phenotypic plasticity

Question 1

weather

Answer 1

short term variation in temperature and precipitation
-hours or days

Question 2

climate

Answer 2

long term typical atmospheric conditions through the year
-measured over many years

Question 3

large scale spatial variation

Answer 3

impacted by factors like climate, land topography, and soil type

Question 4

small scale variation

Answer 4

impacted by factors like plant structure and animal behavior

Question 5

phenotypic plasticity

Answer 5

ability of genotypes to produce different phenotypes when exposed to different environmental conditions

Question 6

reaction norm

Answer 6

the observed relationship between the phenotype of a genotype and the environment

Question 7

plasticity can be adaptive when:

Answer 7

-organisms experience different environments (spatially or temporally)
-different environment factor different phenotypes
-the environmental cue provides reliable information about selective conditions

Question 8

for plasticity to evolve:

Answer 8

-plasticity must be heritable
-there must be variation in plasticity

Question 9

hermaphrodites

Answer 9

individuals that produce both male and female gametes; individuals are able to fertilize their eggs with their own sperm

Question 10

inbreeding depression

Answer 10

the decrease in fitness caused by matings between close relative due to offspring inheriting deleterious alleles from both the eggs and the sperm

Question 11

microhabitats

Answer 11

locations within a habitat that differ in environmental conditions from the rest of the habitats

Question 12

thermal optima

Answer 12

the range of temperatures in which an organism best performs

Question 13

ectothermy

Answer 13

body temp depends on heat energy from the environment

Question 14

endothermy

Answer 14

depends on heat from metabolism

Question 15

dormancy

Answer 15

a condition in which organisms dramatically reduce their metabolic processes
-diapause, hibernation, torpor, and aestivation

Question 16

diapause

Answer 16

involves a partial or complete physiological shutdown in response to unfavorable conditions (common in insects)

Question 17

hibernation

Answer 17

individuals reduce the energetic costs of being active by lowering heart rate and decreasing body temperatures (common in mammals)

Question 18

torpor

Answer 18

a brief period of dormancy in which individuals reduce activity and body temperature (common in birds and mammals)

Question 19

aestivation

Answer 19

the shutting down of metabolic processes during the summer in response to hot or dry conditions (well known examples include snails, desert tortoises, and crocodiles)