Phys Eco Exam 1 Evolution, resources, and nutritional ecology #2

What is evolution?

Changes in allele frequencies over time.

What is an adaptation?

A trait that is present due to the advantage it confers over other available traits.

Are all traits adaptive?

No. Traits can result from non-adaptive processes or historical constraints.

What is an example of non-adaptive evolution?

Genetic drift.

What is pleiotropy?

One gene can code for both adaptive and non-adaptive traits.

How can phylogenetic history explain a non-adaptive trait?

A trait may have been adaptive in the past but is no longer adaptive.

Why is an organism considered a "compromise"?

Natural selection results in adequacy, not perfection.

Do individuals within populations have identical physiological traits?

No. Individuals within populations show variation in physiological traits.

How can populations of the same species differ?

They can exhibit different allele frequencies depending on the trait, which can contribute to local adaptation.

What are resources?

Things necessary for an animal to survive and reproduce. They are often limiting and usually consumable.

What are major examples of animal resources?

Energy, specific nutrients, water, and potentially space and sunlight/shade.

What aspects of resources are particularly important in physiological ecology?

Patterns of resource acquisition and allocation.

What is the unifying resource in physiological ecology?

ENERGY.

What is nutritional ecology?

The study of how animals obtain energy and nutrients from their food.

What processes can nutritional ecology include?

Foraging behavior, digestive physiology, cellular metabolism, and plant/animal interactions.

Why do we study nutrition?

It plays a critical role in survival and reproduction and provides insight into population dynamics, wildlife management, conservation, human impacts, nutrient cycling, and energy flow.

What are major field methods for studying nutritional ecology?

Stomach-content analysis, fecal analysis, examining plants/prey in the field, and comparing availability with consumption.

What can captive diet-choice studies measure?

Preference and intake.

What do digestibility/nutrient-balance trials determine?

What animals actually assimilate from their food.