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BIOL 215 > Behavioral Ecology > Flashcards

Behavioral Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

what is behavioral ecology?

A

study of the evolutionary basis for animal behaviour due to ecological pressures

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2
Q

what is the optimal foraging theory?

A

the basis for analyzing behavior as a compromise of feeding costs vs feeding benefits

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3
Q

three rules of OFT:

A
  1. preference for food with the greatest net energy gain
  2. feed more selectively when foods are abundant
  3. include low quality food only when profitable food are scarce
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4
Q

Pied wagtail and beetle size

A

When eating randomly, the pied wagtail is more likely to come across an 8mm beetle. But when the beetles get bigger their handling time increases. To maximize caloric intake per handling time the bird eats more 7mm bugs even tho they are less common.

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5
Q

sodium is the primary extracellular ion with the major role in…

A
  • bodily fluid volume
  • acid-base balance
  • tissues pH
  • muscle function
  • nerve synapse
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6
Q

how is sodium lost?

A
  • urine, defecation, sweating
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7
Q

terrestrial plants tend to be low in…

A

sodium

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8
Q

what are aquatic plants deficient in

A

calories

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9
Q

what are three constraints a moose has when choosing what percent of its diet are aquatic plants vs terrestrial plants?

A
  • energy constraint (starve or survive)
  • sodium constraint (need enough)
  • stomach constraint (can only eat so much)
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10
Q

Regional variation on mineral contents of plants and its significance for migration by arctic reindeer and caribou:
Aquatic plants from the coast and inland were higher in _____ and _____ than terrestrial plants

A

Na, Cl

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11
Q

Regional variation on mineral contents of plants and its significance for migration by arctic reindeer and caribou:
this study supported the hypotheses based on salt hunger; namely that …..?

A

the primary reason to move in coastal regions was to compensate for Na deficiency in winter

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12
Q

bison migration

A

have to make large migrations from their grassy areas to salt licks to get efficient sodium, cobalt, copper
- there are more predators here but they still go

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13
Q

rules for optimizing foraging time

A
  1. concentrate foraging activity in the most productive patches and ignore patches of low productivity
  2. stay in the patch until the profitability falls to a level equal to the average for all foraging patches combined
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14
Q

food occurs in a ___ ___ and in patches of ____ size

A

patchy distribution, different

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15
Q

optimal foraging time experiment: bird opening lid

A

if the bird only took a short amount of time to open lid, might only stay a short while at the food inside (even if there was more food left)
- if the bird took a long time to open lid would stay a longer tim

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16
Q

foraging time and predation risk: mouse

A

if the mouse is starving it will risk predation… if the mouse isn’t very hungry it will stay safe and not look for food

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17
Q

territoriality

A

defense of an area and active exclusion of resource use by others through display, advertisement, or defense

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18
Q

home range

A

the area over which an animal travels in search of food/mates/resources which is not defended

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19
Q

T/F: home ranges are well-defended

A

false - they are not defended

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20
Q

T/F: territoriality is common in predators, most birds, fish, and social insects

A

true

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21
Q

name 6 factors that influence the size of a territory

A

body size, aggressive behaviour, habitat quality, population density, competition with others, ability to share resources

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22
Q

True/False: Black-capped chickadees and mountain chickadees often compete for territory

A

false (their territories often overlap; they fill different niches)

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23
Q

what happens when you remove some territories (ie. the great tit)

A

other tits moved into the free territory. the density stayed mostly the same

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24
Q

how is territoriality often expressed without direct confrontation?

A

olfactory signals, bird song

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25
Q

what are some benefits to having a larger territory?

A

increased food, shelter, reproduction

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26
Q

what are some costs to having a larger territory?

A

increased energy demands, defense, injury, vigilance

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27
Q

how do you find the optimum territory size?

A

benefit - cost

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28
Q

in asexual reproduction, offspring are ______ to the parent

A

genetically identical

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29
Q

what is asexual reproduction common in?

A

bacteria, unicellular eukaryotes (paramecium), plants

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30
Q

what are the best predictors of asexual reproduction in animals?

A
  • short lifespan
  • constant environment
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31
Q

what is sexual reproduction?

A

genes from two individuals combine to form new genotypes different from both parents
-> parents: AA x BB produce AB offspring

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32
Q

in changing or different environments…

A

new genotypes may have higher reproductive output than either parental genotype

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33
Q

what are the two categories of sexual reproduction?

A
  • dioecious
  • monoecious
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34
Q

what is dioecious

A

male and female organs on separate individuals

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35
Q

what is monoecious

A

male and female organs on the same individual

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36
Q

diocecious species usally have _____ sex ratio

A

equal

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37
Q

T/F: very few species are dioecious

A

false, most species are

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38
Q

what are the two types of monoecious species?

