpipers participate in Sequential polyandry, but males still compete, what are they competing for?

~ Being the primary mate

~ But the female aids the secondary mate

What is the Two-Clutch system?

~ Females mate with male, lays eggs, which he will incubate, she then lays eggs from the same male, and takes care of that nest.

~ Not fully polyandry, since she takes care of a nest.

What is Cooperative Simultaneous Polyandry?

~ Multiple males assist a female to raise young

~ Females mated with all males, but cannot guarantee they are his young

~ Everybody takes care of nest together

What is Polygynandry? Who does it?

~ Multiple males mate with multiple females and Vise Versa

~ Tinamous; Ratites; Some songbirds

What is so significant about the Smith's Longspur?

~ Males mate with 2-3 females, and females mate with 2-3 males

~ Females might mate up to 365 times a week, to keep males interested

What is Promiscuity?

~ Short duration sexual relationships, no pair bonding

~ Male's R.O is highest is can be

Who participates in Promiscuity?

~ Hummingbirds

~ Manakins

~ Birds of Paradise

~ Grouse

~ All birds that Lek

What is resource defense Promiscuity? Examples?

~ Birds defend a resource that is used in mating rituals

~ Ex: Hummingbird - Males take ownership of a flowering tree, and mate with any females who comes to eat.

~ Ex: Yellow-rumped honey guide

What is Lekking?

In lekking species, males gather to display at a lek, where female choice occurs thus competing for females.

True or false

~ While Lekking, male success is generally equal among the birds

~ False

~ Male success has great variability.

~ Sage grouse: <10% of Males mate with 70-80% of all females

What are the disadvantages of Lekking?

~ Interruption

- Middle of mating, another male may try and knock you off of a female to complete mating

What are the advantages of Lekking?

~ More eyes watching for predators

In grouse, what species Lek and what species tend not to lek?

~ Open country Grouse tend to lek

~ Forest Grouse tend not to lek due to less eyes being able to watch for predators

What is the "Hot Spots" Hypothesis? And who does it Surround?

~ Males go to a place that females go to gather

~ Males

What is the follower Strategy in Lekking?

~ Follow the best male, and take the left over females

~ Success is low

What is the Interceptors Strategy in Lekking?

~ Mate on the way to the lek

~ Success is highly low

What is the Lekking Strategy in Lekking?

~ Participate fully in Lekking

~ Highly successful (most of the time)

True or False

~ Females like a smaller Lek, less to choose from, making it easier

~ False

~ Females like a bigger lek to compare males to each other, the bigger the better

What is the "Hot shots" Hypothesis? and who does it surround?

~ Males gather around the most attractive male, and hope to catch a mate here and thee

~ Inexperienced/insubordinate males gather around experienced male

~ Males

What is the Females Preference Hypothesis? And who does it surround?

~ Females go to a bigger lek, all so that they can compare multiple different males

~ Females

What is Cooperative Lekking?

~ Multiple Males work together in a choreographed dance to attract a mate, male in charge mates with the impressed female

Why do birds participate in cooperative lekking?

~ If something happens to the dominant male, the next in line will take over

~ If the main male is busy, next in line mates with another female.

What is Brood Parasitism?

~ "Surreptitious addition of eggs into another female's nest"

What is the benefit to the parasite parent to participate in Brood Parasitism?

~ Little NRG expenditure

What harms can overcome the host of a parasite?

~ Lack of survivor eggs

~ May lay less of her own eggs, think clutch is complete

- decreasing R.O.

~ May not have any surviving young

~ Most birds cannot distinguish parasites.

What is Facultative Brood Parasitism?

~ Parasitized eggs when opportunity arises

~ Increasing R.O with little to no cost

What does Intraspecific mean in Facultative Brood parasitism? And who does it?

~ Parasites within their own species

~ Ducks - Common Goldeneye - Wood Duck

~ Other Waterfowl - Am. Coot - Grebes

~ Fowls

~ Pigeons and Doves

~ Some Song birds - House Sparrow - Cliff Swallow - Eu. Starling - Chickens

What does Interspecific mean in Facultative Brood parasitism? And who does it?

~ Parasitism outside of parasite species

~ RedHeads

~ Black-billed Cuckoo and Yellow-billed Cuckoo parasite each other

What is Obligate Parasites?

