2 Primate Ecology

Question 1

primate ecology

Answer 1

study of how primates interact with environment including other organisms

Question 2

most primates live….

Answer 2

in the tropics

Question 3

gallery forest

Answer 3

forest along a river

Question 4

niche

Answer 4

ecological role of an organism in its environment

Question 5

variables of a niche =

Answer 5

niche axes

Question 6

diet

Answer 6

combination of foods used to satisfy nutritional needs (proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins, water)

Question 7

main diet categories (4)

Answer 7

animals = faunivore, insectivore
gums and sap = gummivore
fruit = frugivores
leaves = folivore

Question 8

all primates eat fruit except….

Answer 8

tarsiers diet os 100% animals

Question 9

homerange

Answer 9

area where a primate/group of primates live

Question 10

niche axes (5)

Answer 10

diet
locomotion
activity pattern
ranging pattern
predators

Question 11

home ranges (4 traits)

Answer 11

consistent over time
animals return to same resources during the 
    year
may overlap
no nomadic primates except humans

Question 12

day range

Answer 12

how far you travel in a day

Question 13

territory

Answer 13

actively defended boundary of all or part of the home range

Question 14

territory (4 traits)

Answer 14

conspecifics (members of the same species)
must be kept out
exclusive access
only some primate territorial
maintaining a territory is costly (boundaries
must by patrolled and defended)

Question 15

locomotion

Answer 15

ranging = selected for efficient locomotion

Question 16

activity pattern

Answer 16

time limited

Question 17

3 ways to divide 24 hrs

Answer 17

diurnal
cathemeral (active day and night)
nocturnal

Question 18

predators

Answer 18

things want to eat you

Question 19

primates share habitats (2)

Answer 19

space and resources must be divided
forest division (understory, main canopy, emergent)

Question 20

competitive exclusion principle (4)

Answer 20

no two organisms can have the same niche
requirements may substantially overlap
one species will eventually out compete the
other
=if two species coexist in one habitat, they
must differ in their niche to avoid
competition

Question 21

if niche overlaps and two species compete…. (2)

Answer 21

area of overlap incorporated into niche of one and other locally extinct

area divided between the two

Question 22

realized niche

Answer 22

results as one or both species undergo ecological shift

Question 23

character displacement

Answer 23

morphological change that enables 2 species to coexist sympatrically (in some habitats)

Question 24

ecological release/competitive release

Answer 24

niche expansion following the removal of a constraining variable (for a species)

Question 25

community ecology

Answer 25

study of interactions among species in communities on many spatial and temporal scales

Question 26

communities

Answer 26

assemblages of interacting populations of the species (different types of species) living within a particular habitat

Question 27

disease ecology (2)

Answer 27

study of interaction of the behavior and ecology of hosts with the biology of pathogens looks at factors influencing the transmission of infectious diseases (environment, parasite, host)

Question 28

eat fruit pros (4)

Answer 28

High in sugar (energy) and nutrients Do not have to hunt them Little energy in digestion Do not need specialized gut

Question 29

eat fruit cons (3)

Answer 29

Low in protein Seasonal (limited in time and space) Expend more energy in obtaining fruit (must travel farther)

Question 30

eat fruit dental specializations (3)

Answer 30

Incisors are relatively large / broad Low, rounded molar cusps (for crushing and grinding) Shorter shearing crests

Question 31

eat fruit gut specializations (1)

Answer 31

No distinctive specializations

Question 32

eat Leaves pros (4)

Answer 32

High in protein Mature leaves: often not seasonal / readily available year round Easy to find (no hunting involved) Expend little energy to get them

Question 33

eat Leaves cons (6)

Answer 33

Low in sugars Young leaves: seasonal Hard to digest and masticate (high in cellulose), especially mature leaves Energy expended in digestion but not in finding food Secondary compounds Need gut specializations

Question 34

eat Leaves dental specializations (2)

Answer 34

Incisors are relatively small / narrow Well developed shearing crests to "cut" (shear) leaves

Question 35

eat Leaves gut specializations (2)

Answer 35

Sacculated stomach or enlarged colon (which have colonies of microorganisms) Elongated intestines (to increase digestion time)

Question 36

eat insects pros (2)

Answer 36

High in protein & carbohydrates (chitin) | Abundant

Question 37

eat insects cons (4)

Answer 37

Hard to catch (must hunt) Hard to find (cryptic) Expend energy to obtain them Can be seasonal

Question 38

eat insects dental specializations (2)

Answer 38

Sharp high cusps on molars | Shearing crests well developed

Question 39

eat insects gut specializations (1)

Answer 39

Short simple gut

Question 40

seed predators

Answer 40

some primates are specialized for consuming and digesting the seeds of unripe fruit

Question 41

secondary compounds

Answer 41

Secondary compounds, such as alkaloids and tannins, are chemical components that are not directly involved in typical plant metabolic processes (e.g., growth, photosynthesis, etc.) and often play a protective role

Question 42

chitin

Answer 42

tough structural carbohydrate like cellulose in insect exoskeleton

Question 43

graminivorous.

Answer 43

Primates whose diets are primarily composed of grasses

Question 44

gummivorous

Answer 44

Primates whose diets are primarily composed of plant exudates

Question 45

cheek teeth used for

Answer 45

mastication

Question 46

anterior teeth used for

Answer 46

ingestion

Question 47

Kay's Threshold

Answer 47

all insectivorous primates are smaller than 500g, while all folivorous primates are larger 500g

Question 48

jarmen bell principle

Answer 48

small body -> rare high quality food (small volume of food at a time) large body -> abundant, low quality food (large volume of food at a time)

Question 49

special aye-aye features (2)

Answer 49

chisel shaped incisors to gnaw through wood long, highly mobile middle finger to catch wood boring insects

Question 50

chimps...

Answer 50

hunt

Question 51

IP index (3)

Answer 51

incisors/premolars&molars * 100 ``` high = frugivores low= folivores ```