Midterm 1 Flashcards
1
Q
What features make birds unique?
A
Feathers / Bill / Gizzard (Isn’t necessarily unique but highly developed) / Pneumatic skeleton / Furcula / synsacrum / Avian air sacs / eye anatomy / syrinx
2
Q
What are feathers used for?
A
flight, communication, thermoregulation, camouflage
3
Q
Define rhamphotheca
A
hard, horn like keratinous sheath
4
Q
Define trabeculae
A
bony struts
5
Q
pneumatic skeleton
A
hollow bones, make bones strong while staying light for flying
6
Q
what is the furcula?
A
fusion of the clavicles. Acts as a support to the upper skeleton during flight
7
Q
What makes bird eye anatomy unique?
A
They have two types of cones. They see colors we cannot perceive.
8
Q
What is the function of the syrinx?
A
Makes songs and calls. works together with air sacs
9
Q
What did the prehistorics birds have that modern birds do not?
A
They have a bone going through their tail
10
Q
What are the theories of origins of birds?
A
Thecodont and theropod origin
11
Q
What are the theories of origins of bird flight?
A
Arboreal (top-down) and Cursorial (bottom-up)
12
Q
Arboreal theory
A
ancestors to birds were evolved flight to glide between trees
13
Q
Cursorial theory
A
flight evolved to extend jumping while running
14
Q
What features do birds share with reptiles?
A
nucleus in their blood cells. single middle-ear bone, sclerotic ring, lower jaw composed of several bones (mammalian is 1 bone), single occipital condyle. Females determine the sex of the offspring.
15
Q
What origin of bird theory is the most parsimonious?
A
Theropod origin
16
Q
True or False: Wing feathers are generally asymmetrical in flighted birds?
A
True
17
Q
Life History Theory
A
Broad field of evolution and ecology that examines how life history is shaped by selection and environmental variation
18
Q
What are the key concepts of the life history theory?
A
Lifetime reproductive success (LRS) and Life history trade off
19
Q
How do you maximize reproductive output?
A
you must survive to reproduce
20
Q
What is Lifetime reproductive success?
A
How many times do you pass on your genes in your lifetime
21
Q
What is life history tradeoff?
A
The more effort you put into reproduction the more likely you are to die. Based on using up resources and exposing yourself to predation
22
Q
R selection reproduction
A
focus on reproduction with multiple attempts, shorter times in between and many young per attempt. Typically young at first breeding
23
Q
K Selection reproduction
A
Focus more on individual offspring , being older at first attempt with few young and longer times between breeding, with 1 attempt per year.
24
Q
R selection life history
A
shorter longevity with high juvenile mortality and low population stability. minimal parental care and small body size.
25
K Selection life history
longer longevity, with low juvenile mortality and high population stability. extended parental care and large body size.
26
What are the hypothesis for clutch size variation?
Food limitation hypothesis and nest predation hypothesis.
27
What are different types of variables examined in relation to life history.
annual cycles, breeding effort and timing, clutch size, seasonality, predation, competition and mating system
28
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone
starts the whole cascade, often released with change in photoperiod
29
Follicle stimulating hormone
stimulates sperm and egg production
30
Luteinizing hormone
stimulate T production, ovulation
31
Testosterone
courtship and aggression
32
Estradiol
Formed from T in the brain,; female sex hormone, sexual behavior, egg production
33
Prolactin
regulates parental behavior (incubation, feeding)
34
Shell of egg
mostly calcium carbonate, contains pores for water/gas exchange
35
yolk of egg
nutrient rich, full of fats, essential nutrients
36
albumen
about 90% water, the rest is all protein (complete with all 20 amino acids)
37
types of nests
scrapes, cavity, platform, cup, domed
38
altricial
closed eyes, absent or sparse down, immoble, needs parental care, small eggs, yolks, and brain size. Large small intestine and fast growth rate
39
Precocial
open eyes, down present, mobile, minimal parental care needed, self-feeding, large eggs, yolks and brain size. small, small intestine and slow growth rate.