~ Never build their own nests

~ Parasitize other species

~ Usually in Eu.

~ Parasites have a chosen species they attack

- Leading to Egg races

~ Spread eggs to multiple different nests

What are Egg races?

~ Parasite's egg mimics a host's egg

What are the characteristics of Parasite eggs?

~ Egg is bigger than host egg (maybe even host)

~ Young hatches earlier than host's egg

~ Young is bigger than host

~ Meaner

~ Grow faster

- Outcompete their host siblings

The cowbird is an Obligate Parasite, how many eggs can they lay within a season?

30-40

Who are the old world Parasites?

~ Cuckoos

~ Whydahs

~ Indigobirds

~ Honeyguides

~ Some Finches in Africa (Parasitic Weaver Finches)

What are Chick races?

~ Parasite chicks resembles the host chicks, but as they age, they look like their true species

In Obligate Brood Parasitism, what were the three birds mentioned that the young mimic the host?

1.) Cuckoos

2.) Whydahs

3.) Indigobirds

What about the Brown Headed Cowbird's egg/hatchling makes them dangerous to their Host?

~ The thick-shelled eggs can/have been able to break the host's eggs

~ The hatchling automatically push against anything touching their backs, leading to eggs or hatchlings of the host falling out of the nest.

~ Hatch earlier, are larger than host eggs, and are larger than host once hatched

What about the Brown Headed Cowbird adult makes them dangerous to their Host?

~ They remove an egg of the host a day or two before the parasite female lays an egg

~ Parasites check on the progress of their egg

~ If the host rejected their egg, they become aggressive/"mafia" behaviors

- Parasite might destroy the host's nest, and the eggs inside it.

- 85% will re-parasitize

What are the New World Obligate Parasites?

~ Three Cuckoo species

~ Black headed Duck (South America)

~ Brown-Headed Cow Bird

What do the hatchlings of the Black-Headed duck do after hatching?

~ Immediately leave the nest, requiring little to no care

1 multiple choice option

What is a big effect of Brood Parasitism on the Host?

~ Reduced Productive output

- Host rarely successfully produce their own young

- Leading to endangered birds (Kirtland's Warbler in North Michigan)

What are Rejectors in Brood Parasitism?

~ Evolutionary response

~ Happens with a host recognizes a parasite egg

1 multiple choice option

What can happen if a host recognizes a parasite egg?

~ Abandon the Nest

~ Eject or throw out the parasite egg

~ She may not incubate it, burying it in the cold

1 multiple choice option

True or False

~ The environment has no impact on the type of mating system

False

1 multiple choice option

If the environment provides a stable habitat, with uniformly distributed food, which system would take place?

~ Monogamy

- Territoriality

- Males must help feed their young

1 multiple choice option

If the environment provides a Unpredictable, Ephemeral (never promised) habitats and food which system would take place?

~ Polygamy

- Polygyny

- RCP near areas with high food availability

- Promiscuity

- Or bird cannot live there

1 multiple choice option

If the environment provides a Habitat with a widely distributed food source, which system would take place?

~ Monogamy

- Males must help feed he young

2 multiple choice options

If the environment provides a habitat that has clumped resources, which system would take place?

~ Polygyny

- RDP

1 multiple choice option

True or False

~ Characteristics of Birds can favor certain mating systems

True

1 multiple choice option

If a bird is a Frugivore, which mating system would they be?

~ Polygamy/promiscuity

- Food is nutritious, abundant and not hard to find

1 multiple choice option

If a bird has precocial young, what type of mating system would they be?

~ Polygamy/Promiscuity

- Young leave the nest early

- Male help isn't necessary

1 multiple choice option

If a bird had Altricial young, what type of mating system would they be?

~ Monogamy

- Young is in the nest for a long period of time, leading to high parental care

- Male help is 100% necessary

2 multiple choice options

What are the patterns of dispersal?

~ Random

~ Clumped

~ Uniform

2 multiple choice options

What is a territory?

~ A fixed or mobile (if resource is mobile) are that is continuously defended for some period of time in either breeding or non breeding season

1 multiple choice option

How do some birds defend their territory?

~ Chasing or displaying

3 multiple choice options