Exam 4 Flashcards
1/2 of species obtain energy from what?
consuming other organisms
species that gain energy from consuming others is called what? what are the 6 different types?
heterotrophs
-detritivory
-herbivory
-predation
-parasitism
-parasitoids
-hyperparasitoids
draw consumer-resource interaction square
x-axis: probability of death
y-axis: duration of association (intimacy)
top left = parasites and arthropod herbivores
bottom left = grazers and browsers
bottom right = predators and seed predators
top right = parasitoids
species interactions may _______ over life _________
change
stages
example) initially saguaros benefit from the shade of palo verde (commensalism (+/0)). over time they eventually compete for nutrients and water (competition (-/-))
what is predation?
predator consumes and kills prey, removes prey from the population entirely
(herbivores can be predators)
provide an example of the effects of predation
on the Caribbean islands, researchers tested if lizard predation was the cause of low spider densities. they introduced 20 individuals of an orb-weaving spider onto five islands with lizards and 5 islands without lizards. over 5 years, the spider densities on the islands without lizards became 10x more abundant than on islands with lizards
what is the difference between mesopredators and top predators?
mesopredators are lower class, medium sized predators (like hyenas and foxes)
top predators are the large, apex predators (like lions)
herbivores can have __________ effects on the species they consume. provide an example
substantial
ex) Klamath weed, which is native to Europe and toxic to livestock, was introduced to California in the early 1900s. In the 1950s, biologists introduced a leaf-eating beetle that consumed the weed. Biologists estimate that the beetle has now eliminated 99% of the Klamath weed population in North America (rare-success story)
herbivores can be ___________, meaning that they do not kill host directly, but __________ part of the prey (host). over time this increases hosts probability of death and decreases _________. (depends on the duration of association)
parasites
consumes
fitness
what are parasitoids? ____% of described insect species are parasitoids.
unique predators that kill their host but only after the parasitoid’s full development. 10%
they consume the egg/larvae/pupae of other insects
parasitoids can manipulate host ___________. what is an example of this?
behavior
Cordyceps (genus of fungi) manipulates insect (ants is an example) host behavior to increase their own reproductive fitness.
_______ parasitism is actually parasitoid behavior. what is an example of this?
brood
cuckoos (and cowbirds) lay eggs in the nests of other bird species and the cuckoo chicks hatch first, then eject or eat the host birds’ eggs. cuckoo chicks mimic the host chicks’ call and are fed and raised by host adults
the California ____ _______ insect is a worldwide pest in citrus orchards. a small ___________ ______ lays eggs inside the scale insects, which ultimately ____ them. a simulated outbreak of scale insects on certain trees increased _____________ _______ dramatically and the population of scale insects declined rapidly and remains low.
red scale
parasitoid wasp
kills
parasitoid wasp
snowshoe hares and Canada lynx populations cycle ___-___ years with lynx cycles lagging about ___ years behind hare cycles (predator-prey cycles)
9-10 years
2 years
what does top-down control (predation) mean?
the abundance of a population is limited by its predators. applies to predator-prey and herbivore-plant interactions.
what does bottom-up control (competition) mean?
the abundance of a population is limited by nutrient supply or by the availability of food (consumer-resource interactions)
what did Carl Huffaker do to experiment predator-prey cycles in lab?
(1958) He conducted experiments using western predatory mites as predators and six-spotted mites as prey to understand the conditions that cause predator and prey populations to fluctuate.
results: without predators, prey populations reached high numbers. with predators, predator populations consumed the prey and both populations went extinct. extinction of both populations took longer if oranges were separated far apart; it took longer for predators to find prey. he found that metapopulations and complex environments that allow prey to hide (predators cannot easily find prey) can create stable predator-prey cycles
how do prey avoid population extinction?
-some prey must be able to disperse/escape/hide
-reproductive capacity of predators must lag prey
how do predators avoid population extinction?
-disperse (lowers intraspecific competition)
-switch food sources when primary prey are not available
what does the rate of change of a population equal?
Lotka-Volterra is a ____________-_______ model based on differential equations (calculates the rate of change in predator and prey populations as each is influenced by one another)
the rate of change of population = [population growth rate] - [population decline rate]
continuous-time model
what does the rate of change of a prey population as a function of time equal?
dN/dt = rN - cNP
P = number of predators
c = probability of an encounter between a predator and prey leading to a prey’s capture
r = intrinsic population growth rate
N = number of prey
what does the rate of change of a predator population as a function of time equal?
dN/dt = acNP - mP
a = the efficiency of a predator converting consumed prey into predator offspring
m = per capita mortality rate of predators
N = number of prey
P = number of predators
c = probability of an encounter between a predator and prey leading to a prey’s capture
a prey population is stable when the rate of change is _____, which means that the addition of prey is balanced by the consumption of prey
zero (dN/dt = 0)
if rN = cNP, then what does P equal?
P = r/c
when does prey population increase? when does prey population decrease?
increases when prey additions exceed the consumption of prey (P<r/c)
decreases when prey consumption exceeds prey additions (P>r/c)
when is a predator population stable?
dP/dt = 0
when does predator population increase? when does predator population decrease?
increases when the addition of predators exceeds the mortality (N > m/ac)
decreases when the mortality of predators exceeds the addition of predators (N < m/ac)
what is equilibrium (zero growth) isocline?
the population size of one species that causes the population of another species to be stable. for prey, this occurs when P = r/c and for predators when N = m/ac.
as the number of predators or prey changes and moves away from the equilibrium isoclines, populations will ___________ __ __________
increases or decreases
what is joint population trajectory?
the simultaneous trajectory of predator and prey populations
what is joint equilibrium point?
the point at which the equilibrium isoclines for predator and prey populations cross. if either of the populations stray from the equilibrium point, they will oscillate around the point
why does an increase in the growth rate of prey (r) lead to an increase in predator population (P) but not they prey population (N)?
increasing the intrinsic growth rate of the prey from r to r’ increases the equilibrium number of predators, but not prey
the Lotka-Volterra is a very simplistic model, what are 4 assumptions of this model?
