Behaviour questions and foraging

Question 1

How does adapting behaviour affect an animal?

Answer 1

Increases their chance of reproduction and survival because it is the result of natural selection

Question 2

Give an example of developmental flexibility

Answer 2

Handling young animals such as calves can reduce reactivity in later life

Question 3

Give some examples of biological components of domestic and natural environments

Answer 3

• Feeding/drinking
• Predation
• Social environment
• Parasites
• Human interaction

Question 4

Give some examples of physical components of domestic and natural environments

Answer 4

• Climate
• Shelter
• Space

Question 5

What are some general effects of domestication of species?

Answer 5

• Inbreeding and genetic drift: small closed populations, reduced genetic variability
• Artificial selection
• Natural selection in captivity

Question 6

Which decisions do animals face when it comes to foraging?

Answer 6

Searching - where, how long for?

Selecting food - which items, how much?

Question 7

How can animals maximise gain rates when foraging?

Answer 7

When prey items start to decline, need to leave the patch at a point
This is also dependant on travel time between patches

Question 8

How does travel time between patches influence time spent in a patch?

Answer 8

As time to travel increases, the optimal time to stay at a patch also increases

Question 9

When choosing where to eat what needs to be considered?

Answer 9

• Avoiding predation
• Avoiding parasitic infection
• Food choices

Question 10

Which animals tend to take more risks when it comes to foraging?

Answer 10

• Animals with high feed motivation

- Infected animals

Question 11

When choosing what to eat what needs to be considered?

Answer 11

• Nutrients
• Structure e.g. thorns and spines on a plant, rate of ingestion
• Toxic chemicals

Question 12

How does being in smaller groups affect eating patterns?

Answer 12

They tend to spend less time grazing

Question 13

What is a scramble competition?

Answer 13

Competition for resources:

• Non-defendable resource
• No aggression
• Food arrives in large quantities
• More competitors

Question 14

What is a contest competition?

Answer 14

Defendable resource
Aggression
Food arrives in small quantities

Question 15

How would cows in a group of 16 compare to a group of 4 when it comes to competing for resources?

Answer 15

• More aggression
• Maintain greater distances from neighbours
• Faster rate of stepping

Question 16

What factors influence the ability of a predator?

Answer 16

• Searching ability
• Identification of profitable prey
• Attack: speed, scatter, redirection