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Environmental and Evolutionary Biology > General > Flashcards

General Flashcards

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1
Q

Define Ecology.

A

The scientific study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment

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2
Q

What are the three main scientific methodologies adopted by ecologists?

A

Observations
Experiments
Mathematical models

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3
Q

What do mathematical models achieve?

A

Simulate ecological processes

Generate hypotheses

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4
Q

Name 3 components of the Abiotic environment.

A

Climate
Soil type
Disturbances

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5
Q

Name four possible disturbances.

A

Fire
Hurricanes
Tornadoes
Volcanic eruptions

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6
Q

Name four components of the climate.

A

Temperature
Sunlight
Water
Wind

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7
Q

Name three components of soil type.

A

Physical structure
pH
Mineral composition

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8
Q

What is a Biotic component?

A

Other organisms present

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9
Q

Name three biotic components.

A

Plants
Animals
Microbes

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10
Q

What are the three main branches of ecology?

A

Organismal
Population
Community

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11
Q

What is organismal ecology?

A

Study of behavioural, physiological, morphological adaptations of organisms

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12
Q

What is population ecology?

A

Study of factors which affect population size

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13
Q

What is community ecology?

A

Study of interactions between populations

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14
Q

What is a key assumption of organismal ecology?

A

Adaptation occurs through evolution through natural selection

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15
Q

Define Evolution.

A

The phenomenon of modification with descent

NOT NATURAL SELECTION

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16
Q

What explains adaptation?

A

Evolution by natural selection

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17
Q

Describe the mechanism of natural selection.

A

Individuals vary within a species.
Variation is heritable.
Variation is related to adaptation.
Adaptation affects reproductive success.

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18
Q

What can natural selection lead to?

A

Dramatic changes among populations.

Eventually speciation

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19
Q

What is speciation?

A

Formation of a new species

By-product of evolution by natural selection

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20
Q

What is evolution by natural selection equal to?

A

Differential reproductive success of individuals within a population due to genetic differences between them

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21
Q

What does natural selection rely on?

A

Reproductive success

Genetic basis

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22
Q

What is the difference between Selection and Evolution?

A

Selection acts on individuals.

Populations evolve

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23
Q

Give two examples of natural selection.

A

Drug resistant pathogens (bacteria and viruses reproduce rapidly)
Homology

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24
Q

Define Homology.

A

Characteristics with underlying similarity but different functions resulting from common ancestry

