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3. Living together Flashcards

1
Q

What is a community?

A

A collection of species bound together via time and space // includes 3 components : geography, resources and phylogeny

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2
Q

How can we measure the “richness” of a community?

A

Genetically through operational taxonomic units (OTUs)// morphological/ behavioural levels (phenotypes)// taxonomic level// functionally (functional groups of species)

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3
Q

What does an individuals phenotype combine?

A

morphological characters // biochemical or physiological properties // phenology and behaviour

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4
Q

What does a high functional redundancy refer to?

A

Similar functioning traits among different species, meaning if one species became extinct there function would still be carried out

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5
Q

What is the concept of evenness ?

A

the full range of environmental conditions and resources an organism can occupy and use. // e.g. concept of evenness means there is not a dominating species or disturbance to resources

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6
Q

What is a fundamental niche?

A

Set of biotic and abiotic resources which an organism can POTENTAILLY use

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7
Q
A
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8
Q

What is a realised niche?

A

Set of biotic and abiotic resources which an organism ACTUALLY used after interacting and competition with other species

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9
Q

Give an example of how anthropogenic activity may affect the concept of evenness ?

A

Ploughing a filed -> destroys all vegetation and primary succession -> poppies thrive in this environment and therefore become the dominating species-> limits growth of other species - preventing the concept of evenness

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10
Q

Give some examples of ecosystem functions

A

energy transfer/ nutrient transfer / water transfer and CO2 trasfer

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11
Q

What is meant by invisibility?

A

The resistance to an invasion

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12
Q

what is a keystone species?

A

an organism that has a large impact on its environment relative to its abundance

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13
Q

What are some bat traits which make them especially good at transmitting infectious diseases?

A

IMMUNOLOGY ->flight gives bats high metabolic rates creating inflammation, this inflammation may make them more vulnerable to pathogens// PHYSIOLOGY -> use torpor at night making it hard for viruses to adapt to changing temp// ECOLGY-> transmission is easy due to lots of interaction between bats and the environemnt// NUMBER THEORY -> huge abundance of bats therefore probability wise is more likely to carry more diseases

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14
Q

What are some new innovations for managing pathogens in wild bats?

A

DrBHV vaccine-> capture infected bats ,engineer target virus to express a component of the target virus ,reintroduce this to the original population increasing immunity

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15
Q

What are some viruses linked to bats?

A

SARS-CoV2// Ebola// Hendra // Nipah // Lyssavirus

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16
Q

What is the difference between transferable and transmission vaccine?

A

transferrable can only occur between two individuals// transmission occurs between generations

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17
Q

What are life-history traits?

A

traits affecting an organisms schedule of birth and death these traits are a product of natural selection

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18
Q

What is meant by reproductive value?

A

a measure of how much an individual contributes to the gene pool of future generations (concept in demography)

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19
Q

What are some life-history trade-offs ?

A
  1. Parents which raise more young are less likely to survive (negative correlation)(Exemplifies the cost of reproduction )
    1. Unequal distribution of resources between individuals within a species
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20
Q

What is r/K continum?

A

A scale which defines organism based off characteristics related to their reproductive value

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21
Q

What is some characteristics of r and K species?

A

r-SELECTED -> small// Short-lived //Early maturity// Many small organism in one habitat // Colonise empty space//e.g. grass //// K-SELECTED- Large// Long-lived// Late maturity // Few large organisms // Hold their space in a competitive environment // e.g. elephant

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22
Q

What is meant by the principle of allocation?

A

All organisms have access to limited resources therefore there are trade off between traits

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23
Q

What is autecology?

A

Interactions between living and non-living factors of its environment

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24
Q

What is semelparity?

A

type of life style where by an organism dies once it has reproduced -> organism breeds once