40
asynchronous hatching
females begins incubating as she is laying, first laid hatches first, uneven competition with laying order
41
synchronous hatching
female starts incubating when clutch complete, young hatch on same day, competition more depends on sex (if dimorphic)
42
sexual selection
the presence of a choosy sex selects for certain characters in the opposite sex
43
Polygyny breeding system
many females 2nd most common
44
polyandry breeding system
one female, many males (shorebirds and rails mostly) females often larger and more colorful. sequential and simultaneous
45
cooperative polyandry
several males cooperate to assist one or several females that maintain nest
46
promiscuity (polygynandry)
each male mates with multiple females. and female mates with multiple males.
47
how is breeding success measured?
nest survival, post-fledgling survival, recruitment
48
limits on breeding success
placement, predation, food (spatially and temporally) , time, parasitism
49
Define migration
Annual, seasonal movement from both breeding and non-breeding range
50
theory of origin of migration
southern origin and northern origin
51
what are the types of migration
long distance and short distance, obligate facultative and partial, dispersive, austral, intra-tropical, and elevational
52
what defines long distance migration
birds that cross major barriers between continents
53
what defines short distance migration
do not leave the continent or cross a major barrier
54
obligate migration
every one migrates every year
55
facultative migration
individuals may migrate one year, not another
56
partial migration
some individuals are migratory, some residents (but they dont change)
57
dispersive migration
colonial birds who leave the colony in many directions and return to breed
58
austral migration
temp to tropical in southern hemisphere
59
intra-tropical migration
between two tropical areas
60
elevational migration
seasonal movements up and down slope
61
orientation
directed movement
62
distant orientation
orientation that leads an animal to a goal that is beyond the limits of sensory perception
63
navigation
the theory and practice of charting a course to a remote goal
64
vector navigation
the inherited information present in young birds for their first migration. also called genetic based orientation and spatio-temporal orientation
65
the suns lateral movement is approximately \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
15 degrees per hour
66
circadian rhythm
helps birds to compensate for the sun's angular movement
67
celestial navigation
in the northern hemisphere birds use the north star
68
Geomagnetic (inclination) compass
angle between the horizon and magnetic vector with intensity towards poles. birds perceive pole wards and equator wards, not north and south
69
What tools do birds use to migrate?
vector navigation, the sun, north star, circadian rhythm, geomagnetic compass, and a geomagnetic map.
70
hypertrophy
birds eat a LOT in order to fuel migration. supported by hormonal changes such as corticosterone and testosterone.
71
How do birds prepare for migration?
Lots of calories!, rapid change in body weight and structure, nutritional organs show atrophy, exercise!! (pectoral muscle and heart show hypertrophy)
72
Define optimal migration
the process of minimizing costs or maximizing benefits, or obtaining the best possible compromise between the two
73
What are the different optimal migration strategies?
Time-min migration strategy (jumping), energy-min strategy (hopping)
74
Time-min migration strategy
longest time on breeding and wintering grounds, requires large fuel stores to make long, non-stop flights, used by species with limited potential stopover sites
75
Energy-min migration strategy
load-min strategy, great strategy for birds that have fuel available throughout migration route
76
migration phenology
migration is a race and to the winner go the spoils
77
what are the determining factors of migration phenology?
Genetic control (short vs. long distance migrants) , Climate, weather (wind), breeding, biotic (predation)
78
Genetic control
short-distance migrants are under exogenous control. long-distance migrants are under endogenous control
79
Breeding as a factor of migration phenolgy, how?
successful breeding pairs leave breeding grounds later than unsuccessful.
80
Pterylae
feather tracts
81
Apteria
empty space between tracts
82
How do birds maintain their feathers?
Preening 1x/hr. Bathing, anting, scratching
83
Which gland is used in daily preening?
uropygial gland (preen gland)
84
Characteristics of the uropygial gland
contains oils with waxes, fatty acids, fat and water to preserve moisture in feathers and flexibility. Helps insulate and waterproof feathers as well as protecting against microbes
85
Do birds only bath in water?
