Chapters 36-37 - Behavioural and Population Ecology

Question 1

What is behaviour?

Answer 1

An action by muscles or glands controlled by the nervous system in response to an environmental cue. The sum of an animal’s responses to internal and external stimuli. May be visible or invisible.

Question 2

How can some behaviours be invisible?

Answer 2

Some behaviours happen within the body. i.e. secretion of a stress hormone would still be considered a behaviour.

Question 3

What do behavioural ecologists study?

Answer 3

Behaviour in an evolutionary context. How behaviours evolve and contribute to an animals survival and reproductive success.

Question 4

What is altruism?

Answer 4

Selflessness. Instinctive behaviour that’s bad for an individual but good for the group (seen in many species).

Question 5

Is behaviour genetic or environmental? What study confirmed this?

Answer 5

Both. Environmental factors can impact the pattern of gene expression. That changes which behaviours develop (remember epigenetics?). A study of cross fostering rats with attentive and inattentive mothers.

Question 6

What is a fixed action pattern?

Answer 6

An unchangeable series of actions triggered by a specific stimulus. An innate behaviour, under strong genetic control, virtually the same in all individuals of a species.
i.e. mother goose retrieving an egg.

Question 7

What is learning?

Answer 7

Modifying behaviour in response to specific experiences.

Question 8

What is habituation?

Answer 8

Learning NOT to respond to a repeated stimulus that conveys little or no information.
i.e. crows learning to ignore scarecrows.

Question 9

What is imprinting?

Answer 9

Learning that is limited to a specific time period in an animal’s development and is generally irreversible.
i.e. baby geese recognizing a person as their mother.

Question 10

Animal movement may be a simple response to ________ or may require ___________. What’s an example of each?

Answer 10

Animal movement may be a simple response to stimuli (food, water) or may require learning (recognition of landmarks or hazards).

Question 11

What is associative learning?

Answer 11

The process of linking stimuli, responses, and consequences creating associations that guide behaviour. i.e. trial and error learning.

Question 12

What is social learning?

Answer 12

Learning by observing the behaviour of others.

Question 13

What is cognition?

Answer 13

The process carried out by an animal’s nervous system to perceive, store, integrate, and use information gathered by the senses.

Question 14

What is problem solving?

Answer 14

A process of applying past experience to overcome new situations (it requires cognition).

Question 15

Who is Dr. Jane Goodall? What work has she done?

Answer 15

An English zoologist, primatologist and anthropologist. She studied chimp’s behaviour, relationships, diet, hierarchy, etc. Revolutionized people’s understanding of chimps. Now she educates people.

Question 16

Dr. Jane Goodall was the first to report that…..

Answer 16

The first to report that animals other than humans use tools.

Question 17

What qualifications did Dr. Jane Goodall have when she started her research?

Answer 17

Kinda none. She wasn’t a scientist and didn’t have an undergraduate degree, but she made very careful observations and records.

Question 18

Mating behaviours are often a number of _____ ______ ________ in sequence.

Answer 18

Mating behaviours are often a number of Fixed Action Patterns in sequence.

Question 19

What is a population?

Answer 19

A group of individuals of a single species that occupy the same general area. They share resources, environmental factors and likely interact and breed with one another.

Question 20

What is population ecology?

Answer 20

The study of change in population size and the factors that regulate populations over time.

Question 21

Why is population ecology important?

Answer 21

It provides critical info to help identify and save endangered species, manage wildlife populations and maintain sustainable fisheries.

Question 22

What is population density?

Answer 22

The number of individuals of a species per unit area, estimated by sampling/counting etc.
i.e. trees/km2 or worms/m3 of soil.

Question 23

What are the 3 basic distribution patterns for organisms in a population? Which is most common and most rare?

Answer 23

Clumped (most common), uniform or random (rare).

Question 24

What is a Life Table used to track? Why is this useful?

