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1
Q

ecophys def

A

ecological study of internal mechanisms

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2
Q

what makes mechanisms interesting study focuses

A

striking/iconic behaviour + adaptations, can solve real-world problems, inform conservation Strats + evolutionary biology

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3
Q

proximate explanation def

A

mechs that generate a trait (eg. cues + physiological mechs that elicit trait, why birds sing)

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4
Q

Ultimate explanation def

A

the reason the trait evolved (eg. where trait increases fitness)

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5
Q

life history def

A

age-related growth, repro + survival patterns

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6
Q

examples of life history traits

A

growth, mature size, reproductive rate, lifepsan

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7
Q

method to find how traits functionally interact

A

manipulate a trait in a lifetime/ change a trait over gens (experimental evolution)

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8
Q

why do trade offs exist

A

they’re finite resources that must be divided among competing traits

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9
Q

why are trade offs important

A

shape evolution (selection), explain paradoxical phenomena (senescence + optimal immunity), predict evolutionary change

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10
Q

why when studied in nature, resource allocation theory doesn’t match

A

pot. variation in input, other variable competing (that not testing) or no correlation between 2 variables (not fully capturing extent, preference, need larger sample size)

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11
Q

What is the one unifying mech for trade-offs

A

resource allocation constriants

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12
Q

what is the unifying mechanism for trade-offs

A

not energy/nutrient availability/protein, may be oxidative stress (equivocal data)

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13
Q

oxidative sheilding

A

way to cope w/ OD + reduce effects for parents + offspring

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14
Q

what the the pot. energy limiting resources:

A

energy (not), protein (only in birds), pigments, oxidative stress (higher reproductive effort = more OD)

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15
Q

why is testing oxidative stress difficult?

A

-weak design (measure antioxidant defences, not ROS lvls), fails to reflect nat-resources, allow animals to self select, overly simplistic models

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16
Q

what is needed to conclude that OD is defining mechanism from which life history trade offs

A

more studies, include intergen effects, maternal-biased data,

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17
Q

impacts of oxidative sheilding

A

reproductive cost (decreases survival- disposable some theory), transgender cost reducing somatic function (increase senescence)

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18
Q

metabolism def

A

where cells organise, rearrange + void commodities that sustain life

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19
Q

explain how energy is acquired, used + removed

A

enters as them energy, used in biosynthesis, maintenance (inefficiency creates heat), related as feral chem

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20
Q

what are the core principles of ecology to understand energetics

A
  1. every behaviour maximises fitness, and energy is common currency
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21
Q

optimal foraging theory

A

balance of searching + travelling to find most optimal foraging

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22
Q

why is measuring metabolism important

A

determines energy requirements, ecological impact + physiological activity

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23
Q

direct ways to measure metabolism

A

calorimetry (not possible for marine sp.)

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24
Q

indirect ways to measure metabolism

A

respirometry, doubly-labelled water, material balance, body composition changes, time-energy budgets, bio loggers

