Animal Ecology Exam 1

Front 1

Five agents of evolution

Back 1

Genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, nonrandom mating, natural selection

Front 2

Natural selection

Back 2

An editing process which selects the best traits in response to the environment.

Front 3

Forms (modes) of selection

Back 3

Disruptive, stabilizing & directional

Front 4

Directional selection

Back 4

A shift to one extreme or the other (moths)

Front 5

Stabilizing selection

Back 5

Settles on Non extreme trait

Front 6

Disruptive selection

Back 6

Extreme trait values favored over intermediate.

Front 7

Clines

Back 7

A measurable gradient in a single character of a species across its geographical range.

Front 8

Adaptive radiation

Back 8

Organisms diversify rapidly from an ancestral species into multiple new forms.

Front 9

Speciation types

Back 9

Allopatric & sympatric

Front 10

Allopatric speciation

Back 10

Populations of the same species become isolated from each other & prevents or interferes with gene flow.

Front 11

Sympatric speciation

Back 11

Occurs without a physical barrier to gene flow

Front 12

Vicariance events

Back 12

Species distribution becomes segmented and populations evolve to different selecting factors and become unique species

Front 13

Jump dispersal

Back 13

Long distances over inhospitable habitat

Front 14

Secular dispersal

Back 14

Gradual spread of populations across hospitable terrain over generations.

Front 15

Founder event

Back 15

When a few members of a population cross a geo barrier and found a new population

Front 16

Zones of intergradation

Back 16

Ranges of two or more related species overlap and can lead to hybrids

Front 17

ESS

Back 17

A strategy which is adopted by a population making it impenetrable. Can’t be replaced by alternative strategy.

Front 18

Phenotypic plasticity

Back 18

Refers to changes in an organisms behavior, morphology and physiology in response to a unique environment.

Front 19

Ecotype

Back 19

A distinct form of a species occupying a particular habitat.

Front 20

Ecology

Back 20

Study of interactions between organisms and each other and the environment.

Front 21

Species

Back 21

Largest group of organisms in which two individuals can produce fertile offspring.

Front 22

Population

Back 22

All the organisms of the same group or species that live in a particular area and can interbreed.

Front 23

Community

Back 23

An interactive group of various species in a common location.

Front 24

Ecosystem

Back 24

A collection of communities of interacting organisms and their environment.

Front 25

Landscape

Back 25

Next step above ecosystem.

Front 26

Biome

Back 26

Community of plants and animals that have common characteristics for the environment they exist in.

Front 27

Biosphere

Back 27

Areas of the earth occupied by living organisms.

Front 28

Emergent property

Back 28

A property which a collection or system has that the individual members don’t have.

Front 29

Life zones

Back 29

A means of describing areas with similar plant and animal communities.

Front 30

Autecology

Back 30

Study of an individual organism or a particular species.

Front 31

Synecology

Back 31

Study of whole animal or plant communities.

Front 32

Energy budget

Back 32

Energy gain or loss=energy intake-energy expended

Front 33

Principle of allocation

Back 33

Basically you can’t get something for nothing. You have to exchange something.

Front 34

Ruminant

Back 34

Ungulate mammal that chews cud regurgitated from its rumen. Cattle, sheep, antelope, deer, giraffes.

Four compartment stomach.

Front 35

Nonruminant

Back 35

Animals with a single compartment stomach. Humans, primates, pigs, dogs, cats, horses.

Front 36

Coprophagy

Back 36

Eating feces or dung

Front 37

Homeotherm

Back 37

Organism maintains a constant body temp, usually above environmental, by metabolism.

Front 38

Heterotherm

Back 38

Vary between self-regulating temp and allowing the environment to affect it.

Front 39

Allometric relationships

Back 39

Relationship of body size to shape, anatomy, physiology and behavior.

Front 40

Allometric relationships

Back 40

Relationship of body size to shape, anatomy, physiology and behavior.

Front 41

Bergmann’s Law

Back 41

Populations and species of larger size are found in colder environments and vice versa.

Front 42

Kleiber’s Law

Back 42

Quantifies the relationship between an animals size and it’s metabolic rate. Usually scales to 3/4 of mass as mass increases.

Front 43

Thermoneutral zone

Back 43

Basal rate of heat production is equal to the rate of heat loss to the environment.

Front 44

Torpor

Back 44

A state of physical or mental inactivity.

Front 45

Crepuscular

Back 45

Animals active primarily during twilight.

Front 46

C:N ratio

Back 46

Ratio of carbon to nitrogen in a substance.

Front 47

Thermal personality

Back 47

Relates an animals body temperature to that of its surroundings.

Front 48

Operative temperature range

Back 48

The range of temps that an animal may experience during its normal activities throughout the day.

