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212 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are the levels of organization of ecology
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organismal
population community ecosystem landscape |
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Biosphere
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portion of the earth and atmosphere in which living organisms exist and interact with biotic and abiotic factors
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ecology
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the scientific study of interation between organisms and their envirionment
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organismal ecology
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concenered with how an organisms structure physiology and behavior meet the challenges posed by the environment
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landscape
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mosaic of connected ecosystems
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what does ecology mainly look at
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distribution and abundance and how it is limited by the interactions between organisms and their environment
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what is the significance of the red kangaroo ex
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to how that kangaroos will live in areas based upon temperature and water
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biotic factors
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predation, parasitism, competition, disease
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abiotic factors
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wind, water, sun, soil
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why does temperature affect distribution
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because it affects biological processes
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what is the most important abiotic factor
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climate
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what are the 4 components of climate
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water, temp, sun, wind
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climate
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prevailing weather conditions in a particular area
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macroclimate
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patterns on the global, regional, and local level
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microclimate
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very fine partterns such as those found in a community under a log
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global climate patterns are influenced by
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input of solar energy and planet's movement in space
sun = warming effect and depending upon the rotation and tilt of the earth the intensity of the sun varies |
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air circulation and wind patterns and how it affects climate
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wet air masses rise w/ warmth towards equator
the masses collect and water is precipitated the dry air descends and absorbs moisture repeat cycle |
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what are regional and local effects on climate
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bodies of water and moutains are two major factors that affect (go over notes)
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biomes are influenced
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by a collection of abiotic and biotic factors
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biomes
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major terrestrial or aquatic life zones characterized by vegetation life (ter) or physical environment (aquatic)
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photic zone
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area in aquatic biomes that have sufficient light for photosynthesis
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benthic zone
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bottom of the aquatic zone
food source = detritus |
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pelagic zone
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open water zone of aquatic biomes
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thermocline
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narrow range in water column where there is an abrupt change in temperature
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physical environment of pelagic zone
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open water, mixzed by wind drive ocean currents
there is more clarity which leads to a larger photic zone |
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what is the chemical environment of the pelagic ocean
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lots of oxygen, low nutrients, temp stratified all year, turn over --> nutrients
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what is the geolgic distribution of pelagic ocean
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70% of earth
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photosynthetic organisms of ocean pelagic
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phytoplankton
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heterotrophs of ocean pelagic
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zooplankton and free swimming animals
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terrestrial biomes are controlled by
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climate and disturbance
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where are savannas found
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in equatorial and subequatorial regions
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precipiation of savannas
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30-50 cm
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temperature of savanna
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warm all year around
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plants of savanna
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scattered trees, thorns and small leaves, grass and shrub
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animals of savanna
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large plant eating animals, predators, migration to water holes
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physical environment of coral reefs
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made from calcium carbonate skeleton of coral
found in photic zone found on islands and edge of continents sensitive to temperature 18-20 degrees some in deep sea |
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chemical environment of coral reefs
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require high oxygen levels and high nutrients and inputs of freshwater
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geologic features of coral reefs
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need a solid substrate
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fringing reef
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being on young and high island
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barrier reef
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offshore and found in later history of island
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coral atoll
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forms when an island submerges
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photosynthetic organisms of coral reefs
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unicellular algae live in coral
red and green algae grow on reef |
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heterotrophs of organisms of coral reefs
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coral, fish, invertebrates, high diversity
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distribution of deserts
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bands near 30 degree N and S
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precipitation of deserts
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less than 30 cm and variable
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temperature of deserts
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vary daily and seasonally
max 50 degrees C low -30 degrees C |
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Plants of deserts
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low and scattered vegetation, succulents, intolerance to drying out
CAM or C4 |
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Animals of deserts
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snakes, lizards, scorpioins, ants, beetles, seed eating rodents, nocturnal animals
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population
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a group of individuals (1 species) in the same area
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population ecology
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study of populations in relation to their environment
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what are populations described by
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size
density dispersion age structure |
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what is the equation for population density
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(births + immigration) - (deaths + emigration)
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dispersion is influenced by
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envrionemtan and social/behavioral factors
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clumped dispersion is affected by
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resources and behavior
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uniform distribution is affected by
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territoriality
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is random distribution common?
