Feeding and foraging Flashcards
What is a generalist in terms of foraging?
Selects a wide range of food and a wide range of foraging behaviours
What is an example of a generalist forager?
a fox
What is a specialist in terms of foraging?
Selects one particular type of food found in only one particular habitat
What is an example of a specialist forager?
a panda
What is a highly selective or concentrated feeder?
Choses only highly nutritious content
Example of a highly selective feeder
Giraffe
What is a bulk feeder?
Processing the entire plant
Example of a bulk feeder?
Elephants
Does a high basal metabolic rate (BMR) make you eat more or less often?
More often
Animal example of high BMR
Hummingbird eating every 20 minutes
Does a low basal metabolic rate (BMR) make your at more or less often?
Less often
Animal example of low BMR
Crocodiles eating once a year
What is a torpor?
Mini-hibernation of hummingbird each evening where it reduces respiratory rate to reduce energy usage
What is an ectotherm?
Dependent on external sources of body heat
Example of an ectotherm
Frogs
What is an endotherm?
Dependent on or capable of internal generation of heat (developed using ATP)
Example of endotherm
bears sleeping in caves
Does colour indicate nutritional content of berries?
no
How does the black rhino digest anti-nutrients
By using tannin-binding proteins
When capuchin monkeys see other members eating a familiar food, what is their response to novel food?
more accepting
What does neophobic mean?
Dislike of new things
What is a facultative carnivore?
Animal which selects meat when available but has other opportunities
Example of a facultative carnivore
dog
What is an obligate carnivore?
Needing the amino acid taurine found only in meat. needs meat.
Example of an obligate carnivore?
cat
What is the optimal foraging theory
To forage optimally. Eat as much as possible using the least amount of energy consumption
What is marginal value theorem?
The animal must ask the question “at what point do I leave my current feeding patch to go and find a new one?”
Therefore the animal is debating;
Potential energy available at current patch.
Energy available in new foraging areas.
How red knots use a lot of energy when foraging?
they eat from beach shore so fly up every time a wave comes which uses energy
What is the giraffes trade-off for being optimal?
eating in large groups to spot predators earlier
What is an extremophile?
been building over evolutionary history a set of behaviours it can use in an environment that no one else wants to live in.
Example of an extremophile
Flamingos being in water that gives 3rd degree burns