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25
What role did artificial selection play in evolution?
Darwin's analogue to explain natural selection
26
Define Domestication.
The modification of species over many generations by selecting and breeding indiviuals with desired traits, useful to humans
27
How does domestication support evolution?
Humans can produce divergent phenotypes in short time periods. why can't nature do the same over several years?
28
How did dog species happen?
Repeated genetic exchange between dog and wolf populations
29
What is the relationship between Skull and Limb length and strength of the limb and axial skeletons?
Inverse correlation
30
How is canine skeletal morphology studied?
X rays and DNA
31
What was discovered in the 2013 resequencing of dogs and wolf genomes?
million Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms | candidate domestication regions
32
When did selective breeding of wild plants and animals begin?
10,000 years ago
33
What is believed to be the basis of agriculture?
An attempt to modify the landscape to encourage growth of edible wild plants
34
What is the key to agricultural domestication?
Switch from letting wild edible plants to naturally resow themselves, to deliberately sowing seeds from previous season
35
What is important for food security?
Understanding the basis of crop domestication
36
What has been identified which is important for cultivated crops?
Single genes which control many traits
37
Name four misconceptions about natural selection.
Evolution is just a theory Evolution is about the origin of life Evolution is survival of the fittest Evolution means atheism
38
Who is Carl Linnaeus?
The Father of taxonomy | He simplified naming by designating genus and specie names - Binomial naming system
39
What is the latin name for the poppy?
Papaver rhoeas
40
What is the latin name for the opium poppy?
Papaver somniferum
41
What is the latin name for the crow?
Corvus caurinus
42
What is the latin name for the New caledonian crow?
Corvus moneduloides
43
Define Phylogenetics.
Classifications based on evolution
44
What did Linnaeus do?
Took organismal resemblances into account, but did not link it to evolution
45
What is the Linnean hierarchy?
The tree of life
46
What is the taxonomic order of groups?
``` Kingdom Division Class Order Family Genus Species ```
47
Define Ethology.
The scientific study of animal behaviour
48
Define Social behaviour.
When two or more members of the same species interact when performing a behaviour
49
Name four types of behaviour.
Cooperative Altruistic Selfish Competitive
50
Name three types of competitive social behaviour.
Agonistic Dominance hierarchies Territoriality
51
Explain Agonistic behaviour.
Comparative tests of strength Threat displays Can result in death or injury
52
Explain dominance hierarchies.
Established by contests. Maintained by threat displays Dominant alpha male/female First access to resources
53
Give two examples of dominance hierarchies.
Hen pecking order | Wolf mating hierarchies
54
Give three examples of territories.
Song sparrows - 3000m^2 for feeding, breeding, rearing young Gannets - Small area of cliff face for nesting Sealions - Small area of beach for mating
55
Define Territory.
Any defended area
56
Who is Niko Tinbergen?
Guy who invented the four whys in behavioural biology
57
What are the four whys?
What effect does a behaviour have on an animals survival or well-being? What internal and external factors make and animal behave in a particular way? Why and how did the animal develop such a behaviour? Why and how has the behaviour evolved in the species?
58
What is a proximate cause?
How questions Is a behaviour inheritable? Is it modified by experience? Do hormones influence the behaviour?
59
What is an ultimate cause?
Why questions How is the behaviour influences by natural selection? What is the evolutionary origin of this behaviour?
60
What experiment did Tinbergen do?
Digger wasp Circle of pinecones around nest Moved pinecones Wasp went to pinecones not nest Triangle of pincones around nest Circle of rocks elsewhere Wasp went to rocks
61
What causes do most behaviours have?
Genetic and Environmental
62
What is the latin name of the peach-faced lovebird?
Agapornis roseicollis
63
What is the latin name of Fischers lovebird?
Agapornis fischeri
64
What did the lovebird experiment show?
Genetic behaviours Peachfaced lovebird tucks, Fischer's lovebird doesn't, hybrid can't
65
What is innate behaviour?
Developmentally fixed behaviour | Will have an environmental componant
66
Give three examples of innate behaviour and their triggers.
Chicks begging for food - Only do so when a parent is around Frogs hunting - Tongue shoots at moving target Male Stickleback aggression - in repsonse to red belly of other males
67
When do most innate behaviours occur?
In response to a cue
68
What is the main goal of behavioural ecology?
To understand why particular behaviours have evolved
69
What is learning?
Modification of behaviour in response to previous experience E.g. song birds have regional dialects as each mimics older males
70
Explain Habituation.
A form of learning in which animals learn to stop responding to stimuli that are not associated with any benefit Allows an organism to stop adopting an innate behaviour if it is irrelevant to the current situation
71
Explain Imprinting.
Learning limited to a critical period and is usually irreversible.
72
Who demonstrated imprinting and how?
Konrad Lorenz Removed some greylag goose chicks from a nest, then put them back a few hours after hatching. Removed ones followed him, left ones follow mum
73
What are the benefits of imprinting?
Enhance fitness by enabling rapid learning
74
What did Lorenz show?
Geese would imprint on the first moving thing that they saw, but can only happen in the first 2days of life
75
What is filial imprinting?
Young learns from parent
76
What is the latin name of a prairie vole?
Microtus ochrogaster
77
What is the latin name of a mountain vole?
Microtus montanus
78
What mating habit does a prairie vole have?
Monogamous
79
What mating habit does a mountain vole have?
Promiscuous
80
What is sexual imprinting?
Process of learning characteristics of a suitable mate
81
What gene is expressed more in the brain of a prairie vole than the mountain vole?
Gene for the Vasopression Receptor
82
Explain conditioning.
Animals learn to associate one stimulus with another
83
What are the two types of conditioning?
Classical (Pavlovian) conditioning | Operant conditioning
84
Who pioneered operant conditioning?
Skinner and Thorndike
85
What is operant conditioning?
Trial and error | Behaviour is associated with a good or bad response
86
Explain cognitive learning.
Uses awareness, reasoning, recollection, and judgement. | Involves problem solving
87
Give an example of cognitive learning.
New caledonian crow - uses tools to get food
88
What is a metatool?
A tool used to reach anther tool to reach the food

Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (1 decks)

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