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no
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demography
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study statistics related to brith and death of populations over time
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cohort
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group of individuals of the same age
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survivorship curve
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plots the proportion of the number of individuals alive in a cohort @ each age
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type i survivor curve
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high survivorship and then a rapid decline
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type ii survivor curve
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relatively constant rate of survivorship for whole life
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type iii survivor curve
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huge drop in survivorship for young
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on a reproductive table what does 0 mean?
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it means not fertile
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why do reproductive tables only focus on females
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because they are easier to gauge the fertility of the population. If they are having kids, they are obviously fertile
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life history traits
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evolutionary outcomes that reflect the development, physiology, and behavior of an organism
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semelparity
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"Big bang" life history where they have 1 shot reproduction w/ many offspring
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iteropartity
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life history trait related to repeated reproduction
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what limits reproduction
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time, energy, and nutrients (finite resources)
this leads to a trade off between survival and reproduction |
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exponential population growth
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is an idealized model. represents population growth with unlimited resources
useful for understanding the capacity for species growth |
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what is the equation for exponential population growth
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dN/dt = rN
N = change in number of indiv. t= change in time rN = rate of reproduction |
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what kind of curve shape is expoential growth
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a j curve
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logistic population growth
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realistic growth model. it incorporates the carrying capacity (k)
*per capita rate of growth will decrease as the carrying capacity is reached |
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what is the equation for logistic growth
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dN/dt = rmax *N ( (K-N)/N)
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what curve does a logistic growth curve look like
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S
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density independent population regulation
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birth rate and death rate that does not change with population density
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density dependent population regulation
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birth rate decreases and death rate increase as the population density increases
as a population increases the competition for resources increases |
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Give a couple examples of population regulation
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territoriality
disease spreading more rapidly in large populations increased # of prey means more preference for predation increase in toxi waste build up |
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is human population exponentially increasing?
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no
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community
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as assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interactions
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community ecology
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the study of how interactions between species affect community structure and organization
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interspecific interations
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interaction with individuals of other species in a community
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competition
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(-/-) compete for a resource that limits growth and survival
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competitive exclusion
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a slight reproductive advantage in an organism competing for a resource with another group of organisms will lead to the extinction of the inferior group
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ecological niche
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sum of species' use of biotic and abiotic resources in it its environment
-ecological role |
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can two species with identical niches live in the same community
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no
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resource partitioning
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differentiation of niche in organisms that enables similar species to exist in a community
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fundamental niche
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total resources that could be used in a species environment
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realized niche
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actual resources used in a species' environment
see the blue/pink barnacle ex |
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character displacement
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the tendency for characteristics in two different species to diverge more in sympatric populations than in allopatric populations
ex: bird beaks in the Galapagos |
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Predation
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(predator +/ prey -)
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What are feeding adaptations for predators
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claws, teeth, fangs, stinger, poision
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what are some examples of prey defense adaptations
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cryptic coloration
chemical defense mimicry |
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cryptic coloration
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camoflague where animals blend in with environment
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aposematic coloration
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bright coloring in animals that warns of possessing chemical toxins
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batesian mimicry
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harmless animal mimics a harmful animal
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mullerian mimicry
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two harmful species that look alike
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herbivory
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(+/-)
organisms that eat plants /algae |
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relate herbivory and evolution
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plants have evolved chemical and mechanical defenses against predators because they cannot move. As a result, herbivores have adapated as well. --> COEVOLUTION
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Symbiosis
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individuals of two or more species that live in direct and intimate contact
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parasitism
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(+/-)
parasite derives nourishment from host |
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mutualism
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(+/+)
interspecific interaction that benefits both species ex: ants and acacia tree |
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disease
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(+/-)
pathogens benefit from host |
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commensalism
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(+/0)
one species benefits while the other is unaffected ex: water buffalo and birds |
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species diversity
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the variety of different kinds of organisms that make up the community
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two components of species diversity
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species richness and relative abundance
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species richness
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the total number of different species in a community
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relative abundance
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the proportion of each species represented in the total community
see tree ex in book |
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trophic structure
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the feeding relationships among organisms within a community
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food chain
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shows the transfer of food between trophic levels
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food web
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branching food chaing with complex trophic interaction
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dominant species
