Vertebrate Biology 365 Exam 3 Iowa State University

what is the area over which an individual travels over its normal daily movements?

home range

the ability to travel to a particular place from unfamiliar locations is known as?

true navigation

the ability to go to a particular compass direction is known as?

compass orientation

an inherited genetic mutation that results in the lack of melanin in various structures of the body such as skin and hair is called what?

albinism

what is it called when you limit one trait for another trait? related to trade offs

altruism

warn predators of toxic or noxious chemicals by the use of bright coloration. opposite of cryptic coloration

aposematic coloration

round trip, which includes movement to and from an area

migration

one way trip to a particular location, no return to original area

dispersal

interaction between two or more individuals to transmit information that ultimately alters the behavior of the receiver

communication

organisms that mature early, have many offspring with high mortality rates, and are short lived

fast life

organisms mature late, have few offspring with low mortality rates, and have long lifespans

slow life

minimum metabolic rate for a fasting, non-reproducing, resting organism with no thermal stress is called what?

basal metabolic rate

factors that affect home range size, such as age, diet, population density, and many others are ultimately related to what?

energetics

what is the movement away from the place of birth called? reduces inbreeding, overcrowding, and competition with siblings

natal dispersal

what is an organism that keeps its body temperature constant/temperature regulator called?

homeotherm

what is an organism whose body temperature changes with the ambient temperature/temperature conformer called?

poikilotherm

the area around a high priority and limited resource that is actively defended to exclude competitors is called what?

a territory

what species are born in fresh water and spend their adult lives in salt water?

anadromous species

rely on the environment to keep the metabolic heat production at a desirable temperature because they cannot produce enough heat needed through internal means

ectotherms

use metabolism to elevate their body temperature

endotherms

when does torpor occur?

when environmental conditions exceed an inidivudal's capacity for homeostasis

what does torpor do?

greatly reduces body temperature and regulates metabolism

what animal is the migration champion?

arctic tern

freezing is lethal to most amphibians but not all since some have antifreeze inside of their cells know as what?

cryopotectant

what type of signals are effective at short distances, highly dependent upon light, and include color, movement, and changes in posture?

visual signals

small mammals like mice have more or less mass-specific metabolic rates than large mammals like a moose?

more

several different species of fish and reptiles have specialized jaw and head movement to assist in feeding called what?

pharyngeal jaws

what are chemical substances that are excreted by vertebrates to elicit a response from another individual?

pheromones

males in polygynous species typically have bigger or smaller home range sizes compared to females while the opposite would occur in polyandrous species?

bigger

what is a polygynous species?

one man has multiple mates

what is a polyandrous species?

one woman with multiple husbands.

there is a relationship between body size and what that stays true through all vertebrates?

metabolic rate

what is the body size always raised to?

.75

what type of jaw articulation do mammals have?

squamosal dentary

in smaller mammals, non shivering thermogenesis is obtained via what production in?

brown fat

what contains higher levels of mitochondria and can generate heat by oxidizing fatty acids?

brown fat

what is a type seasonal torpor that occurs in the summer and in response to drought or extreme heat since dehydration would occur quickly?

estivation

The screening mechanism that improves the ability of the animal to locate and identify specific food items is known as what?

the search image

are search images visual or olfactory?

can be either

what is assimilation?

somatic/individual growth + reproductive growth + respiration

what is countercurrent heat exchange?

allows periphery to cool

Name the three types of color change that occur in vertebrates.

growth changes
seasonal changes
rapid changes

describe growth changes and give an example

color pattern of young is different from adult (ex. Hair color in humans)

describe seasonal changes

involves seasonal molts, found mostly in birds and mammals

describe rapid changes and give an example

rearranging pigments in chromatophores, change can occur in days, hours, minutes, seconds (ex. Chameleons)

what are the 2 types of niche partitioning?

habitat partitioning
temporal partitioning

explain habitat partitioning

specialize on resources

explain temporal partitioning

shift activity time

what is the theory of limiting similarity?

Describes how similar competing species can be and still coexist (ex. How much their niches overlap)

how does the theory of limiting similarity relate to competitive exclusion?

because the niches overlap so much in competitive exclusion that they cannot coexist

what are 2 benefits of migration?

Exploit favorable seasonal resources (food, water, etc.)
Exploit favorable locations for reproduction (isolated, sheltered, protected, etc.)

what are 2 costs of migration?

Energy demand is very high
Time spent traveling is less time for reproduction

name a mammal that migrates

bat

name a herp that migrates

frog

name a fish that migrates

tuna

what are the 5 types of chemical colors?

melanins
carotenoids
pteridines
tetrapyrroles
guanines

describe the colors produced by melanins

blacks, browns, dull red, dark purple

describe the colors produced by carotenoids

bright reds, yellow, oranges

describe the colors produced by pteridines

yellow and reds in amphibians in fish

describe the colors produced by tetrapyrroles

red color of blood and pinkish hue of humans (hemoglobin)

describe the colors produced by guanines

silver colors by small crystal like structures

how do vertebrates get carotenoids since they are unable to produce them?

from food

what are the 3 types of mimicry?

batesian
mullerian
martensian

describe batesian mimicry

two species with very similar color patterns, where one is poisonous and one is harmless

describe mullerian mimicry

the mimic and the model are both toxic

describe martensian mimicry

poisonous species is in the model of a non poisonous species

what has to happen in order for a vertebrate to enter hibernation?

entrance and arouse

what happens during entrance in hibernation?

decrease heart rate and breathing rate
drop oxygen consumption
drop body temperature

why arouse from hibernation if it is so costly?

initiates immune response
restores water lost by evaporation

what are the 4 parts of the foraging cycle?

search
pursuit
attack and capture
handling

describe search in the foraging cycle

active(continuous search while moving), ambush (sit and wait), salutatory(alternation between ambush and cruise modes, depending on habitat)

describe pursuit in the foraging cycle

places predators within striking distance of prey

describe attack and capture in the foraging cycle

Alter final attack behavior as a function of distance to prey
ex. Marlin spearing vs. striking with sideways blow

describe handling in the foraging cycle

larger prey or those with chemical or anatomical defenses require manipulation, disarticulation, dissection, remove defense structure

what are 3 ways vertebrates reduce heat loss?

shorter appendages
nest construction
dark coloration of paws, nose, ears

Describe the Optimal Foraging Theory

Animals will forage in a way that maximizes the ratio of benefits to cost

what are benefits of Optimal Foraging Theory

energy/nutrition obtained
growth increased

what are costs of Optimal Foraging Theory

energy or time expended
(ex. Searching, capturing, handling, etc.)

what are 4 types of cryptic coloration?

disruptive colors
countershading
cover-eye
disguise

describe disruptive color

Series of bold blotches of color
Blotches are called chevrons
Breaks up the outline of organisms

describe countershading

Mostly darker on dorsal side and lighter on ventral side
Hard to detect animal

describe cover-eye

First thing animals look for when hunting prey is the eye
Eye is covered with a stripe to blend into the body and a false eyespot is located on the tail

describe disguise

Alteration to resemble a common object
Hard to detect animal/animal goes unrecognized

what kind of animals have countershading?

In organisms that live in the open (ex. Beaches, grassland, ocean)
penguins, whales, etc.