-prey population find ample food sources at all times
-the food supply of the predator population depends entirely on the single prey population (not multiple food sources)
-the rate of change of population is proportional to its size
-during the process the environment does not change in favor of one species and genetic adaption is sufficiently slow (essentially no evolution)
what is a functional response?
the relationship between the density of prey and an individual predator’s rate of food consumption
what are the 3 types of functional response curves?
type I: predator rate of prey consumption increases linearly with prey density until satiation
type II: predator rate of prey consumption begins to slow as prey density increases and then plateaus; predators spend more time handling more prey
type III: low predator rate of prey consumption at low prey density, and type II response at high density for three reasons: 1. prey can hide 2. poor search image 3. prey switching
what type of functional response curve is the most common and accurate?
Type III
what is a lab example of a type III functional response?
researchers manipulated the abundance of isopod and mayfly prey for backswimmer predators. when mayflies were rare, backswimmers consumed fewer mayflies than expected based on their proportion, which indicates prey switching. when mayflies were more common, backswimmers consumed more mayflies than expected, likely because the predators had practice consuming their prey.
what are the 4 different methods to avoid getting eaten?
-behavioral
-crypsis
-structural
-aposematism/chemical
what are different methods of behavioral defenses?
-alarm calling warns relatives that predators are approaching
-spatial avoidance occurs when a prey moves away from a predator
-some prey reduce activity to avoid being detected by a predator: risk sensitive foraging
what is crypsis?
camouflage that either allows an individual to match its environment or breaks up the outline of an individual to blend in better with their background
structural defenses reduce a predators’ ability to ___________, __________, or __________ prey
capture, attack or handle prey
some prey has defenses that are _____________ __________; when the crucian carp detects a predatory fish, it grows muscle mass that allows it to swim faster
phenotypically plastic
what is an example of chemical defenses?
when agitated, the Bombadier beetle mixes two chemicals from separate glands to create a boiling hot liquid that is sprays to either kill or injure predators
chemical defenses are more effective at deterring predators if the prey can _________ the defense _________ an attack occurs
convey
before
what is Aposematism?
warming coloration: a strategy where distastefulness evolves in association with very conspicuous colors and patterns (Monarch butterflies, bright-colored toxic dart frogs)
what is mimicry?
when individuals make themselves appear to look poisonous even if they aren’t
what are the two different types of mimicry?
- Mullerian mimicry
- Batesian mimicry
what is Mullerian mimicry?
several unpalatable species evolve a similar pattern of warning coloration; similarity in warning confers protection
what is Batesian mimicry?
when palatable species evolve warning coloration/patterns that resembles unpalatable species (hover flies and hornet clearwings resemble the common wasp)
Batesian mimicry works at a certain extent as long as the population densities of the _________ species are lower than that of the ________ species
mimic species
toxic species
defense costs can reduce ________, ___________ and ___________
growth, development, and reproduction
what is coevolution?
when two or more species affect each other’s evolution; selection for prey defenses should favor the selection for counter-adaptation in predators: “ an evolutionary arms race”
explain an example of coevolution in nature
the cane toad, which has skin toxins that causes their predators to become sick, or die, was introduced into Australia in 1935. Their predators (black snakes) had no experience with these toxins and many attempted to consume the toads and died. black snake populations evolved resistance to the toxins after getting sick and still surviving and snakes with longer exposure to toads have more resistance. (resistance in measured by reduction in snake swimming speed)
what are defenses against herbivory?
many plants produce chemicals at the cost of reduced fitness
what is an example of plant using defenses against herbivory
tobacco plants respond to herbivores by producing chemicals including nicotine. researchers compared two tobacco plants, one was the control, and the other was treated with a hormone that blocked nicotine production. the group without hormones produced more nicotine and fewer seeds versus the group with hormones produced less nicotine but more seeds. this shows us that there is a direct energetic cost of producing chemical defenses that takes away from energy spent towards reproduction
what tradeoff did Dr. Berenbaum discover?
less toxic plant chemicals are found more frequently versus highly toxic plant chemicals are found less frequently
herbivores can cause ___________ defenses in plants
induced (many plant stressors cause induced defenses)
provide an example of how herbivores can create induced plant defenses?
when a Brassica plant species is consumed by an herbivore, gene transcription occurs which causes the plant to produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which float around in the air and are detected and attracted by different parasitoids that come in and infect the herbivore that is eating the plant.
what is a parasite?
does not kill host directly, consumes part of the prey. Increases host probability of death, lowers fitness. Complex life cycles, generally involving 2 hosts. ex: bot fly obligate parasite of mammals.
what is an ectoparasite?
parasite that lives on the outside of an organism
what are advantages of being an ectoparasite?
-low exposure to host’s immune system
-not very difficult to move to and from hosts (including parasite offspring)
what type of organisms are ectoparasites?
mostly arthropods (ticks, mites, lice, fleas)
what are types of ectoparasites?
-mostly arthropods (ticks, mites, fleas, lice)
-some leeches and lampreys
-nematodes
~4,000 plants (mistletoe)
what is an endoparasite?
parasite that lives on the inside of organisms