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most abundant or highest biomass
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what are 3 types of species that have large impacts on communities
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dominant
keystone foundation |
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keystone species
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control community structure based upon ecological role and niche
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foundation species
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influence community by causing physical change to the environment
ex: beavers |
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what was the old view of communities
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that they existed in a state of equilibrium
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what is the new view of communities
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that communities constantly change due to disturbances
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disturbance
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an event that changes a community by removing oreganisms from that community and/or altering resource availability
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explain the significance of fire as a disturbance
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it is significant in terrestrial ecosystems and is often necessary
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human disturbance and species diversity
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decreases diversity
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ecological succession
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sequence of community and ecosystem changes after a disturbance
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primary succession
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occurs in an area where no soil exists
begins with the smallest of organisms (prokaryotes) |
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secondary succession
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begins in an area where soil remains after a disturbance
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what are three ways that early arriving species affect later arriving species
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facilitate: ex Dryas and N in soil for spruce
inhibit tolerate: no effect/correlation to occurance together |
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Latitudinal gradient
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the most diverse areas of species occurs at the equator and becomes less diverse towards the poles
this occurs because species diversity is affected by location/climate |
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what two features of climate are terrestrial ecosystems most affected by
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solar energy and water availability
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what is a measure of solar energy and water availability
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evapotranspiration
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evapotranspiration
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the evaporation of water from soil and plants
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species area curve
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all other factors being held equal, the larger the geographic area of a community, the more species it has.
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ecosystem
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all the of organisms from one or more communities as well as the abiotic factors with which these organisms interact
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what are the two main processes that ecosystem ecology looks at
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energy flow and chemical cycling
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first law of thermodynamics
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energy is not created or destroyed
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second law of thermodynamics
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all spontaneous processes increase the entropy of the universe
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what gives energy to all life processes?
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sunlight
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direction of energy flows
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through ecosystems
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direction of chemical cycling
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within ecosystems
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what is an implication of the second law of thermodynamics
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spontaneous processes are irreversible and that heat is lost in processes
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what does the conservation of mass allow ecologists to determine
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the amount of a chemical in a cycle is gained or lost
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trophic levesl
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primary production
consumers: primary, secondary, tertiary detritivores |
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detritvores
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recycle essential chemical elements by decomposing organic material
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what happens to elements that are not recycled
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the become inorganic reservoirs
ex: P contained in marine sedimentary layers |
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key detritivores
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prokaryotes and fungi
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where does energy first become available in the trophic levels
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at primary producers
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primary production
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the amount of light energy converted to chemical energy
this determines the amount of energy that is available to the rest of the trophic levels |
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What affects the amount of primary production
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the amount of sun hitting the earth
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net primary production
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gross - respiration
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how much of global npp is created by terrestrial? marine?
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t- 2/3
m- 1/3 |
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compare ocean and tropical rain forest primary production
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ocean has low pp w/ high area = high npp
tropics has high pp w/ low area = high pp |
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limiting facots of pp in marine systesms
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light and nutrients
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influencing factors in terrestrial ecosystyems for pp
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temperature and moisture
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what measure pp in terrestrial ecosystems
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actual evapotranspiation
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evapotranspiration
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annual amount of water transpired by plants and evaporated from a landscape
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how are npp and evapot correlated
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both increase with increasing solar radiation
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secondary production
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the amount of chemical energy in consumers food that is incorporated into their biomass
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trophic efficiency
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% of production transferred between trophic levesl
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averages trophic efficiency
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10%
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biogeochemical cycling
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the cycling of nutrients involving abiotic and biotic factors
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what are two methods for tracking nutrient cycling
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following radioactive isotopes or the natural movement of nonradioactive isotopes
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importance of the water cycle
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essential to all life and the availability affects the rates of ecosystem processes
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available forms of life in the water cycle
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mostly in liquid, sometimes in gasesous
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what are resevoirs of water in the water cycle
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ocean 97, glaciers 2, lake/river 1
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what are key processes in the water cycle
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evaporation via solar radiation, condensation to flouds, precipitation, transpiration, percolation/infiltration to groundwater
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artesian
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pure water
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aquifer
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resevoir of water
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ogallala acquifer
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biggest in the US
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other nutrient cycles
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N, P, C and O
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Hubbard Brook Exp. Forest
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forest where nutrient cycling has been monitored as well as ecosystem effects.
