weeks 4-6 Flashcards
what is an SNP
single nucleotide polymorphism
what is assortative mating and what are its implications
‘like mates with like’ - can result in inbreeding, reduces geneotypic diversity, increased homozygosity, however, with selection , it can be a driver of speciation
what is disassortative mating
where ‘opposites attract’ - can increase genetic diversity and heterozygosity
what is polyandry vs polygyny
polyandry is where a female mates with multiple males while polygyny is where a male mates with multiple females
what is delta p (and how do you calculate it)
the change in f(A) (the frequency of an allele in the resident population after one generation of migration. = m (x-p) where x is f(a) of migrants, p is f(a) of residents. the new allele is equal to the original p, plus delta p.
methods of speciation
pre-mating isolation (including geographical isolation and behavioural isolation), pre-zygotic isolation (including mating time differences and ecological differences) and post-zygotic isolation (production of inviable offspring)
what is selective sweep
a rapid increase in the frequency of a favourable allele before recombination disrupts the region of DNA - a favourable trait will reduce the variation of neutral genes surrounding it
what is phylogeography
considers geographic distributions through fossil records and other evidence
why is food said to have negative entrophy
because while living organisms act like the “devil” in the entropy chamber example, using the ‘information’ of other molecules to control their movement to do work, they are not 100% efficient with this and therefore require energy - which comes from food (which therefore restores entropy)
what is the basal metabolic rate
measures when the organism is not moving or digesting, in its thermoneutral zone, in its inactive phase, an adult, and not reproducing - minimal metabolic activity
what is the standard metabolic rate
the measure of the baseline metabolic rates of a heterotherm, when it is not moving or digesting, at a known temperature, its inactive phase, an adult, not reproducing
what is a homeotherm/endotherm
constant body temp (does not change with environment)
what is resting metabolic rate
another form of the standard metabolic rate, however the organism doesn’t need to be an adult, in its inactive phase, or not reproducing - used in humans
what is the field metabolic rate
measured for an organism in the wild, takes into account all the energy requirements of the organism when it is active, and can be measured with ‘double labelled water’ (inject with isotopic water, and take blood samples later to determine how much of the water has been metabolised)
what is the thermoneutral zone of an organism
the temperature range where it does not need to expend energy to maintain body temp
do smaller or larger animals have higher metabolic rate per body mass
smaller
how to calculate metabolic rate
M = aW^b where W is body weight and b= 3/4
what is the ontogeny of an organism
its origination and development and includes feeding, assimilation (digestion), growth, maintenance, development and reproduction
what is Q10
the amount that the metabolic rate of an organism increases with a 10 degree temperature rise
what are the hard vs soft temperature limits of an organism
hard are the temperatures that the organism will die at, while soft are where the organism will survive, but will be unable to produce offspring at a rate higher than the rate of death in the population
what is poikilothermic
a organism that has a variable temperature (typically the same as the environment that they are in)
what is torpor
how some mammals can drop their body temperature by slowing down their metabolic processes
difference between a cue and a signal
a signal is deliberately produced to communicate to other organisms while a cue inadvertently provides it to the receiver
batesian mimicry
where the mimic (organism) resembles a noxious or dangerous model and therefore avoids predation
mullerian mimicry
where two or more species have similar antipredator traits and similar warming signals, but dont share an immediate common ancestor
why are gametes in sexually reproducing organisms dimorphic
as if they had they had the same structures, ligands and receptors, then they would activate their own receptors
what is facultative parthenogenesis
allows females to produce viable eggs irrespective of whether mating has taken place
what is hermaphroditism
where an organism has complete or partial reproductive organs and produce gametes normally associated with both male and female sexes (meaning they just need to find another individual, not another individual of the opposite sex)
what are eusocial insects
they take part in extremely cooperative care (care of the young involves more than just the mother)