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25
What is meant by iteroparity?
A organism with a longer lifespan -> therefore gaining the chance to breed multiple times
26
What are some traits which optimise reproductive value?
High survival // Starts reproducing early // Many offspring // High investment into offspring
27
What does the theory of Darwin's demon relate to ?
organisms increase the traits needed toa achieve optimal reproductive value
28
What is a population?
group of individuals of the same species that occur at a particular place at a particular time and interact with each other
29
Compare a horizontal and a vertical life table.
HORIZONTAL -> follows a cohort throughout its life and records their birth and death rates // vertical - collected from a cross-section of the population at once
30
How can we count populations?
abundance // total count... SAMPLING METHODS - quadrats / line transects / using markers
30
What limits population size?
environmental factors // resource availability (water, food , habitats )// invasive species / predators ..
31
What is Lotka's theorem?
birth and mortality rates remain constant over time -> population then reaches a stable age distribution
32
What is meant by logistic population growth?
as population size approaches a maximum the growth rate reduces due to limited resources and carrying capacity (K)
33
What is meant by a shifting base line syndrome ?
The points which measurement for an area used to be compared against has changed
34
What is meant by climate and biological school?
both referred factors which limit population growth-> CLIMATIC = environment// BIOLOGICAL = density dependent birth and death rate
35
What are the two main types of movement of species? What do they allow?
Migration and dispersal// Migration allows a larger range of habitats to be used but dispersal redistributes individuals within a habitat
36
What does population ecology describe ?
The distribution and abundance of species
37
What is migration ?
Directional movement of large numbers of one species from one location to another in a predictable way
38
Give some examples of different migration types.
Giant leap ->Bar-tailed godwit// Several stop-over-> Red-backed shrikes // Fly and forage -> Kittiwake // One round-trip in a life time -> Monarch butterfly migration// Daily trips -> zooplankton
39
What are some migration stratergies?
- Minimise cost -> frequent short stages - Minimise duration of migration -> few long stages - Minimise risk of predation or unfavourable conditions *function of body reserves, power consumption and ecological barriers
40
What are some issues of migration?
resource demand/ endurance / navigation
41
What are the two main types of dispersal ?
Passive and active
42
What is breeding and natal dispersal ?
- BREEDING DISPERSAL - breeding adults rarely change their breeding site, females more so than males // - NATAL DISPERSAL -> juveniles disperse between natal sites and site of first breeding Usually individuals disperse over short distances
43
What is philopatry? Give some benefits and costs of this.
staying in the same place// BENEFIT - No dispersal cost / Familiarity /Maintain locally adapted gene/ Maintain kin association(kins are more likely to help you than non-kins ) COST - avoid local competition / avoid inbreeding depressions
44
What is a metaopopulation?
a population of a population (there is spatially discrete local populations within a population)
45
What does source-sink population dynamics refer to?
Different habitats are classified by habitat quality-> can be a source (produces excess resources which can disperse elsewhere) or a sink(less suitable habitat.)
46
What does a patch describe ?
Areas of distinct shapes that are used by species for breeding and resources
47
What does a matrix describe?
The area surrounded patches that allow species to move between patches
48
What is a disruptive force ?
A disruptive force work to separate patches and matrixes , causing populations to be isolated from each other
49
What are some different types of interactions between species?
predation// competition// commensalism /// mutalism
50
What are the two main types of competition within species?
Direct aggression = cost of time and energy and has risk of injury // Inference competition = using up resources both depend on
51
What is the logistic growth model?
explains a population's growth rate slows as it approaches the carrying capacity
52
What is Hauses's law / competition exclusion principle?
Despite all the processes which happens you always end up with one specie
53
What are two main principles / theory of the success of coexistence?
RESOURCE PARTIOINING ->different species use resources in a different way (therefore different niches were occupied)// CHARACTER DISPLACMENT -> - Due to competition the morphology (e.g. beak shape changes ) therefore they require different food resources (e.g. different size of seeds )
54
What does to Lotka -Volterra equation do?
analyzing and model- ing population growth rates, age distribution of individuals, and reproductive patterns within a population
55
What is a isocline?
a line on a diagram or map connecting points of equal gradient or inclination.
56
What is the competitive exclusion principle?
Competition between species prevents two species from occupying an identical niche
57
What is the difference between local and regional diveristy?
local diversity is a smaller, more focused snapshot, while regional diversity looks at a wider range of habitats within a larger area.
58
What is a metacommunity?
