Chap 51 cont. and 52

Foraging Behavior

The process of searching for and exploiting food resources.

Optimal Foraging Model

A model that analyzes foraging behavior as a compromise between the benefits of nutrition and the costs of obtaining food.

Cost benefit analysis

Sociobiology

discipline that describes human behavior to result from interaction between genes and environment

Natural Selection

The process by which certain traits become more common in a population due to their effects on the survival and reproduction of individuals.

Seeking/attracting mates, choosing among potential mates, competing for mates, and caring for offspring.

Mating behavior includes? (4)

Mating Systems

The ways in which a species structures its mating behavior, including monogamous, polygamous, and promiscuous relationships.

Sexual Dimorphism

The differences in size or appearance between males and females of the same species, often seen in polygamous relationships.

Monogamous

Relationships where one male mates w/ one female.

Example: western gulls

Polygyny

A mating system in which one male mates with multiple females.

Example: elk

Polyandry

A mating system in which one female mates with multiple males.

Example: red-necked phalaropes

Polygyny: one male mates with many females; males are more showy/larger

Polyandry: one female mates with many males; females are more showy (rare)

Polygyny vs. Polyandry

Needs of the young; parental care

_______ are an important factor constraining evolution of mating systems. The amount of ______ ______ needed (and who gives it) factors mating systems.

Seeking additional mates

How does a male maximize his reproductive success?

Inclusive Fitness

A measure of an organism's success in the population based on direct reproduction and the reproduction of relatives.

Hamilton's Rule

A theory proposing that natural selection favors altruistic behaviors among related individuals when the benefit to the recipient multiplied by the coefficient of relatedness exceeds the cost to the altruist.

Reciprocal Altruism

Altruistic behavior toward unrelated individuals which can be beneficial if the aided individual reciprocates the favor in the future.

Game Theory

A mathematical framework used to model the strategic interaction between different individuals, especially in terms of mating behavior.

Microclimate

The very fine-scale climate that differs from the surrounding area, influenced by local factors like topography and vegetation.

Gene Mutation

A change in the DNA sequence that can affect an individual's behaviors and characteristics.

Altruism

Behavior that benefits other individuals at a cost to oneself.

Predation Risk

The potential for being preyed upon, which can influence the foraging behavior of animals.

Environmental Factors

The non-biological components of the environment, including temperature, sunlight, and rainfall, that affect the living organisms within ecological systems.

Ecology

The scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment.

Community Ecology

The study of interactions between different species within a particular area.

Population Ecology

The study of population dynamics within a species and the factors that influence population size.

Organismal Ecology

The study of how an organism's structure, physiology, and behavior meet environmental challenges.