Exam 3

Question 1

Optimal Foraging Model Definition

Answer 1

addresses the optimization of food type, patch choice, time spent in different patches, and movement patterns

Question 2

What do optimal foraging models focus on

Answer 2

they focus on energy as the currency for optimization, specifically energy gain per cost

Question 3

Optimal foraging theory (OFT)definition

Answer 3

makes predictions about how animals maximize fitness while foraging

Question 4

what are the 4 points that are significant to OFT

Answer 4

1. individuals maximize energy intake per unit of time
2. the energy content of a food item is the only determinant of food choice
3. the time taken to capture a food item is the only determinant of food choice
4. a higher energy item might be less valuable than a lower energy item if it takes too much time to capture it

Question 5

natural selection favors…

Answer 5

energetically efficient foraging and feeding behaviors

Question 6

What are the trade offs in optimal foraging

Answer 6

the trade off is between energy expended in searching and energy acquired from food

Question 7

currency in optimal foraging models is

Answer 7

the unit that animals optimize for

Question 8

what does currency represent?

Answer 8

it represents the net energy gain per unit of time

Question 9

Why do animals adopt foraging strategies?

Answer 9

they adopt strategies to provide the most energy for the lowest cost

Question 10

What is the best strategy?

Answer 10

The optimal decision rule

Question 11

how can one determine the best model

Answer 11

by identifying the currency and constraints

Question 12

Constraints in the foraging model can include…

Answer 12

limits to foraging efficiency

Question 13

What are some hypotheses about the limitations?

Answer 13

feature of the environment, and physiology

Question 14

optimal diet model is also called…

Answer 14

the prey choice or contingency model

Question 15

what does the optimal diet model predict

Answer 15

it predicts that foragers should ignore low-profit prey when more profitable prey is available and that there are different diets based on search times

Question 16

what does profitability depends on

Answer 16

it depends on energy provided by prey, handling time, and search time

Question 17

functional response curves show…

Answer 17

the rate of prey capture as a function of food density

Question 18

What theory is used with function response curves to predict foraging behavior

Answer 18

optimal diet theory

Question 19

type 1 curve shows

Answer 19

rate of prey capture increases linearly with food density (as prey density rises, predators capture prey faster)

Question 20

at high prey density for type 1 curves, what does the predator choose?

Answer 20

predators choose prey with the highest E/H (energy gain per handling time)

Question 21

type 2 curves show…

Answer 21

rate of prey capture increases but then levels off due to handling time limitations (as food density increases, handling time also increases)

Question 22

at high prey density for type 2 curves, predators choose to…

Answer 22

spend more time handling prey. this leads to diminishing returns

Question 23

type 3 curve shows…

Answer 23

a sigmoid curve with an initial increase and later decrease in prey capture rate (high prey densities lead to selective prey capture)

Question 24

at low prey densities for type 3 curves, predators do what?

Answer 24

predators capture prey quickly and switch preferences based on E/H

Question 25

Marginal Value Theorem (MVT) is applied to....

Answer 25

optimal foraging, especially when deciding to leave a food patch

Question 26

what factors impact MVT?

Answer 26

prey depletion, increased difficulty in catching prey, search time constraints, and traveling time between patches

Question 27

Starlings optimize net energy gain by...

Answer 27

traveling longer. this results in a larger optimum load of food

Question 28

What happens overtime with the starlings as they forage within a patch?

Answer 28

they experience diminishing returns. starlings are able to hold so many within their bill making there a tradeoff between handling time and traveling time

Question 29

Coevolution definition

Answer 29

the reciprocal evolutionary change between interacting species and is driven by natural selection

Question 30

coevolution requiers what?

Answer 30

reciprocal evolutionary changes between interacting species driven by natural selection

Question 31

coevolution involves what type of relationships?

Answer 31

mutualistic, commensal, or predatory relationships

Question 32

What did Darwin predict with the Star Orchid?