A
  • simultaneous hermaphrodite
  • sequential hermophrodite
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39
Q

what is a sequential hermaphrodite?

A

male and female reproductive parts develop at different times during growth

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40
Q

what is simultaneous hermaphrodite?

A

individual has both sets of reproductive organs at the same time

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41
Q

coral reef fishes are commonly _____

A

sequential hermaphrodites

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42
Q

what is panmixis?

A

unrestricted random mating - all opposite-sex individuals in a population are potential partners

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43
Q

most marine schooling fishes and some marine invertebrates are….

A

panmictic

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44
Q

in panmictic populations, sexes are usually_____

A

monomorphic

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45
Q

what is polygamy

A

multiple partners

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46
Q

polygamy is _____ is most species

A

widespread

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47
Q

in polygamous populations, sexes are usually _____

A

dimorphic - look different from eachother, males typically larger and more elaborate ornamentation

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48
Q

what is polygyny?

A

males mates with many females but females mate with a single or few males

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49
Q

polygyny is common in…?

A
  • amphibians
  • reptiles
  • songbirds
  • mammals
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50
Q

what happens in female defense polygyny?

A

individual males defend groups of females
-> common in elephant seal, seal lions, deer, primates

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51
Q

what happens in resource defense polygyny?

A

individual males defend resources which females seek out
-? common in fish, songbirds

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52
Q

what is polyandry?

A

females mate with many males but males mate with a single or few females

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53
Q

T/F: in polyandry, females compete for males and defend sources

A

true

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54
Q

in polyandry, ____ incubate eggs and become ____

A

males, sexually inactive

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55
Q

what is monogamy?

A

mating structure where individual has high fidelity to single partner

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56
Q

lifetime monogamy is ____ in most species

A

rare

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57
Q

T/F: monogamous species exhibit lots of dimorphism

A

false, sexes usually look similar

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58
Q

in monogamous pairings, the young require extensive ______

A

parental care

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59
Q

T/F: in monogamy, both parents are usually required to look after the young

A

true, young are very needy

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60
Q

what happens to a litter or brood if a parent in a monogamous species abandons it?

A

the entier litter/brood can be lost

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61
Q

mate choice

A

the tendency for an individual to be selective in whom they choose to mate w/

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62
Q

in most species, females invest more than males into ______ and are responsible for most _____

A

reproduction, parental care

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63
Q

fitness of offspring is influenced by their _____ and this is a function of ____

A

genetic makeup, who the female chooses to mate with

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64
Q

in most species, females on average choosier than males as the ____ of making wrong choice is greater than that of males

A

fitness cost

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65
Q

on average, male fitness is _____ by maximizing the number of ____ (ie mating w ___ females)

A

increased, fertilized eggs, lots of

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66
Q

males ____ to females and engage in ____ with other males for ____

A

advertise, competition, access to females

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67
Q

in most species, females make choices for mates based on _____

A

multiple criteria

68
Q

what are the 7 criteria for mate choice?

A
  • nuptial gift
  • dominant/strong male preference
  • handicapped male hypothesis
  • parasite-free male hypothesis
  • symmetrical male hypothesis
  • display evaluation
  • inbreeding avoidance
69
Q

what is a nuptial gift

A

males provide gift (resources, food item, territory) to the females in order to solicit matings
-> females use the characteristics of the gift to determine quality of the male

70
Q

male hanging flies bring ___ to females to solicit matings

A

insect prey

71
Q

hanging fly: nuptial gift of prey item

A

bring gifts to females. the larger the gift, the longer a male is allowed to copulate with the recipient. larger copulation time leads to greater sperm transfer to the female.

72
Q

what is the probability of a male thynnine wasp mating directly related to?

A

his ability to carry the heavy female to multiple flowers

73
Q

when does the female thynnine wasp make her mating decision?

A

during flight

74
Q

while the nuptial gift is a ____ for hanging flies, it is _____ for thynnine wasps

A

prey item, foraging opportunity

75
Q

why do male songbirds defend their territory from other males during breeding season?

A

allows foraging opportunities for females and young

76
Q

female songbirds evaluate male quality based on the ___ and ____ of his song as this is correlated with territory size

A

length, complexity

77
Q

males differ in their abilities to ___ and ____ territory

A

establish, maintain

78
Q

high quality males contribute to _____ and ______

A

parental care, territory defense

79
Q

elephant seal: dominant/strong male preference

A
  • female elephant seals were all breeding but some had a few more pups
  • most successful male produced 90 pups and the 10th ranked produced none
80
Q

female elephant seals show a preference for _____ males

A

strong/dominant

81
Q

why are small damselflies/dragonflies equally likely to win their aerial combat?

