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38 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Group Living (Benefits) |
-Protection from predators -Resource defense -Improved foraging efficiency |
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Group Living (Costs) |
-Competition for resources (food and mates) -Inc. parasite and disease transmission |
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Intraterritoriality |
Among one species |
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Interterritoriality |
Between multiple species |
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Dominance Hierarchy |
Helps prevent fights between members of a group (everyone knows their place) |
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Dominance Rank |
An individual's standing in the entire group |
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Dominance Status |
An individual's standing while interacting with another individual |
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Dominance and Birds |
-High rank birds are more brightly colored (honest signal to their rank) -High ranks more likely to have access to mates and resources |
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Rank and Hormones |
-Birds have elevated testosterone after winning a fight -Greater chance of winning next flight -However decreases parental care behavior -Delays molting -Higher rank generally means lower corticosterone (stress) levels -High corticosterone levels can negatively impact the immune system and reproductive behavior. |
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Flocks |
-Provide defense from predators -Allow birds to cooperatively forage (predators included) -Competition for food |
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Colonial Nesting/Breeding |
-More offspring than predators can eat -Many more eyes to watch for predators -Noisy/Loud, may attract predators -Crowded/lack of space -Greater chance for EPCs (extra partner copulations) to occur |
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Communal Roosting |
-Better temperature regulation (sharing of body heat and reduce the impact of wind) -Lowers energy demand of thermoregulation -More eyes to detect predators -May draw the attention of predators -Greater spread of disease |
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Courtship Costs |
-Males invest in bright plumage, showy displays, sperm production, and parental care in biparental care species -Females invest in costly eggs and parental care -Rare few species are switched |
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EPCs (Extra Partner Copulations) |
-EPCs often increase the quality of female's offspring -More young with EPCs than without - |
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Female Choice Hypothesis |
1. Good Genes -Good and bright plumage in males is an honest signal -Might handicap the male (hard to escape predators): surviving male shows he has good survival skills 2. Runaway Selection -Ornaments and displays taken to extremes by males to exploit female preference (Ex: Bower Bird) |
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Red-Winged Blackbirds |
-Females choose mates based on territory quality, not male quality -Water level, nest quality, abundance of food -Males generally have harems (polygynous) |
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Manakins |
-Perform a duet dance to woo a female -The dominant male gets to breed while the other male can learn skills needed to be sucessful |
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Boobies |
-Dance and show off their bright blue feet |
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Bowerbirds |
-Create a fancy bower out of sticks, grass, twigs, etc and decorate it with brightly colored objects (often times blue) to attract a female |
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Leks |
-Large gathering of males that females come to watch -Most dominant males are in the center -1-2 dominant males get 54-86% of all matings -Dominant males are in better health, better plumage, and have already proven their dominance among the other males |
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Mating types |
Monogamy: One social partner (generally consists of EPCs)- Often in biparental care units (Blue-Footed Booby) Polygyny: One male and multiple females (Red-Winged Blackbird) Polyandry: One female and multiple males (rare) (Spotted Sandpiper) |
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Brood Parasitism |
-When a female lays an egg in a nest of a different species Obligate: Do not ever incubate their own offpsring Intraspecific: A female may lay an egg in another female's clutch while also incubating her own clutch -Increased her reproductive fitness without increasing the cost of caring for her offspring -Reduces the host's reproductive success -Hosts often do not reject parasitized eggs due to fear of retaliation, or they may not be able to tell with 100% certainty which egg is the parasite and which is their own. |
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Cooperative Breeding |
-Offspring receive care from parents and other members of the family (usually older siblings): Florida Scrub Jays -Ecological constraints may delay dispersal and breeding -Limited nesting sites -Limited food resources -Territory shortage -Still helping to spread 25% of genetic material instead of 50% (better than none at all) |
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Reproductive Systems for Flight |
-Males only have one teste, reduces in size during non-breeding season -Females only have one developed reproductive tract |
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Sex Chromosomes and Sex Determination |
Mammals: XX (Female), XY (Male): Y is short Birds: ZW (Female), ZZ (Male): W is short -Sex is determined earlier on in birds than mammals |
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Bilateral Gyandromorphs |
-Half the organism is male, and half is female. |
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Reproductive/Gonadal Hormones |
Testosterone and Estrogen -Active gamete production -Induce reproductive behavior -Sexual distinctions -Testosterone: Produced in testes -Estrogen: Produced in ovaries and adrenal glands |
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Sperm Competition |
-Females can store sperm -Last male's sperm precedence is rule |
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Clutch Size |
-# of eggs per brood -Optimal Clutch Size: The greatest clutch size with the greatest number of surviving offspring |
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Types of egg layers |
Determinate: Fixed # of eggs (Gulls) Indeterminate: Can lay extra eggs (Ex: Chickens) Capital Breeders: Produce eggs with energy from stored reserves (Wood Ducks) Income Breeders: Ingest energy and use that to produce eggs (???) |
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Nests |
1. Predator Protection 2. Microclimate 3. Cradle for young 4. Roosting Chamber -Decrease rate of egg cooling -Shield from wind and sun |
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Brood Patch |
Featherless patch of skin on birds that allows direct contact with eggs (direct heat transfer) |
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Hatching |
Synchronized: Young can leave the nest together and have an equal survival chance Asynchronized: Young hatch hours to days apart, first to hatch has advantage over others. Ideal for unpredictable resources |
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Parental Care |
Begging: Increases time parents spend foraging Altricial Young: Tiny, helpless, often blind Precocial Young: Often hatch with feathers, more able to fend for self, larger Parent-Offspring conflict: Parents want to spread energy between all hatchlings, each hatchling wants all of parents energy to themselves. Siblicide: Killing off siblings to increase individual's chance of survival |
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Climate Change |
-Range of birds are shifting northwards and up in elevation. -Birds arriving at breeding grounds earlier -Birds breeding/nesting earlier -Inc. rate of hybridization -Shorebirds at high risk for flooding of nests -Laying eggs earlier |
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Climate Change (cont.) |
-Migrants may change to residents (Hooded crow, common blackbird, European Robin) -Great Tits hatching times mismatched with food peak due to climate change -Long distance migrants less likely to arrive earlier |
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Range Loss due to Climate Change |
-314 of 588 of North American birds will lose more than 50% of their breeding range by 2080: "Climate threatened" -126 will lose 50% by 2050: "Climate endangered" -Burrowing Owl: 77% of breeding range by 2080: 67% of remaining range will shift -Greater Sage Grouse: loose 71% of breeding range by 2080: 92% of non-breeding range -50 species in Colorado |
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Conservation |
-Research! -Citizen Science Activities -Spring Bird Count -Christmas Bird Count -Climate Watch -Be mindful of habitat destruction -Wind turbines (often kill birds): use wider, slower blades |