Answer 32

the existence of a moth pollinator for the star orchid based on the nectary length

Question 33

What did Wallace explain in "Creation by Law"?

Answer 33

that pollination requires a struggle by the proboscis to reach the nectary, shorter orchids were not pollinated due to little struggle between the nectary and the moth to release the pollen

Question 34

who said "good heavens what insect can suck it?”

Answer 34

Darwin

Question 35

Georgraphic Mosaic Theory of Coevolution states that...

Answer 35

prey impose selection pressure on predators leading to coevolutionary dynamics.

Question 36

What drives prey evolution

Answer 36

the asymmetry in the "life-dinner principle"

Question 37

Evolution Definition

Answer 37

a change in allele frequency in a population over time

Question 38

Allele definition

Answer 38

a version of a gene that can vary

Question 39

Example of Alleles

Answer 39

human blood types: A, B, and O are alleles for the blood type gene

Question 40

How may alleles code for water beetles' different colors

Answer 40

Three

Question 41

What causes for some water beetles colors to be favored?

Answer 41

predation pressure

Question 42

natural selection definition

Answer 42

differential survival and reproduction of individuals based on phenotype

Question 43

what are the 5 selective pressures of natural selection?

Answer 43

1. Predation 2. competition 3. reproduction 4. acquiring nutrients 5. abiotic factors

Question 44

What is a good example of natural selection during the industrial revolution?

Answer 44

White colored moths and dark colored moths

Question 45

What coloration was favored before the industrial revolution?

Answer 45

White coloraiton

Question 46

What coloration was favored after the industrial revolution and why

Answer 46

Dark coloration. The blended into the trees/polluted environment more than the white coloration before the industrial revolution. this lead to a shift in allele frequencies

Question 47

Sexual selection definition

Answer 47

A form of natural selection focused on mating success

Question 48

What does sexual selection involve

Answer 48

it involves one sex selecting for specific traits in the opposite sex

Question 49

True or false: sexual selection drives variation in reproductive strategies among animals

Answer 49

True

Question 50

What is sexual selection like in many species?

Answer 50

Many species are female driven sexual selection due to the fact that females are choosier due to higher parental investment

Question 51

What are the different reproductive strategies?

Answer 51

Oviparous, ovoviviparous, viviparous

Question 52

what do males do for female driven sexual selection?

Answer 52

they produce sounds to attract mating

Question 53

Where is the sound received?

Answer 53

the tympana

Question 54

what is the type of competition where male provide more parental care?

Answer 54

during male-male competition

Question 55

during sexual conflict, what usually happens?

Answer 55

the female's lifespan is reduced

Question 56

What are pollination syndromes?

Answer 56

a development driven by pollinators in which phylogenetically unrelated flowers match the preference of their pollinators in form, color, and scent

Question 57

What was the purpose of the study read for class?

Answer 57

the purpose was to provide evidence to support Darwin's hypothesis that the pollinator and their preferred flower coevolved to match the pollinator, specifically looking at the hawkmoth, and its preferred flower species, which matches its proboscis

Question 58

Why isn't it beneficial for moths to simply feed on nectar from the longest flowers, where more nectar might be found?

Answer 58

the amount of nectar does not directly correlated to the energy gained and energy expended to achieve the nectar. The study determined that N. alata was the most energy balanced flower that M. sexta fed from

Question 59

Describe the flight response of M. sexta when it encounters a desirable floral plume

Answer 59

M. sexta prefers flowers with corolla length matching its proboscis length, with odor encounter rate being highest in the core of the plume. It navigates without bisual cues and responds with casting flights when lost. N. alata and N. sylvestris also guide it by triggering upwind speeds.

Question 60

What were some of the problems associated with M. sexta feeding on flowers significantly longer and shorter than its proboscis length?

Answer 60

The study found that the energy gained from nectar is unrelated to flower length, and M. sexta receives less energy in shorter flowers due to low handling. Feeding on N. alata results in a significant positive net-energy gain.