A

larger energy reserves (ie higher fat content) not larger size, increases chances of victory

82
Q

male damselflies engage in ____ with other males over ponds

A

aerial combat

83
Q

what is the handicapped male hypothesis?

A

the expression of elaborate displays by males that are costly to produce and costly to maintain provide the female the greatest reliable information on the genetic quality of the male

84
Q

who proposed the handicapped male hypothesis?

A

Zahavi

85
Q

how do female widowbirds evalulate males?

A

tail length

86
Q

female widow birds choose…

A

long tails as this should indicate the best genetic quality in that the male has survived despite handicape

87
Q

who proposed the parasite-free male hypothesis?

A

Zuk and Hamilton

88
Q

what are the 5 points in the parasite free male hypothesis?

A
  1. individuals differ in their susceptibility to disease such as parasites and pathogens, many of which can lead to mortality in young
  2. resistance to disease has a heritable component
  3. males with no parasites may have better immunological genes and improved physiological ability
  4. bright nuptial displays are physiologically costly to produce
  5. females choosing brightly coloured males are providing their offspring with advantageous genes that yield better resistance to disease
89
Q

wild birds often have _____ that _____ the luster of their feathers

A

ectoparasitic lice, reduce

90
Q

deloused males feathers had more sheen. females ____ them

A

preferred

91
Q

Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis: Lizards on Caribbean islands

A

there was no association of parasite load with color either in a broad analysis or when correcting for phylogenetic relationships among the lizards

92
Q

what is the symmetrical male hypothesis?

A

females prefer symmetrical males because they have a better genotype

93
Q

excellent genotypes can ____ many ____ during embryological development and growth (______) and produce more _____ characterisitcs

A

correct, asymmetries, developmental homeostasis, symmetrical

94
Q

minor errors during ____ and growth can result in slight asymmetries in structure (______)

A

embryological development, development instability

95
Q

what can lead to slight asymmetries?

A

-stress
-pollutants
-parasitism
-homozygosity
-poor genotype

96
Q

why is symmetry considered an “honest phenotypic indicator of genetic quality’?

A

symmetry reflects the inability of a genotype to buffer itself effectively against environmental stresses

97
Q

female preference for symmetrical vertical bars in male sailfin mollies:

A

females have significant preferences both for bars per see and for males with symmetrical bars

98
Q

T/F: the offspring of females with just a little bit of preference and the offspring of females with no preference have the same level of fitness

A

false, females with a little preference have more fit offspring than those with no preference

99
Q

T/F: humans prefer perfectly symmetrical faces over slightly asymmetric faces

A

false, humans prefer slightly symmetrical faces

100
Q

what is display evaluation?

A

females evaluate quality, complexity and coordination of display

101
Q

what is inbreeding avoidance?

A
  • all plant and animal species have one or more mechanisms to avoid inbreeding
  • pheromones to detect homozygosity
102
Q

many animal species detect _____ based on body odour (_____)

A

genetic kinship, pheromones

103
Q

individuals have ~30 genes that code for a special class of ____ in cell ____ that are essential for out _____ system. this is the _____

A

proteins, membranes, immune, major histocompatibility complex

104
Q

AA homozygotes produce _____ whilte a heterozygote can produce ______ (AB)

A

one type of protein, two different proteins

105
Q

how many alleles can each gene in primates have?

A

55

106
Q

______ appear to bind to specific recpetors and have _____

A

MHC molecules, distinct odours

107
Q

where are olfactory receptors usually found?

A

nose, antennae

108
Q

on average, females prefer males with the most ____ odour to themselves

A

dissimilar

109
Q

the major process which increases genetic variability in small populations is….

A

immigration

110
Q

the major feature of the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis is….

A

bright plumage indicates good immunocompetence

111
Q

what are the advantages for group living?

A
  • increases food search efficiency
  • increased capture efficiency
  • increased detection of predators
  • increased defence against predators
  • selfish herd theory
112
Q

seed detection in songbirds and fish detection in gulls is an example of_______

A

increased food search efficiency

113
Q

larger hunting dog packs are capable of bringing down larger prey. does this mean that they net kj/dog/day increases linearly w pack size?

A

no, each dog typically gains a net 20,000kj/day until a certain pack size allows them to coordinate take downs of very large prey

114
Q

at what pack size does the net kj/dog/day increase?

A

14

115
Q

“mobbing” is an example of what?

A

defense against predators

116
Q

what aspect of group living does the ‘many eyes theory’ relate to?

A

detection of predators

117
Q

a pigeon living in a flock of 2-10 has what % chance of being eaten by a hawk?

