Predators And Prey

Question 1

Prey trait examples:

Crypsis, signalling to predators, conspicuous defences, combining defences, physical defences and chemical defences

Answer 1

Crypsis = chameleon and European common cuttlefish contains chromatophores in skin (Rowe 2010)

Signalling to predators = Thomson gazelle leaps in air signalling health (Rowe 2010)

Conspicuous defences = poison dart frog

Combining defences = musk oxen form a circle and face outwards defending all angles (Rowe 2010)

Physical defences = porcupine spikes

Chemical defences = bombardier beetles hot acidic spray

Question 2

Predator traits: flush pursuit, search images, stealth, physical adaptations, physiological adaptations, consumption behaviour

Answer 2

Flush pursuit - painted redstarts

Search images = Tinbergen observed wild birds are in runs of prey type. Blue jays detected a lower percentage of cryptic prey when 2 spp was present (artificial moth populations in lab)

Stealth = puma (Williams, 2014)

Physical adaptations = snake spp dislocating jaw

Physiological adaptations = Amazonian parrots consuming clay particles to absorb toxins in food

Consumption behaviour = some bird spp taste aposematic prey to assess their toxicity (Rowe 2010)

Question 3

Prey colouration examples: background matching, disruptive colouration and masquerade

Answer 3

Background matching: peppered moths, lichen form more frequent during polluted 1800s (lichen not on trees), since 1970s decline in Melanic forms

Disruptive colouration: bold and contrasting colours on animals outline - artificial moths with disruptive colouration on the edge most efficient at avoiding detection

Masquerade: birds with previous experience with branches had a longer latency to attack caterpillars masquerading as branches than birds with no experience - predators are misclassifying prey

Question 4

Req queen effect example

Answer 4

Brain size of mammalian herbivores and carnivores has increased at the same rate