Animal Responses Flashcards
What is an adaptive advantage?
Any trait that results in an organism having a greater chance of surviving to an age where it can reproduce
What is taxis?
Directional movement of an animal toward or away from a stimulus
What is negative phototaxis?
Movement of an animal away from light
What is positive phototaxis?
Movement of an animal toward light
What is positive chemotaxis?
Movement of an animal toward a chemical stimulus
What is negative chemotaxis?
Movement of an animal away from a chemical stimulus
What is positive geotaxis?
Movement of an animal with the direction of gravity
What is negative geotaxis?
Movement of an animal away from the direction of gravity
What is kinesis?
Non directional movement of an animal in response to a stimulus. They end up moving toward or away from the stimulus by chance.
What is orthokinesis?
The speed of an animal is proportional to the intensity of the stimulus causing the movement.
What is klinokinesis?
The rate of turning is related to intensity of stimulus. Turning increases when the animal is in an unfavourable environment, turning rate decreases when the animal is in a favourable environment.
What is migration?
Long distance mass movement of animals of the same species to a different environment, usually seasonal, to a predetermined location with better resources.
What are migration cues?
Change in daylight (photoperiod), change in temperature (season), food/water availability, internal biological clock, low fat reserves, sexual maturity
What are migration risks?
Predators waiting on route, getting lost (poor orientation), storm events, run out of energy, not enough preparation, mistiming.
What is magnetic field sensing?
The use of Earth’s magnetic field to navigate. Innate and common in birds. Does not require signals.
What are migration benefits?
Warmer weather, safer habitat for breeding, arrive as a group (better chance of mating), more food in new environment
What is navigation?
The ability of an animal to stay on a desired course / find a desired location using external environmental cues.
What is a sun compass?
The use of the sun for orientation during navigation or homing. Can only occur during the day when the weather is good.
What are landmarks?
Use of familiar landmarks to check orientation along a migration or homing route. Learnt behaviour only.
What is homing?
The ability of an animal to repeatedly return to its home location after travelling away from it to get resources e.g food.
What is an innate behaviour?
Behaviours from birth, controlled by genes inherited from parents.
What is an exogenous rhythm?
A pattern that only occurs in response to external cues and disappears when cues are removed
What is an endogenous rhythm?
A rhythm that continues without any external cues
What is a learnt behaviour?
Behaviour that can be changed or improved with repeated experience.