Front 49

Subpopulation

Back 49

A subset of a larger population

Front 50

Metapopulation

Back 50

A group of spatially separated populations of the same species which interact at some level.

Front 51

Ubiquitous species

Back 51

Evolves indifferent to the environment in which it is found. Doesn’t depend on habitat fulfilling precise characteristics.

Front 52

Water conservation in desert

Back 52

Modified activity periods, burrows, efficient kidneys, water from foods, tolerance to dehydration

Front 53

Critical day length

Back 53

Sensitive to periods of light and dark. Day neutral, short day, long day organisms.

Front 54

Crude density

Back 54

The number of individuals per unit of space

Front 55

Closed population

Back 55

No births or deaths during study period, no immigration or emigration

Front 56

Closed population

Back 56

No births or deaths during study period, no immigration or emigration

Front 57

Mark recapture methods for closed populations

Back 57

Lincoln Peterson and schnabel

Front 58

Open populations

Back 58

Births and deaths, immigration occurring.

Front 59

Sex ratios

Back 59

Temp during egg incubation can affect sex ratios, removal of one sex can stimulate sex reversal, tends to be close to 50/50 male/female.

Front 60

Life table

Back 60

A list of survivorship and mortality of a popuy

Front 61

Cohorts

Back 61

Individuals of the same age

Front 62

Cohort life table

Back 62

Long term study of same age group from birth to death.

Front 63

Static life table

Back 63

Records the age at death of a large number of individuals.

Front 64

Static life table

Back 64

Records the age at death of a large number of individuals.

Front 65

Age distribution table

Back 65

Proportion of different age groups in a population

Front 66

Type 1 survivorship curve

Back 66

Low offspring mortality, humans and large mammals

Front 67

Type 2 curve

Back 67

Death likely at any time

Front 68

Type 3 curve

Back 68

High infant mortality but stabilizes later

Front 69

Fecundity

Back 69

The average number of offspring produced by each age class

Front 70

Net reproductive rate

Back 70

The average number of offspring produced by each individual

Front 71

Crude birthrate

Back 71

Number of live births in a year divided by the total mid year population x 1,000

Front 72

Crude birthrate

Back 72

Number of live births in a year divided by the total mid year population x 1,000

Front 73

Generation time

Back 73

Time from egg to reproductive age

Front 74

Intrinsic rate of increase

Back 74

A measure of the instantaneous change in population size.

Front 75

Intrinsic rate of increase

Back 75

A measure of the instantaneous change in population size.

Front 76

Geometric rate of increase

Back 76

Population growth over discrete time intervals

Front 77

Intrinsic rate of increase

Back 77

A measure of the instantaneous change in population size.

Front 78

Geometric rate of increase

Back 78

Population growth over discrete time intervals

Front 79

Exponential growth

Back 79

Continuous population growth in an unlimited environment

Front 80

Environmental stochasticity

Back 80

Unpredictable fluctuations in environmental conditions.

Front 81

Demographic stochasticity

Back 81

Variability in population growth arising from sampling random births and deaths in a population.

Front 82

Allee effect

Back 82

Population growth may decrease as when population size decreases

Front 83

Factors of rarity

Back 83

Geographic range, habitat tolerance and local population size.

Front 84

Life history

Back 84

Traits that describe the life cycle of an organism. Growth, development, reproduction.

Front 85

Simultaneous hermaphroditism

Back 85

Male and female organs at the same time in adulthood. Can self fertilize.

Front 86

Sequential hermaphroditism

Back 86

Changes sex at some point in its life.

Front 87

Sexual selection

Back 87

Selection in one sex for specific characteristics of the opposite sex.

Front 88

Runaway selection

Back 88

Mechanism to account for the evolution of exaggerated male ornamentation by persistent female choice.

Front 89

Secondary sexual characteristics

Back 89

Characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. Horns, long tails, bright colors.

Front 90

Reproductive effort

Back 90

The amount of energy allocated to reproduction

Front 91

Semelparity

Back 91

Single reproductive event before death

Front 92

Paedomorphosis

Back 92

Retention of juvenile traits into adulthood.

Front 93

Precocial

Back 93

Longer incubation periods that produce more fit offspring requiring less parental care.

Front 94

Bet-hedging

Back 94

Postponement of reproduction until environmental conditions improve.

Front 95

Ovipary

Back 95

Lay eggs with little embryonic development inside the mother.

Front 96

Ovoviviparous

Back 96

Young develop in membrane sacs and don’t burst until mother gives birth.

Front 97

Equilibrium life history

Back 97

High juvenile survival, low fecundity, late to mature

Front 98

Opportunistic life history

Back 98

Early mature, few offspring, few survive