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25
what factors affect MR
temp, external work, feeding, body size, Mass-specific MR (allometric scaling law)
26
why do sp. choose to live in extreme areas, with reference to MR
energy consuming (high MR) but seasonally highly productive (so high acquisition then)
27
how does MR control diet
require food for energy, choose more abundant food (sometimes lower quality as higher may be more cryptic) eg. killer whale from whales to otter
28
what are the constraints of diving
O2 availability + food resources at depth
29
methods for studying dive physiology
using anatomy, forced diving, blood sampling, trained diving, free diving
30
Boyles Law
volume decreases at higher pressures
31
Henrys law
pressure increase solubility of gas in blood + tissue
32
adaptations for Boyles Law
no cranial sinuses, middle ear cavity, exhalation before dive (lung collapse)
33
adaptations for Henrys Law
less air spaces, lung collapse
34
diseases caused by N2 in blood
nitrogen narcosis, oxygen toxicity, decompression sickness, direct pressure effects
35
how is lung collapse possilbe
cartilage + muscle re-enforced airways, decrease trachea calcification, lung surfactant
36
what are the mechs for the aerobic dive limited
lung, blood + muscle O2 stores
37
adaptations for maximising dive limit
reduced lung O2 storage, larger blood + myoglobin, stoke-glide technique
38
mechs to reduce O2 consumption
apnea, peripheral vasoconstriction, bradycardia
39
what can the dive response be triggered by
apnea, blowhole wetting, stimulation of thermoreceptors in nasal
40
what are integrated systems
nervous + endocrine system (processing + output systems), product of natural.selection + adapted to sp. ecology
41
process of functional circuits in nervous system
receive stimuli, pass to CNS neurone, pass to motor neurone, interact with/ effector, effector performs action
42
what do nervous systems control
physiology + behaviour
43
types of organising mechanisms (nervous system)
biological clocks, hormonal cascades, central pattern generators
44
what are central pattern generators
neural networks linking motor activities into sequences
45
what are biological clocks
endogenous time-keeping device, adapted to sp. ecology
46
examples of sensory mechs
pulse detection, frequency sensitivity (moths), trichromatic vision
47
examples of integrating mechs
brain areas corresponding to different functions
48
pros of having larger brain
innovation (socially learn), novel habitat invasion + establishment
49
costs of having larger brain
heavy, energetically costly, lots of oxidative stress,
50
example of brain plasticity
food storing birds changing hippocampus size
51
process of endocrine system
hormones secreted, receptor cells bind to specific hormones, results in stimulator effects on cell pathways
52
diff of endocrine system to nervous system
effect across body, slow, affects many distant target cells, uses secreted hormone
53
how endocrine system is used in trade offs
can up regulate some traits + down regulate others- coordinate behaviour + physiology in response to stimulus
54
pleiotropic effect fed
both activation + organisational
55
types of hormones
steroid (from cholesterol, sex hormones), protein + peptides (gene encoded, GnR, prolactin)
56
what is the endocrine cascade
from brain to periphery: environmnetal+internal cues, endocrine cascades changes circulating hormones
57
example of endocrine cascade (HPG for reproduction)
hypothalamic stimulation of pituitary, HPG releases LH + FSH, stimulating gonad release eggs
58
what is the greatest challenge of reproductive physiology
to coordinate development of reproductive physiology + behaviour whilst timing w/ changing environment
59
how do they schedule reproduction
seasonal timings- using photoperiod cues, rainfall, food availability, endogenous circannual clock
60
how does Testosterone regulate trade offs
Trade off of sexual + terrestrial behaviour with parental care + immunity
61
exceptions of testosterone trade-offs
fairy wren, artic birds, promote T (Californian mice)
62
2 main endocrine systems
HPG axis (reproduction) + HPA axis (endocrine stress response + adaptive reaponses)
63
stress definition
unpleasant experience that has systemic physiological effects
64
HPA axis process
stressor stimulates hormonal cascades (GC release), GCs stimulate adaptive responses, positve feedback restores to equilibrium
65
GCs
Glucocorticoids
66
effects of high GC lvls
increased: HR, ventilation, vasconconstriction, glucagon, fat catabolism, reduce: digestion, insulin
67
what do GCs promote
protein + fat breakdown
68
what do GCs suppress
digestion, growth, immunity, neural development, reproduction (HPG axis), parental care
69
effects of chronic stress
ulcers, stunted growth, weakened memory, immunosuppression, cancer susceptibility, reproductive suppression, disrupted brain development
70
examples of local adaptations to stress
high lat breeders (smaller stress+ insensitive to T), where nat.stressful event common (high stress response)
71
how does stress response change in development
developmental plasticity, rats programme offspring HPA sensitivity
72
how does reproductive suppression work
dominant F meerkat is aggressive when pregnant, evicts sub F, evictees chased + attacked, + return once born
73
types of stress
chronic stress, maternal stress, honest signalling stress, reproductive stress, social interaction stress
74
examples of sexual signals
peace train, weaponry (antlers), aposematism (tree frog), booby blueness, rump swelling (baboon), waggle dance (bee), pseudo-penis (F.hyena)
75
when does dishonest signalling occur
when conflict of interest between signaller + receiver
76
mechs to ensure honest signalling
receiver dependant costs (fight) + receiver independent cost
77
Handicap principle def
must honest on average, stronger indies can bear cost more than weaker, so ornaments as indicators of quality
78
explain runaway selection
evolved preference for particular traits (eg. longer tail=better flight), F prefer M w/ trait, heritable produced in M offspring (mating adv), over gens, selection favoured increasing M tail length
79
why are honest signals expensive
use up resources that is being signally about (costly to display/maintain), use resources (energetic cost)
80
explain how aposematism works in monarch butterflies
sequester cardenolides from plants, elicit gustatory rejection in press, learn to avoid (by coloration)
81
non genetic inheritance
transfer substances from patient to offspring invokes epigenetic effects influencing offspring development
82
pathways of non genetic inheritence
heritable epigenetic change + substance transmission
83
types of detrimental NGI substances
PCBs + PACs
84
effects of PCBs
toxic, accumulation in body, endocrine-disrupting chemo
85
effects of PACs
body tissue accumulation, oxidative stress, endocrine disruptino
86
why is senescence interesting to study
not immediate obvious why selection favoured decline performance
87
theories of senescence evolution
mutation accumualtion, antagonistic pleiotropy, disposable soma
88
what are problems with cross sectional studies
don't detect senescence (as individual of higher quality live older) + unrepresentative
89
why was low metabolic rates causing longer lifespan
mitochondrial uncoupling, reducing ROS production
90
how do telomeres control senescence
oxidative stress accelerate telomere shortening (also consider initial length)
91

EcoPhysiology (2 decks)

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