Bio: Chapters 51-56

A collection of flashcards designed to help students study and review key concepts in ecology and behavior, providing definitions and explanations of important terminology.

Behavior

The internally coordinated response of an organism to internal or external stimuli, has a genetic basis and is acted on by natural selection.

Conditioned reflex

A type of associative learning where a natural response becomes associated with an unrelated stimulus.

Operant conditioning

Using a reward or punishment to control the expression of a behavior by an animal in response to an unrelated stimulus.

Behaviorism

An approach to the study of animal behavior that focuses on conditioned behavior and controlled laboratory studies.

Ethology

The study of various behaviors of animals in their natural environment.

Mechanism, development, function, and evolution

What are the categories for Tinbergen’s four questions?

Proximate causes of behavior

Immediate genetic, physiological, neurological, and developmental mechanisms that determine behavior.

Ultimate causes of behavior

Evolutionary processes that produced the animal's capacity and tendency to behave in particular ways.

Critical period

Sensitive development stage when learning must take place or functional behavior will never be expressed.

Imprinting

Parent-offspring recognition, where behavior must be learned at a certain stage, not when older.

Cost-benefit approach

Assumes that animals have limited time and energy for activities with fitness costs and benefits.

Energetic cost

Energy expended by the animal performing a behavior.

Risk cost

Increased chance of being injured or killed.

Opportunity cost

Benefits an animal forgoes by not being able to perform other behaviors simultaneously.

Territorial behavior

Aggressive actions to defend a habitat or resource, preventing access to other animals.

Optimal foraging theory

Theory suggesting animals will make feeding choices to maximize energetic gain at least cost.

Ecology

Study of interactions between organisms and their environment.

Environmentalism

Using ecological knowledge, economics, ethics, and other considerations to inform decisions and policies.

Levels of ecological systems

Individual, population, community, ecosystem, landscape, and biosphere.

Weather

Short-term atmospheric conditions at a specific time and place.

Climate

Average atmospheric conditions and variation at a particular place over a longer time.

Atmosphere

Layer of gases surrounding Earth, primarily composed of nitrogen, oxygen, and other gases.

Biogeographic regions

Distinct regions characterized by different species at the continental scale.

Greenhouse gases

Gases like carbon dioxide and methane that trap heat from the Earth's surface.

Greenhouse effect

Absorption of solar radiation by the Earth and its atmosphere.

Coriolis effect

Deflection of air or water due to differences in Earth's rotation speed at different latitudes.

Prevailing winds

Circulation of air across Earth's surface in a predominantly single direction.

Trade winds

Prevailing winds blowing from east to west across the tropics.

Westerlies

Prevailing winds blowing from west to east across mid-latitudes.

Easterlies

Prevailing winds blowing from east to west at high latitudes.

Topography

Shape and surface features of Earth, including mountains and valleys.

Rain shadow

Dry area on the downwind side of a mountain range.

Temperature inversions

Foggy conditions created when cold air is trapped within a warm inversion layer.

Photic zone

Layer of water reached by enough sunlight to support photosynthesis.

Coastal zone

Marine life zone extending from shoreline to continental shelf, characterized by shallow water.

Ocean zone

Marine life zone extending from coastal zone into open ocean, characterized by deep water.

Intertidal zone

Benthic coastal zone between high and low tide levels, periodically exposed to air.

Estuaries

Areas where rivers meet the sea, creating variability in salinity and sediment.

Upwelling

Process where cold, nutrient-rich water rises to the surface along continental coasts.

Albedo

Amount of sunlight a surface reflects.

Evapotranspiration

Evaporation and transfer of heat and water from surfaces of plants into the atmosphere.

Heat islands

Cities that are warmer than surrounding areas due to heat absorption in buildings and pavement.

Biogeography

Scientific study of the distribution and diversity of life on Earth.

Vicariance

A physical barrier that prevents dispersal and divides a species into separate populations.