No they can use dust also
86
louse flies "hippoboscid flies"
suck blood, carry feather lice
87
Chewing lice
suck blood, eat feathers
88
Feather mites
unknown if parasitic
89
Define molt
The replacement of feathers, sometimes at fixed times of year
90
What are the different plumages?
juvenile, formative, basic, alternate
91
Formative plumage
First prealternate molt(partial) carried for first year, sometimes called first basic not present in all birds, immature plumage, usually incomplete including only body feathers
92
basic plumage
either adult plumage for simple cycles or non-breeding plumage for those that have alternate
93
alternate plumage
essentially breeding plumage, more colorful/elaborate than basic
94
Natal down
First basic molt(complete) precocial chicks have at hatching, altricial develop in first week after hatching
95
Juvenal plumage
preformative molt (partial) most birds wear until late summer; includes flight feathers bird will wear all winter
96
First alternate plumage
second prebasic molt (complete) in N.A. species occurs late winter before arrival in breeding areas
97
First basic plumage
second prealternate molt (partial) in more N.A. species, the first adult non-breeding plumage
98
Second alternate plumage
in most N.A. species, the first fully adult breeding plumage
99
Long narrow pointed wings
higher aspect ratio of lift to drag, better for fast flying and gliding (i.e. flacons, albatross, swallows)
100
Shorter broad rounded wings
Lower aspect ratio of lift to drag, better for dense vegetation (turn quickly), i.e. quails, pheasants, wrens
101
High wing loading
large bird w/small wings - grebe
102
Low-wing loading
small bird w/large wings - hawks, songbirds
103
What is wing loading?
How much mass is carried by the wings, wing area: body mass
104
Alula
allows steep angle of attack generating greater lift without much reduction of lift due to turbulence
105
Thermoregulation
down and contour feathers trap warm air close to body when needed for insulation, dark plumage absorbs radiant heat
106
How feathers function in flight?
affect lift:drag, wing loading, , angle of attack
107
How feathers function in survival?
thermoregulation, concealment
108
Concealment
Disruptive patterns and countershading
109
disruptive patterns
reduce contrast with surrounding environment
110
countershading
contrast in colors between dorsal(dark) and ventral(white) help disguise outline, act as reflector
111
How are feather colors produced?
Earth tones, synthesized
112
What are the two types of melanin?
Eumelanins and Phaeomelanins
113
Eumelanins
Dark brown, gray, black
114
Phaeomelanins
Tans, reddish brown, yellows
115
What is the function of melanin?
makes feathers tougher, protect from bacteria, helps in drying feathers
116
How are Carotenoid pigments synthesized?
Food, sometimes converted metabolically to other forms
117
What are carotenoid colors?
yellows, oranges, reds, some blues and greens, purples, ultraviolets
118
What are porphyrin colors?
bright brown and green feathers, magenta. Fluoresce red under UV light
119
Limits of porphyrin colors
only in new feathers, degrade rapidly in sun. (Turacos, magenta and green ..different types of copper-containing porphyrins)
120
Structural colors
White, iridescent colors, blues (caused by light refraction on different structures within feather)
121
The gland most critical to the daily maintenance of feathers is the: a. Pituitary gland b. Hypothalmus c. Uropygial gland d. Testes or ovaries
C. uropygial gland
122
Which measure of breeding success has the greatest influence on population processes? a. Sibling competition b. Recruitment c. Post-fledging survival d. Nest survival
B. Recruitment
123
Which of the following hormones plays a crucial role in parental care behaviors, such as feeding: a. Estradiol b. Prolactin c. Luteinizing Hormone d. Testosteron
b. Prolactin
124
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ is a mating system where one female pairs with several males.
Polyandry
125
The \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_compass utilized by birds during navigation is based on a fixed point of rotation.
geomagnetic
126
zugunruhe
migratory restlessness
127
what does dispersed nesting offer?
nest concealment, proximity to resources
128
what does colony nesting offer?
where you are spatially (outskirts vs. interior) also big vs. small
129
