Studied by 28 people
Ethology
the study of how evolutionary processes shape inherited behavior and the ways that animals respond to a specific stimuli
behavior
an organisms response to a stimulus (internal or external)
proximate cause
how a behavior occurs or how it is modified
What was the stimulus to cause the behavior (nurture)
ultimate cause
why a behavior occurs in the context of natural selection
how does the behavior help the animal survive and reproduce (nature)
innate behaviors
developmentally fixed - instictive; experience during growth has no obvious effect
learned behavors
depend on environmental influence; experience does affect these behaviors
fixed action patterns (FAPs)
a sequence of unlearned acts directly linked to a stimulus
sign stimulus
external cue
signal
a stimulus generated and transmuted from one organism to another
visual, auditory, tactile, electrical, chemcial
examples of signals
stimulus response chains
when a response to a stimulus serves as the next stimulus for a behavior
directed movements
movements toward or away from a stimulus
kinesis
a change in the rate of movement or frequency of turning movements in response to a stimulus
taxis
directional movement towards (positive) or away from (negative) a stimulus
phototaxis
movement in response to light
chemotaxis
movement in response to chemical signals
geotaxis
movement in response to gravity
learning
the modification of behavior based on specific experiences
inprinting
a long lasting behavior response to an individual
happens during a sensitive period of development
spacial learning
establishing routines based upon the special social structure of the animals surroundings
associative learning
the ability to associate 1 environmental factor with another
social learning
learning through observation and imitations of observed behaviors
foraging
food obtaining behavior; searching for, reaching and capturing food items
alturism
selfless behavior - reduces the individuals fitness but increases the fitness of the entire population
phototropism
a directional response that allows plants to grow towards or away a source of light
photoperiodism
allows plants to develop in response to day length; plant only flowers at certain times of the year
metabolic rate
the total amount of energy an animal uses in a unit of time
can be mesured in calories, heat loss, or amount of O2/CO2 used/produced
ecosystems
the sum of all the organisms living in a given area an the abiotic factors they interact with
biotic factors
living or once living components of the environment
abiotic factors
non-living physical and chemical properties of the environment
endotherms
use thermal energy from metabolism to maintain body temperature
ectotherms
use external sources to regulate body temp (ie sun/shade)
primary producers (autotrophs)
use light energy to synthesize organic compounds
hetrotrophs
rely on autotrophs because they cannot make their own food
primary production
the amount of light energy that is converted to chemical energy
gross primary production (GPP)
total primary production in an ecosystem
net primary production (NPP)
GPP - the energy used by primary producers for resp.
secondary production
the amount of chemical energy in a consumers food that is converted to new biomass
transfer is at about 10% efficienty
population
a group of individuals of the same species living in an area
dispersion
the pattern of spreading among individuals in a population
clumped dispersion
individuals gather in patches
uniform dispersion
evenly spread individuals in a population
random dispersion
unpredictable spacing
demography
the study of vital statistics of a population and how they change overtime
life table
an age specific summary of the survival pattern of a population
type I curve
low death rate during early/middle life, and a high death rate later in life
type II curve
constant death rate over the lifespan of the organism
type III curve
high death rate early in life lower death rate fro those that survive
exponential growth model
a population living under ideal conditions grows rapidly (J-shaped curve)
logistic growth model
the per capita rate of increase approaches 0 as population size nears its carrying capacity (S shaped curve)
life history
the traits that affect an organisms schedule of reproduction (when, how often, how many)
k-selection (density-dependent selection)
selection for life history traits that are sensitive to population density
seen in high density population that are close to carrying capacity (K)
r-selected (density-independent selection)
selection for life history traits that max reproductive success
seen in low density population with little competition
density-dependent regulation
as a population increases, factors can slow or stop growth by lowering BR and raising the death rate
density-independent regulation
factors that exert their influence on population size but the birth and death rate does not change
competition
-/- relationship where individuals of different species compete for limited resources
predation
+/- relationship where species kills and eats other species
herbivory
+/- relationship where an organism eats parts of a plant or alge
symbiosis
where 2 or more species live in direct contact with one another
facilitation
+/+ or +/0 where 1 species has a a positive affect on the survival and reproduction of another species
biodiversity
the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
species richness
the number of different species
relative abundance
the proportion of each species of all the individuals in the community
Simpson’s diversity index
calculate diversity based on species richness and relative abundance and relative abundance
keystone species
not usually abundant, but other species in the ecosystem rely on them because of their important ecological niches
disturbance
an event that changes a community by removing an organism from it or by altering resource accessibility
ecological succession
the gradual process by which the species composition of a community develops overtime after a disturbance
primary succession
a series of changes on an entirely new (previously lifeless) habitat that has been colonied
secondary succession
a series of events that clears an existing community but leaves the soil intact
invasive species
a non-native species that can occupy a wide range of habitats and complete exclude native species from these habitats
biogeographical factors
large scale factors that can contribute to a range of diversity observed
Note 
Flashcard (43)