a group of local communities that are interconnected by the dispersal of species between them
59
What is species sorting?
An ecological concept where the distribution and abundance of species within a community are primarily determined by the environmental conditions of a particular habitat
60
How does connectivity affect biodiveristy ?
High connectivity increases local species richness
61
What are the 4 main stages in metacommunity transitioning?
LOW CONNECTIVITY-> HIGH CONNECTIVITY (dispersal is increasing) 1. limited dispersal 2. species sorting 3. mass effect 4. homogenisation
62
What are some uses of understanding habitat fragmentation?
expanding agricultural land / constructing roads and dams
63
What is the rescue effect?
prevention of local extinctions due to immigration from patches
64
What is meant by mass effect?
species persist in poor habitats via immigration
65
What factors affect diveristy ?
Island biogeography theory / keystone species / complexity / disturbance
66
What are some patterns of species diveristy?
LATTITUDE -> high diversity at equator and tropics , lower at poles // ALTITUDE -> tops of mountains act as island therefore have lower diveristy - deep ocean has challenging conditions therefore has lower diversity // SUCESSION STAGE - lower diveristy at lower secession stages due to lack of resources
67
What can be used to characterise the diveristy of a community?
Species richness and species evenness // food web // diveristy indicines // species list
68
What is the island biogeography theory of diveristy?
smaller islands supports fewer species // nearer islands support more species // accessibility = increases species through migration // understand the relationship between migration rates and extinction rates
69
What are the two ways communities are controlled?
BOTTOM UP - amount of food available // TOP DOWN - amount of predators
70
What are some benefits of parasitism ?
Secure physical and chemical environment are homeostatically maintained by the host.// Secure and abundant resources.// Opportunity to reduce endogenous metabolic pathways.// Resources availability for huge reproductive potential. // Transmission routes available – faeces, urine, vectors.// Indirect/multiple host life cycles * Larvae and adults can exploit different resources.
71
What are some negatives of parasitism ?
72
What is immunomodulation?
Change in the body's immune system, caused by agents that activate or suppress its function
73
What is the difference between endoparasites and exoparasties ?
ECTOPARASITES -> lies outside the host // ENDOPARASITES -> lives within the host
74
What is coexistence? What are the two types?
cooperation between and within animals // MACRO -> builds landscapes e.g. algae symbiosis and coral / MICRO-> cooperation allowing digestion
75
What is brood parasitism ?
Placing of eggs into the nest of another member of the same or different species, who raises their young
76
Give an example of brood parasitism ?
Cuckoo - evolved to lay similar eggs - evolved to be able to remove eggs from nest - evolved manipulated begging calls ALL ABOUT MICMICRY
77
What is the red queen and parasitology theory?
the ongoing evolutionary arms race between a host organism and its parasites, where both must constantly evolve and adapt to maintain their current level of fitness
77
What are some defences against brood parasitsim?
mob a cuckoo near a nest with an associated alarm // nest desertion// egg rejection and removal // counting eggs
78
What are parasitoids ? What is their function in plants?
an organism that develops on or within another organism, eventually killing it
78
Explain the sabre-tother blenny example of vertebrate ectoparasites?
E.g. the sabre-toothed blenny (aspidate taenites) //Not parasitic for their entire life -> they are aggressive mimics at younger age when they cannot provide for themselves // Mimic the smaller fish clean the dead skin off the fishes teeth and mouth , positively affecting fish // Therefore fish allow them to enter them believing they are being cleaned however the blenny bites the fish and flees, this can lead to bacterial infections// Also known as aggressive mimic
78
What are some examples of vertebrate ectoparasites?
Vampire bats/ vampire finch (attack nazca booby)// sabre toothed blenny
79
What is hemimetabolous?
characteristic of insects in which they have no pupal stage in transition from larva to adult
79
Give some invertebrate parasitic examples?
bed bugs // lice / mites (scabies)// fleas // ticks //
79
What is the competitive exclusion principle?
Two species competition for the same limiting resource cannot coexist in the long term // simply one species gets outcompeted
79
What is meant equilibrium theory?
All species gain an area within a habitat // Fine partitioning of feeding niches can support the diversity of organisms at equilibrium
80
What is the intermediate disturbance theory?
IDH that ecological communities experience the highest species diversity when disturbances occur at an intermediate frequency and intensity// established by connell
81
Give some examples of disturbance?
Windstorm/ landslides/ disease/ parasitic infests / invasive species / currents/ tides / natural disasters
82
What experiment supported IDH ?
INTERMEDIATE DISTURBANCE THEORY - pulsating of nutrients created the most diverse plankton communities as r- species grew in high nutrient concentration and K species thrived in low nutrient environments
83
What are the main factors to consider about disturbance ?
FREQUENCY + MAGNITUDE

Animal Biology (4 decks)

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