Answer 24

Survivorship – the chance of an individual surviving to various ages.
Helps identify the most vulnerable life stages and can be used to construct survivorship curves.

Question 25

What do Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 survivorship curves tell us about a species?

Answer 25

**Type 1** – high survivorship of young; often few offspring and a lot of parental care. **Type 2** – no life stage is more vulnerable than any other. **Type 3** – low survivorship for very young; often large numbers of offspring with little/no parental care.

Question 26

What is an example of a species for each type of survivorship curve?

Answer 26

**Type 1** – Humans **Type 2** – Some invertebrates, lizards and rodents **Type 3** – Fish, oysters

Question 27

What shape is an exponential growth curve? A logistic growth curve?

Answer 27

Exponential = a J curve. Logistical = a S curve (grows exponentially before plateauing the carrying capacity).

Question 28

What is a carrying capacity?

Answer 28

The maximum population size that can be sustained by the environment. Changing circumstances (fires, predators, etc.) can change the carrying capacity.

Question 29

Under the logistic growth model, what happens to the rate of growth as the population nears and reaches its carrying capacity?

Answer 29

It slows and eventually levels off when the birth rate equals the death rate (it is still a reproducing population it's just not growing).

Question 30

In the equations G = rN and G = rN((K-N)/K), what does each variable represent?

Answer 30

G = growth rate of population r = per capita rate of increase N = population size K = carrying capacity

Question 31

What equation is used for the exponential growth model? What about the logistical growth model?

Answer 31

Exponential: G = rN Logistical: G = rN((K-N)/K)

Question 32

Actual Growth Rate of a population = (_______ + ____________) – (________ + ____________).

Answer 32

Actual Growth Rate of a population = (Births + Immigration) – (Deaths + emigration).

Question 33

What are the basic characteristics of an r species?

Answer 33

Small-bodied, short-lived animals. Reach sexual maturity rapidly. Have a large number of offspring. Provide little parental care. Type 3 survivor curve. i.e. Insects, small rodents etc. Hypothesize that per capita growth rate r – is maximized.

Question 34

What are the basic characteristics of an K species?

Answer 34

Large-bodied, Long-lived animals. Reach sexual maturity slowly. Have few offspring. Provide a lot of parental care. Type 1 survivor curve. i.e. Bears, elephants, humans etc. Hypothesize to be near the carrying capacity (K) and that growth limits are density dependent.

Question 35

What is a "boom and bust" cycle

Answer 35

When the populations of two related animals repeatedly rise and fall almost in sync. i.e. hare and lynx

Question 36

What is the demographic shift/transition?

Answer 36

A transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates, with rapid population growth in between as the death rates fall, but the birth rates remain high.

Question 37

What causes the demographic shift/transition?

Answer 37

It occurs as countries become industrialized and more economically developed. Improved nutrition, sanitation, medicine, education contribute and birth control.

Question 38

What are population age structures/population pyramids used for?

Answer 38

To help predict the near future of a population’s growth or decline. Can show infrastructure and systems that a country needs in the near future.

Question 39

What does rapid growth, slow growth, or negative growth look like on a population age structure/population pyramid?

Answer 39

Very wide base =lots of youth, rapid growth. Slightly wide base = slow growth. Narrow base = reduced or even “negative growth” (the population is decreasing).

Question 40

Is the human population increasing or decreasing?

Answer 40

It continues to increase, though the growth rate is beginning to slow.

Question 41

What is an ecological footprint?

Answer 41

An estimate of the amount of land required to provide the raw materials an individual or nation consumes (including food, fuel, water, housing, and waste disposal).

Question 42

Based on our ecological footprint it is estimated that we are currently consuming ____ Earth’s worth of resources every year – is this sustainable?

Answer 42

1.7 Earth’s worth of resources. This is not sustainable.

Question 43

Based on 2023 stats, Canada has the ____th largest ecological footprint per capita in the world.

Answer 43

6th