Key Area 2.5 Metabolism and survival Flashcards
What does an animal become dormant?
During periods of environmental adversity.
What can dormancy be?
Consequential or predictive.
When does predictive dormancy occur?
Before the arrival of adverse conditions.
What usually controls predictive dormancy?
Genetics.
When does consequential dormancy occur?
After the arrival of the adverse conditions.
What are 3 types of dormancy?
Hibernation, aestivation, and daily torpor.
When would hibernation occur?
To survive adverse winter conditions when there is low temperatures and a lack of food.
What do animals do before hibernating?
Consume extra food to store as fat.
Is hibernation usually consequential or predictive?
Predictive.
What happens to the animal during hibernation?
Metabolism decreases Body temperature decreases Heart rate slows Breathing rate slows Minimum energy expenditure.
When does aestivation occur?
To survive periods of drought and high temperatures.
Is aestivation usually consequential or predictive?
Consequential.
What is daily torpor?
A reduced period of activity in organisms with high metabolic rates.
What happens to mammals during daily torpor?
Decreased heart rate, breaking rate, and body temperature.
What are some advantages of daily torpor?
Small mammals and birds can reduce their energy consumption by up to 90%
Torpor decreases energy consumption when hunting would be unsuccessful or would leave the birds open to danger.
What animals most commonly use daily torpor?
Birds.
How can mammals avoid adverse conditions?
Migration.
What is migration?
The regular movement of members of a species over a relatively long distance.
What is an example of migration?
Birds flying south for winter.
What are some advantages of migration?
Animals avoid metabolic adversity caused by food shortages and low temperatures.
It is normally a round trip and this allows favourable conditions throughout the year.
What are some disadvantages of migration?
Huge amount of energy expended
Can be a long and dangerous journey.
What are the 2 types of migration?
Innate and learned.
What is innate migration?
Migration which is inherited. Every member of the species performs the migration in the same way. It occurs in response to an external stimuli.
What is learned migration?
Migration which is taught after birth and is gained by experience. Occurs as a result of trial and error and the transmission of knowledge and skills in social groups. This means that lots of different members of the same species migrate in different ways.
How do scientists track migration?
Leg rings: A metal band attached with a unique code is attached to the birds leg. The bird is then recaptured and its information is reported. Data is collected over many years.
How do scientists track migration (Tagging)?
A circular tag is attached to a butterfly. The code on the tag can then be entered if the butterfly is rediscovered.
How do scientists track migration (colour marking)?
Bright coloured flags are placed on larger birds and scientists can observe these from a distance with binoculars.
How do scientists track migration (Satellite tracking)
Transmitters are attached to animals body. These send signals to satellites and information is relayed to investigators. This gives the most precise information.
