Defensive strategies

Question 1

Parasite

Answer 1

is an organism that lives on or in another organism of another species

Question 2

Pathogen

Answer 2

is an organism that causes diseases to the host after infection

Question 3

What is LRS?

Answer 3

Life time reproductive success

Question 4

Describe a parasite

Answer 4

Much smaller than their hosts, life expectancy much shorter than their hosts, infect on or a few hosts in their lifetime, rarely kill their prey.

Question 5

Describe predators

Answer 5

Much larger than their prey, life expectancy much greater than most prey, attack many different prey in their life time, always kill their prey.

Question 6

Describe micro-pathogens/micro-parasites

Answer 6

very small in size, replicate very quickly, undergo direct replication in the host, are easily transmitted directly. can cause morbidity and mass mortalities. adaptive immune response.

Question 7

examples of micro-pathogens

Answer 7

viruses, bacteria and protozoa. eg.malaria

Question 8

Describe macro-parasites

Answer 8

large and macroscopic in size, do not reproduce quickly, generally do not replicate directly in the host. not transmitted directly. Generally do not cause morbidity to host and mass mortalities rare. Morbidity related to burden. immune response is weak

Question 9

examples or macro-parasites

Answer 9

worms, ticks, lice, mosquitoes, fleas and tapeworm. eg, roundworms and flukes

Question 10

what is bacteria immune defence ?

Answer 10

CRIPR-Cas9, acts against phages

Question 11

Examples of animals basic defences

Answer 11

Structural: spines, thorns, trichomes, modified skin, horn and spurs
Hedgehog
Skunk (foul smell)
Salamander (poison)

Question 12

what are the two types of plant defences?

Answer 12

constitutive: preformed, permanently present (physical and chemical)
inductive: induced by attack volatile organic compounds +BVOC

Question 13

Poison

Answer 13

Compounds that either are a) produced or b) sequestered by animals (consumed and stored)

Question 14

Examples of poison

Answer 14

Cane toads: Bufotoxin from gland near eye
Amphibian skin, Fugu or puffer fish : extremely toxic

Question 15

venom

Answer 15

a toxic substance introduced by a bite, resulting in mechanical damage.
result is often fatal. Sometimes exclusively defensive (bees and wasps)

Question 16

Examples of venomous animals

Answer 16

Snake fangs, spider bite, bee sting, tick bite
Eg, Black Mamba

Question 17

How many people a year are bitten by snakes?

Answer 17

Five million

Question 18

how many people die and how many are left disabled after a snake bite each year ?

Answer 18

100,000 die
400,000 are left disabled

Question 19

Aposematic colouration

Answer 19

Aposematism, warning colouration, yellow and red, yellow and black, orange and black, yellow and red.
indicates unpalatability.

Question 20

Mullerian mimicry

Answer 20

Imitative similarity- typically based on warning colouration - amongst a number of mimic species all of which are unpalatable or otherwise offensive to a predator.

Question 21

batesian mimicry

Answer 21

Harmless species mimics an unpalatable species to deceive the predator

Question 22

Camouflage and crypsis

Answer 22

Defensive: remains undetectable to predators
offensive: prey does not detect presence of predator until too late