Populations and Variation in Life History Strategies

Question 1

Population ecology

Answer 1

study of populations and their interactions with environment

Question 2

Properties of a population

Answer 2

1. Density
2. Dispersion
3. Demographics

Question 3

Density

Answer 3

of individuals per unit area

Question 4

Dispersion

Answer 4

pattern of spacing of individuals within boundaries of the population

a. clumped-individuals aggregated into patches
b. uniform-individuals are evenly spaced
c. random-individuals are spaced randomly

Question 5

Demographics

Answer 5

study of vital statistics and how the change in a population over time
death rate, birth rate, age class structure, sex ratio
survivorship curve plots # of surviving individual at each age

Question 6

cohort

Answer 6

group born at the same time (same age)

Question 7

Survivorship Curve types

Answer 7

1. low mortality of juveniles, high mortality in oldest individuals
2. uniform death rates
3. mortality high for juveniles, low mortality for older age classes

Question 8

Life history

Answer 8

behavioral features that affect reproduction, survival, growth,etc

Question 9

Life History Traits

Answer 9

1. Age of sexual maturity
2. size of adult
3. fecundity
4. # of reproductive cycles
5. parental care
6. longevity

Question 10

Principle of Allocation

Answer 10

energy invested in one trait/characteristic can’t be used for another

Question 11

Optimality Theory

Answer 11

if an organism has certain traits, they will be more or less successful than others in regards to fitness

Question 12

Life History Strategies

Answer 12

Semelparity-produce many offspring once in life
Iteroparity (seasonal)
Iteroparity (continuous)
produce few offspring many times in life

Question 13

K-selection

Answer 13

selection for traits that are favorable in high density conditions

Question 14

r-selection

Answer 14

selection for traits that maximize reproductive success and are favorable in low density conditions

Question 15

Phenotypic Plasticity

Answer 15

same genotype producing different phenotype depending on environmental conditions; triggered by abiotic and biotic factors

Question 16

Traits that can be plastic

Answer 16

morphology
development
physiology
behavior

Question 17

Optimal Litter Size

Answer 17

low litter sizes-put more energy into offspring and produce higher quality offspring
high litter sizes-put more energy into offspring, but produce lower quality offspring

Question 18

Apparency Theory

Answer 18

more apparent plants will be more heavily defended since they have a higher risk of herbivory