ALL Flashcards
define foundation species - aka ecosystem engineers
- organisms that exert influence by causing physical changes in the environment that affect community structure
ex: beaver dams can change landscapes
define facilitators
- have positive
what principles should be followed when building trees?
- max parisomy»_space; tree that requires fewest mutations is most likely correct
- us of analogous features must be avoided
what are the different types of making systems?
- promiscuous»_space; no pair bond, each individual has many partners
- monogamous»_space; one male pairs with one female
- polygamous»_space; one individual of one sex bond with more then one individual of the other sex
state 4 learning methods in the animal kingdom
- Habitation»_space; loss of responsiveness to stimuli that convey no info
- Imprinting»_space; learned behaviour acquired during a sensitive period in development (ex. young geese)
- Associative Learning»_space; association of features pf the environment with each other ( ex. distinctive coronation and bad taste)
- Cognitive learning»_space; the ability of an animal’s nervous system to perceive, store, process and use info (ex. chimp stacking boxes to get bananas)
what is the “cry wolf” effect
- alarm calls ignored after repeated calls that are not followed by predator attack
- allows animals to ignore stimuli that don’t affect survival and reproduction
example of habituation
define learning
modification of behaviour based on specific experiences
what happened during cross-fostering experiment?
- “swapped” young of one mouse species with another
results: - male California mouse that was raised by WFM was less aggressive, had less parental care and low levels of AVP
- male WFM raised by CM became more aggressive
what is AVP and what does it do?
- Arginine Vasopression (AVP)
- a neurotransmitter in the brains of mammals
- when released into brain neurotransmitters stimulate brain cells with compatible receptor proteins in their cell membrane
what are 2 types of animal signals?
1) chemical communication»_space; via pheromones ( can be used to attract mates, or warn other members of species)
2) auditory communication
Name and explain 3 types of orientated movements?
1) Kinesis»_space; change in speed or turning rate
2) Taxis»_space; movements towards (+) or away (-) from stimulus
3) migration
Define Fixed Action Patterns (FAP)
- unlearned behaviours that are unchangeable and must be completed once they start
- triggered by sign stimulus
What are the 4 components of Innate Behaviour?
1) Fixed action Patterns (FAP)
2) Orientated Movements
3) Animal Signals
4) Mating and Parental Behaviour
Define Innate Behaviour ( Instinct)
- behaviours shared by nearly all individuals of a species
- under strong genetic control
- appear in complete and functional form the first time they are used
Define Behavioural Ecology
- study of how behaviour develops, evolves and affects fitness
Define Ethology
- study of how animals behave in their natural environment
Define Behaviour
- the visible result of n animal’s muscular or glandular activity
Discuss Predator-Prey Cycles
- predators can reduce prey population size – predator population decreases – increase in prey population –increase in predator population – decrease in prey population etc..