found that clear cuts and herbicide use lead to much more loss of nutrients than in an undisturbed environment |
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How does nutrient enrichment affect ecosystems
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increase of nutrients from agriculture will caused algal blooms and eutrophication
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toxins in the environment
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humans have added a lot of toxins that will persist in the environment and accumulate in those at the top of the food chain (biological magnification
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greenhouse effect
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greenhouse gases will absorb radiation from the earth and send it back to the earth
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high throughput economy
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based on maximizing energy and matter flow
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low throughput economy
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based on reduced energy flow and matter recycling
ex: don't use a car, use flourescent bulbs, etc |
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energy efficiency
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a measure of how much useful work is accomplished by a particular input of energy into a system
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5 was to pursue a low throughput econ
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1) reduce and recycle non renewable resources
2) use renewable resources no faster than they are replished 3) use matter and energy efficiently 4) emphasize pollution prevention 5) control population growth |
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pollination services
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pollinators will pollinate cultivated food crop and increase biodiversity among plants
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what are the main pollinators
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beetles and bees
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how many $ are provided in pollinator services
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$15 billino
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behavior is based upon
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physiological systems and processes
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individual behavior
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an action carried out by muscles or glands under control of the nervous system in response to a stimulus
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ethology
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study of animal behavior
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what does ethology focus on
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how behavior contributes to individual reproductive success
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ethogram
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precise description of particular behaviors
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What are 4 questions of animal behavior
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1. what stimulus elecits the behavior and what physiological mechisms mediate the response?
2. how does the animals experience during growth and development influence the response? 3. how does the behavior aid survial and reproduction? 4. what is the behavior's evolutionary history |
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proximate cause
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how a behavior occurs/is modified
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ultimate cause
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why a behavior occurs in the context of natural selection
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fixed action pattern
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a sequence of unlearned innate behaviors that is unchangeable
once they begin they are fulfilled to completion |
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what are fixed action patterns triggered by
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an external cue called a sign stimulus
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what are male sticklebacks an exampl of
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fixed action patterns
proximate: red belly (sign) --> aggression ultimate: male- male competition for egg nest |
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migration
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regular long distance change in location
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communication
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signal transmitted from one animal and received by another animal
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pheromone
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chemical signal that is used for communication between members of the same species
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learned behavior
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is modified by experience
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habituation
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loss of responsiveness to stimuli that convey little or no new information
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imprinting
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formation at a specific stage in life of a long lasting behavioral response to a particular individual or object
occurs during sensitive period and is retained for life ex: Lornenz and gosslings |
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associative learning
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modifications of behavior by making association between experiences
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classical conditioning
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an arbitrary stimulus becomes associated with a particular outcome
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operant conditioning
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trial and error learning
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cross fostering study
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young of one species are placed in the care of adults from another species
how much the behavior of each species changes is a measure of the influence |
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individual reproductive success is maximized by
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behaviors that promote survivorship and reproduction
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foraging
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eating and activities aniamls use to find/recognize food
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optimal foraging model
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natural selection should favor foraging behavior that minimizes cost and maximizes benefit
ex: NW crows |
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mating systems
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reflect the number of mates a male and female has
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promiscusous
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no strong pair-bonding or lasting relatiohnpships between individuals
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monogamous
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1 male 1 female
look similar |
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polygyny
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1 male w/ many females
male more showy |
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polyandrous
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1 female w/ many males
female is more shoy |
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intersexual selection
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members f ton sex chose mate of the other
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intrasexual selection
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competition between members of one sex for mates
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altruism
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selflessness
decreases their own indiv. fitness to increase indv. fitness of another |
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inclusive fintness
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total effect an individual has on proliferating its genes by producing its own offspring and providing aid to its relatives to produce offspring
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coefficient of relatedness (r)
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fraction of genes that are shared on average
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kin selection
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natural selection that favors altruistic behavior by enhancing the reproductive success of relatives
ex: ground squirrels |
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sociobiology
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studies the relation of human culture and evolution
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