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Behavioural Ecology
The study of behavioural responses that contribute to the survivorship and/or reproduction of organisms
EXAM QUESTION: What is behavioural ecology?
Study of behavioural responses that contribute to the survivorship and/or reproduction of organisms
Habituation
One of the simplest forms of learning (can be modified in the future)
EXAM QUESTION: What is habituation?
One of the simplest forms of learning (can be modified in the future)
Cognitive Learning
The ability to solve problems with conscious thought and without direct environmental feedback
EXAM QUESTION: What is cognitive learning?
Ability to solve problems with conscious thought and without direct environmental feedback
Three compass systems birds use in their navigational toolkit
Position of sun by day/ stars at night, landmarks, earth's magnetic field
EXAM QUESTION: How do birds migrate?
position of the sun and stars, landmarks, earth's magnetic fields
Defending a territory has costs and benefits
Territory is expected when benefits exceed costs
EXAM QUESTION: Where do we expect territoriality?
When the benefits exceed the costs
Four ways animals communicate
chemical, auditory, visual, tactile
Altruism
Behaviour that appears to benefit others at a cost to oneself
EXAM QUESTION: What is altruism?
Behaviour that appears to benefit others at a cost to oneself. Most altruistic acts serve to benefit an individuals close relatives
Kin-Selection
Acts that lower the individual's fitness but increases the fitness of relatives
EXAM QUESTION: Why does group selection fail?
Selfish non-sharers displace altruistic sharers
Hamilton's Rule
Used to explain the evolution of bright coloration being advertised for distastefulness
Sexual conflicts among females and males
The higher the variance in offspring production, the greater the degree of sexual dimorphism
EXAM QUESTION: When you have a high variance in the sex of offspring, what would you expect?
Strong sexual dimorphism
Sexual selection
Driven by intrasexual competition (male-male) and/or intersexual choice (choice for specific traits)
EXAM QUESTION: What is sexual selection driven by?
intrasexual competition (male-male) and/or intersexual choice (choice for specific traits)
Mating system types
monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, polygamy
Monogamy and its conditions
Marriage to a single person under the conditions that neither sex can monopolize resources, and shared parental care maximizes the fitness of both parties
EXAM QUESTION: What factors are required for monogamy to occur?
Neither sex can monopolize resources, shared parental care maximizes the fitness of both parties
Polygyny
One male has many females
Polyandry
Many males to one female
Polygamy
Many spouses
Mating system structure is primarily driven by
ecological conditions
EXAM QUESTION: (T/F) Ecological conditions dictate mating system structure
True
Population
A group of interbreeding individuals that occupy the same habitat at the same time
Interbreeding
Two members of the same species mate frequently to produce offspring through the exchange of genes
EXAM QUESTION: What is the definition of population?
A group of interbreeding individuals that occupy the same habitat at the same time (Q)
EXAM QUESTION: Why is demographic analysis important?
age classes can be resolved, population growth, focus management on driving growth
Logistic growth; density-dependent term
K-N/K
Density dependent factors
factor that limits a population more as population density increases
EXAM QUESTION: What are density dependent factors?
Mortality factor whose influence varies with the density of the population
Parasitism, predation, and competition for limiting resources
Predators kill few prey when the prey population is low, they kill more prey when the population is higher
Density independent factors
limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of population size
EXAM QUESTION: What are density independent factors?
Mortality factor whose influence is generally not affected by changes in population size or density
Primarily physical factors (Weather, drought, flood)
EXAM QUESTION: What are life history strategies or life history tradeoffs?
How, when, and where to allocate limited resources to an organism's fitness
R-Selected traits
R selected traits maximize reproductive output. R selected individuals are poor competitors.
Not competitive
Rapid development
Early Reproduction
Small body size
K-Selected traits
K selected traits are those that maximize competitive ability. K selected traits individuals tend to occur when resources are stably limited. They allow organisms to grow large, be very competitive, and produce few well bred offspring.
Very competitive
Slow development
Late Reproduction
Large body size
EXAM QUESTION: How do selective pressures change?
Natural disasters disturb growth or trait prevalence and reset the clock
Population Inertia
Continued population growth despite a reduction in reproduction rates
EXAM QUESTION: What is population inertia?
When survival rates exceed death rates
Intraspecific Competition
competition between members of the same species (the strongest form of competition)
EXAM QUESTION: What is the strongest form of competition?
Intraspecific Competition
Interspecific Competition
competition between members of different species
Ecological Niche
all of the ecological factors that influence the survivorship and reproduction of a species
Realized Niche
most often smaller than the fundamental niche; invokes biotic factors
Fundamental Niche
The full potential range of the physical, chemical, and biological factors a species can use if there is no competition from other species.
EXAM QUESTION: Fundamental vs Realized Niche
The specific value of n defines the fundamental niche. The restricted ecological range of a species is called the realized niche
EXAM QUESTION: What are innate behaviors?
Behaviors that are driven by genetic programming (not learned)
EXAM QUESTION: What is Gause's competitive exclusion principle?
Two species cannot occupy the exact same niche and coexist (Q)
Character Displacement
Driven by interspecific competition
Mullerian Mimicry
Two or more unpalatable species resemble each other. Since any mutant gets samples, the morph would be stable
Batesian Mimicry
A palatable prey avoids predators by looking like a distasteful species which puts selective pressure on the distasteful model to look different and have unstable morphing
EXAM QUESTION: What are the two main differences between Mullerian and Batesian Mimicry?
Mullerian morphs remain stable and both species are distasteful. Batesian morphs are constantly evolving and palatable species develop to look like a distasteful species
EXAM QUESTION: What is masting?
synchronous production of progeny satiate (make full) predators
EXAM QUESTION: What three factors may be involved in mutualism?
transportation of gametes, nutrient reward, and/or protection
EXAM QUESTION: What are the two hypotheses for latitudinal gradient diversity?
The time stability hypothesis and the productivity hypothesis
Which hypothesis does not describe the latitudinal gradient diversity?
The area hypothesis
EXAM QUESTION: What is the intermediate disturbance hypothesis?
Few species persist under high and low disturbance while most species occur in areas of intermediate disturbance
What is succession?
Gradual and continuous change in species composition and community structure over time
Primary Succession
succession on a newly exposed surface that has essentially no organic matter (volcanoes, glaciers)
Secondary Succession
succession on a site that has already supported life but has undergone a disturbance (fire, hurricane, flood)
Bottom-up model
food limitation controls population density
Top-down model
natural enemies control population density
EXAM QUESTION: Are top predators important in ecosystem function? Why?
Yes. Cascading trophic effects describe that removal of any predators in the food chain completely changes it
TRUE/FALSE: Diversity causes (begets) Stability
True
Why is biodiversity important?
it contributes to ecosystem function, diversity begets diversity, diversity begets stability
EXAM QUESTION: What is the energy transfer between organisms?
Because of respiration, energy flow to the next trophic level is approximately 10-20%. Top predators are always low of abundance
Positive Feedback
ice sends most of the suns energy back to space
EXAM QUESTION (TRUE/FALSE): There can be significant energy inputs to regulate fuel
True (E)