L3Bio NCEA — Plants + animals responses definitions

Innate

Genetically determined behaviour (instinctive)

Habitat

The place where an organism lives

Ecological niche

The sum of an organism’s requirements and its interrelationship with other organisms in the community

Abiotic factors

Physical factors of the environment

Biotic factors

Factors in the environment due to other living things

Interspecific

Interaction between indiviudals of different species

Mimicry

Where one species looks like another to ‘fool’ predators

Commensalism

A relationship where one species gains and the other not harmed nor does it gain

Parasite

An organism that exploits a host species

Antibiosis

Chemicals produced by fungi that inhibit the growth of bacteria

Competition

A relationship where both species are harmed

Exploitation

A relationship where one species is harmed and the other benefits (parasitism, predation, herbivory)

Biological clock/rhythm

Innate ability to time behaviours with environmental cues

Circadian

A rhythm with a period of approximately 24 hours under constant environment cues

Nocturnal

Active during the night and inactive during the day

Crepuscular

Active at dawn and dusk

Circalunar

A rhythm with a period of approximately 29 days under constant environmental conditions

Circatidal

A rhythm with a period of approximately 12 hours under constant environmental conditions

Circaanular

A rhythm with a period of approximately 1 year under constant environmental conditions

Navigation

Method by which a migrating or homing animal finds the right direction to travel in—most are controlled by innate biological clocks

Phytochrome

Chemical in the leaves of a plant that are responsible for the biological clock controlling photoperiod

Photoperiodism

The response of an organism to the change in day or night length

Free running rhythm

The time when the clock is running without any cues from the environment

Phase shift

When the onset of the period of the rhythm is changed (either earlier or later)

Zeitgeber

Timekeeper (external environmental cue) that keeps the biological clock in time with the natural environment cycle

Period

The time it takes to complete one cycle of activity

Learned behaviour

Behaviour without a genetic basis

Intraspecific interaction

Interaction between individuals of the same species

Co-operative interaction

Interaction between 2 individuals where they both gain an advantage by working together for a shared outcome

Courtship

Ritualised behaviours between a male and female that leads to pair bonding, breeding and parental care if successful

Pair bond

A prolonged relationship between male and female associated with joint parental care

Co-operative breeding

Breeding strategy evolved by many NZ birds species that involves several females laying eggs in one nest (or the dominant female laying the eggs) and males and females from the group (related to the dominant pair) help with the incubation and care of the offspring

Kin selection (altruism)

Is the evolutionary strategy that favours the reproductive success of an organism’s relatives, even at a cost to the organism’s own survival and reproduction

K strategy

Breeding strategy of a species that involves low numbers of young being produced and needing lots of parental care before they reach sexual maturity

R strategy

Reproductive strategy of producing high numbers of offspring at one time that are highly prepared for survival requiring little or no parental care

Agonism

Any social behaviour related to fighting, such as aggressive or submissive behaviours

Hierarchy

A linear order of animals from the most dominant to the least dominant

Territory

The area an animal will defend

Home range

Area containing resources such as food, water and mates shared by several individuals of the same species, not defended

Arrhythmic

No regular pattern of activity

Taxes

A whole organism movement (towards or away) in repose to an external directional stimulus coming from one direction

Tropism

The growth response of a plant towards or away from a stimulus coming from one direction

Auxin

Hormone responsible for tropic response in plants

Nastic response

The movement of part of a plant in response to a non-directional stimulus

Dormant

A period of arrested development at an immature stage of growth (and can only be broken by a definite environmental stimulus such as a period of exposure to cold

Vernalisation

Induction of flowering by a period of cold

Hibernation

A period of suspended activity during winter

Abscission

Leaf or fruit fall

Aestivation

A period of suspended activity during summer (avoiding dry conditions)

Homing

The ability of an organism to find its way home over unfamiliar territory

Actogram

Recording showing periods of activity and inactivity over a period of time

Lek

Territory established by males of some species solely used for attracting a mate and mating