Food Flashcards
Niche
a specific habitat where an animal finds food, shelter, mates, may play role in this environment
Niche rule
no 2 animal species can live in the same niche using the same resources at the same time
Marginal Value Theorem defined (animal example)
how an animal forages when food resources are patchy
an animal will leave a food patch when the net calorie intake at that spot drops to about the same as as the average level for that habitat as a whole
when their patch is no longer the best
allows bird to eat as it moves through the enironment and figure out where the food is
e.g. birds eating wild berries until that patch grows smaller
Area Restricted Search Hypothesis defined (animal example)
in food rich area, animals reduce their speed or exhibit sharp turns. When food is scarce, they’ll move faster/in a straight line
e.g. limpets and abalone eating algae on a rock
Search Image defined (animal example)
mental representation of the stimulus an animal is seeking
e.g. bird looking for green caterpillar, sees one and memorizes image, now can find other caterpillars quicker
What is the Limiting Resource for Females and Males?
Males: access to females
Females: food
Migration defined (animal example)
round trip movement by an animal often in search of a food rich habitat
e.g. monarchs, whales
Territorial Behavior defined (animal example)
an individual or group will defend an area and its food resources against intruders
e.g. cardinals defending area, even against self in mirror
Mutualism defined (animal example)
cooperation/coordination in quest for food that benefits 2 or more members of a species
e.g. wolf pack for hunting, bird flock for feeding enhancement/sharing information
Interspecific vs Intraspecific Feeding Competition defined
Interspecific: competition between individuals in different species
Intraspecific: competition between individuals in same species
Why Do Mixed Species Flocks work?
eat different food so there is no competition, more birds = better lookout for predators
sort of like selfish herd
Predator Prey Arms Race defined (animal example)
competition between predator and prey where each group responds by adjusting to each other, so neither group wins
e.g. cheetahs and impalas, bats and moths (bats use echolocation, moths evolve to detect this)
Life Dinner Principle defined
the risk for predator (a meal) is much less than the risk for the prey (their life). So the pressure is much higher for prey, this is why predators rarely ever wipe out all of their prey
Ecological plasticity in Generalist and Specialist
Generalists (eat everything) show greater ecological plasticity than specialists (eat one food)
Ecological plasticity - the ability for an animal to adapt to changing food supplies and a variety of habitats
Body Weight to calories needed to sustain 1 c cm of flesh (graph)
decreasing, linear (direct correlation)
- larger animals need less calories per 1 cm of flesh (larger animal = less surface animal)