A

55%

118
Q

a pigeon living in a large flock has a decreased chance of being eaten by hawk because of the _______

A

many eyes theory

119
Q

what is an example of mobbing?

A

flocks of smaller birds will harass a predatory brd

120
Q

what is the selfish herd theory?

A

each individual is looking out only for themselves

121
Q

another name for the selfish herd theory is…?

A

dilution effect

122
Q

what are disadvantages of group living?

A
  • sharing limited resources
  • increased transmission or parasites
  • conflict/stress
123
Q

additional predators ______ optimal flock size

A

increase

124
Q

the optimal flock size is the one in which…..

A

feeding is the highest per individuals

125
Q

a decline in resources…..

A

decreases optimal flock size

126
Q

what is life history?

A

set of rules and choices to an individuals schedule of reproduction

127
Q

reproductive effort

A

the total allocations that an individual makes for reproduction

128
Q

what are the categories of reproductive effort?

A
  • r-selected
  • k-selected
129
Q

r-selected has….

A
  • high numbers of offspring
  • high population growth potential
  • boom or bust cycle (unstable populations_
  • max reproductive capacity (r)
130
Q

k-selected has…

A
  • low numbers of offspring
  • low population growth potential
  • stable populations
  • usually long lived
  • populations near carrying capacity (k)
131
Q

T/F: reproductive effort categories are relational

A

true, rather than absolute

132
Q

k-selected is a better strategy for when there are _____ resources

A

limited

133
Q

mouse is r or k selected? what about bears?

A

r, k

134
Q

what is semelparous

A

characterized by single reproductive episode before death

135
Q

what is iteroparous

A

characterized by repeated reproductive episodes before death

136
Q

what are examples of semelparous organisms?

A

cephalopods, most insects, salmon

137
Q

what are examples of iteroparous organisms?

A

molluscs, most fish, most plants, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals

138
Q

T/F: iteroparous organisms are k-selected

A

falses, categories of reproductive effort are relative not absolute

139
Q

occurrence of parental care is generally absent in….

A

invertebrate taxa, sharks, amphibians, reptiles

140
Q

amount of parental care _____ among similar groups

A

varies

141
Q

types of parental care

A

precocial and altricial

142
Q

what is altricial

A

young are helpless and requires parental care

143
Q

what is precocial

A

young are independent at birth

144
Q

_____ purposes that clutch size represents that ______ that the parent can successfully raises

A

Lack, max number of young

145
Q

T/F: birds lay the max amounts of eggs possible to ensure the greatest reproductive success

A

falses, all birds lay fewer eggs than they are capable of having

146
Q

clutch/litter size limits are found in ______

A

k-selected species

147
Q

collared flycatchers: compared to normal clutch, chicks from artificially enlarged clutches had:

A
  • reduced survival in first winter
  • reduced egg production as adults
148
Q

collard flycatchers: compared w normal clutch, parents from enlarged clutches had:

A
  • reduced overwinter survival
  • reduced egg production the following year
149
Q

collared flycatchers….

A

feed their young until fledging

150
Q

Canada Goose…

A

do not feed their young

151
Q

Canada Geese: compared w normal clutch, chicks from artificially enlarged clutches had:

A

survival similar to normal clutch

152
Q

Canada Geese: compared w normal clutch, parents from artificially enlarged clutches had:

A
  • delayed molt/migration
  • reduced weight subsequent year
  • female bred later than normal on subsequent year
153
Q

clutch size corresponds to…

A

the max number of offspring that the parents can rasies without a net reduction in their future reproductive effort

154
Q

in most plants anf fish, fecundity (# of eggs) is ______ to body size

A

positively correlated

155
Q

when is it useful to reproduce as early as possible?

A

in the absence of predators

156
Q

when is it useful to delay reproduction?

A

abundance of predators

157
Q

the best strategy for reproduction is the one which

A

replaces faster

158
Q

early reproduction can be detrimental because

A

it often stunts the growth of females

159
Q

there is a trade off between present ____ and future____

A

reproductive output, reproductive success

160
Q

r-selection:

A

rapid development
high reproductive rate
early reproductive age
small body size

161
Q

k selection

A

slow development
low reproductive rate
late reproductive age
large body size

162
Q

r selection p2

A

short length of life
semelparous reproductive type
high mortality survivorship of young

163
Q

k selection p2

A

long length of life
iteroparous reproductive type
low mortality survivorship of young

164
Q

r selection p3

A

weak competitive ability
variable, usually well below carrying capacity population size
good dispersal activity
disturbed type of habitat

165
Q

k selection p3

A

strong competitive ability
constant population size
poor dispersal activity
not disturbed type of habitate

BIOL 215 (10 decks)

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