Population

Group of individuals of the same species in a particular area that can interbreed.

Population dynamics

Patterns and processes of population change over space and time.

Dispersal

Movement of individuals into or out of an existing population.

Metapopulation

Geographically isolated populations linked by dispersal.

Geographic range

Entire region within which a species occurs.

Endemic

A species that occurs in a specific location and nowhere else.

Dispersion patterns

Spatial arrangement of individuals within a population.

Uniform dispersion

Evenly spaced individuals within a population.

Random dispersion

Randomly spaced individuals within a population.

Clumped dispersion

Clumped spatial patterns of individuals within a population.

Intraspecific competition

Competition for shared resources by individuals of the same species.

Interspecific interactions

Interactions among individuals of different species.

Migration

Round-trip movement of individuals within a population due to seasonal changes.

Active dispersal

Dispersal type where individuals actively move around.

Passive dispersal

Dispersal type where seeds are blown away by wind.

Facilitated dispersal

Dispersal where seeds within fruits are dispersed by an active agent.

Full census

Count of every individual in a population.

Population density

Number of individuals within a given area.

Mark-recapture method

Method of estimating population sizes by capturing and marking individuals.

Demography

Study of changes in population sizes over time.

Per capita birth rate

Average number of offspring produced by an individual over time.

Per capita death rate

Average individual's chance of dying within a time interval.

Exponential growth

Pattern of population growth where new individuals added per unit of time accelerates.

Logistic growth

Pattern of growth that levels off as density-dependent processes slow growth.

Carrying capacity (K)

Maximum number of individuals that an environment can support.

Life history

Lifetime pattern of growth, reproduction, and survival.

Life history strategy

Allocation of resources to growth, reproduction, and survival based on factors.

Type I survivorship curve

High survivorship for most of life; mortality occurs in old age.

Type II survivorship curve

Relatively constant mortality rate throughout lifespan.

Type III survivorship curve

High mortality rates early in life; few reach adulthood.

Trade-offs

Relationship between fitness benefits and costs of an adaptation.

R-strategists

Species with a life history strategy for high intrinsic population growth rates.

K-strategist

Species whose life history strategy allows persistence near carrying capacity.

Coevolution

Two or more species affecting each other’s evolution.

Trophic

Referring to feeding.

Symbiosis

Living together of two or more species in a prolonged relationship.

Predation

A trophic interaction where one species (predator) kills another (prey).

Carnivory

Predation where both predator and prey are animals.

Herbivory

Predation where predator is an animal and prey is a plant or algae.

Parasitism

Predation where the predator resides on or in the prey without typically killing it.

Parasite

An organism that consumes parts of a much larger organism.

Host

Organism that harbors a parasite or symbiont for nourishment.

Competition

Nontrophic interaction where species overlap in resource use, negatively affecting each other.

Positive interactions/facilitations

Interactions where one or both species benefit and neither is harmed.

Mutualisms

Type of positive interaction where both species benefit.

Commensalism

Type of positive interaction where one species benefits, and the other is unaffected.

Amensalisms

Interaction where one species is harmed, and the other is unaffected.

Active pursuit strategy

Predators actively search for prey; involves higher risk and energy cost.

Ambush strategy

Predators wait stealthily for prey to pass; lower risk and energy cost.

Subdue strategy

Predators bite prey and wait for it to die; lower risk and lower handling costs.

Structural defense

Type of prey defense like porcupines’ spines.

Cypsis

Prey defense mechanism; mimicry such as insects resembling partially eaten leaves.

Behavioral defense

Prey defense mechanism; defense by sea slugs utilizing acquired stinging nematocysts.

Chemical defense

Prey defense mechanism; poison dart frogs storing toxic chemicals as a warning signal.

Batesian mimicry

Mimicry system where one species is dangerous and the other benign.

Mullerian mimicry

Mimicry system where both species are dangerous, sharing warning coloration.