5. metabolism and adverse conditions

Question 1

what is dormancy

Answer 1

part of some organisms’ life cycle to allow survival during a period when the costs of continued normal metabolic activity would be too high.

The metabolic rate can be reduced during dormancy to save energy.

Question 2

what signs can show an organism is in dormancy

Answer 2

decrease in metabolic rate, heart rate, breathing rate and body temperature

Question 3

describe hibernation

Answer 3

Some mammals survive during Winter/Low temperatures by hibernating

Question 4

describe aestivation

Answer 4

this allows survival in periods of high temperature or drought

Question 5

describe daily torpor

Answer 5

This is a period of reduced activity in some animals with high metabolic rates e.g. small birds & mammals.

Question 6

describe predictive dormancy

Answer 6

occurs before the onset of adverse conditions.

This is common in environments which have predictable seasons where the temperature and photoperiod (number of hours of daylight) can be used as triggers.

Question 7

describe consequential dormancy

Answer 7

occurs after the onset of adverse conditions.
This is common among organisms living in unpredictable environments.

Question 8

advantage and disadvantage of predictive dormancy

Answer 8

adv - reduced chance of death when environmental conditions change

dis - cannot exploit available resources if resources are present

Question 9

advantage and disadvantage of consequential dormancy

Answer 9

adv - organism can remain active for longer to continue to exploit available resources

dis - sudden severe change in environmental conditions kill organisms before they have time to become dormant

Question 10

what types of dormancy are predictive

Answer 10

hibernation and daily torpor

Question 11

what types of dormancy are consequential

Answer 11

aestivation

Question 12

why do animals migrate

Answer 12

Migration avoids metabolic adversity by expending energy to relocate to a more suitable environment

warmer climate have increased food availability

Question 13

describe leg rings

Answer 13

low tech -
an identification device applied around the lower leg of a bird

Question 14

describe satellite tracking

Answer 14

high tech - an animal carries a tracking device and its location is calculated via satellites that orbit the Earth.

Question 15

what do we know about migratory behaviour

Answer 15

Migratory behaviour can be innate (inherited) and learned (gained by experience).

Sometimes migratory behaviour is a mixture of both innate and learned