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ECO3A: Individs, Popns, Commun > Individuals/Behavioural Ecology > Flashcards

Individuals/Behavioural Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

List the scales of ecological research?/scales of ecology (6)

A

• Behavioural ecology.
• Population ecology.
• Community ecology.
• Ecosystem ecology.
• Landscape ecology.
• Global ecology.

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2
Q

3 main components of the biodiversity framework?

A

• Functional.
• Structural.
• Compositional.

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3
Q

From where did behavioural Ecology arise/emerge/originate?

A

Ethology (traditional animal behaviour).

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4
Q

Niko Tinbergen?

A

= important behavioural ecologist who proposed that there are 4 different ways of answering “why” questions about behaviour.

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5
Q

4 points of view that encompass behavioural studies?

A

• Development.
• Mechanism.
• Evolutionary history.
• Function.

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6
Q

AKA of each of the 4 points of view of behavioural studies?

A

• Ontogeny.
• Causation.
• Evolution.
• Survival value/Behaviour.

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7
Q

Development question?

A

How does the trait emerge across the lifespan?

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8
Q

Mechanism questions? (2)

A

• How does the trait work?
• How is the trait produced?

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9
Q

Evolutionary history questions? (2)

A

• How did the trait evolve?
• Why did the trait evolve?

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10
Q

Function questions? (2)

A

• Why is the trait adaptive?
• Why does the trait persist?

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11
Q

Proximate explanations?

A

= explain how an individual behaves in a particular way during its lifetime.

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12
Q

Ultimate explanations?

A

= explain why & how the individual has evolved the behaviour.

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13
Q

Points of view of behavioural studies that behavioural ecologists focus on? (2)

A

• Evolutionary history.
• Function.

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14
Q

Egs of questions that behavioural ecologists answer? (3)

A

• How does the behaviour increase an individual’s reproductive success?

• Does the behaviour increase an individual’s chances of survival?

• How has evolution shaped the behaviour?

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15
Q

Behavioural ecology attributes? (2)

A

• Emphasizes evolutionary explanations.
• Looks at the costs & benefits, and the trade-offs between them.

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16
Q

What do you mean when you say that behavioural Ecology emphasizes evolutionary explanations?

A

We mean that an animal showing optimal behaviour will maximize its fitness.

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17
Q

What do you mean when you say that behavioural ecology looks at the costs & benefits?

A

We look at which strategy maximized the benefits over the costs.

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18
Q

What does behavioural ecology focus on? (3)

A

• Ecology.
• Behaviour.
• Evolution.

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19
Q

Ecology?

A

= the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment.

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20
Q

Behaviour?

A

= the change in activity of an organism in response to a stimulus.

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21
Q

Evolution?

A

= change in the allele frequencies/genetic composition of a population over successive generations.

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22
Q

Behavioural ecology?

A

= study of the ecological & evolutionary basis for animal behaviour.

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23
Q

Underlying concepts of behavioural ecology? (3)

A

• NS.
• Strategies, costs & benefits.
• Phenotypic plasticity.

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24
Q

Conditions for NS to occur? (3)

A

• Variation in traits.
• Some of the variation must be heritable.
• Differential reproduction/survival (i.e., one trait must be more favourable than others).

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25
Q

Proofs of link between genes & behaviour? (2)

A

• Genetic mutants of Drosophila.
• Artificial selection in male crickets.

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26
Q

Cost (C)?

A

= any factor that reduces reproductive success.

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27
Q

Benefit (B)?

A

= any factor that increases reproductive success.

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28
Q

How do you observe/know that a strategy is successful in terms of costs & benefits?

A

Benefits > Costs (B>C).

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29
Q

Phenotypic plasticity?

A

= the ability of an organism to express different phenotypes depending on the environment.

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30
Q

Trait that is constant regardless of environmental changes indicates what?

A

No phenotypic plasticity.

31
Q

Trait that decreases during environmental changes indicates what?

A

Phenotypic plasticity.

32
Q

Trait that is variable (increases, decreases) with environmental changes indicates what?

A

Highly variable phenotypic plasticity (very adaptable trait).

33
Q

Ways to test hypotheses in behavioural ecology? (5)

A

• Observe.
• Formulate hypothesis.
• Design methods to test them.
• Look at results.
• Confirm or reject hypothesis.

34
Q

Eg of ways to test hypotheses in behavioural ecology?

A

Tinbergen’s observation with a Bee wolf.

35
Q

Aim of behavioural ecology?

A

To try and understand how an animal’s behaviour is adapted to the environment in which it lives.

36
Q

Adaptation?

A

= change brought about during evolution by the process of NS.

37
Q

Function is AKA? (3)

A

• Survival value.
• Adaptive advantage.
• Behaviour.

38
Q

Proximate explanations keyword?

A

HOW?

39
Q

Ultimate explanations keyword?

A

WHY?

40
Q

Types of proximate explanations? (2)

A

• Causation/Mechanism.
• Development/Ontogeny.

41
Q

Types of ultimate explanations? (2)

A

•Evolutionary history/Phylogeny.
• Function.

42
Q

Eg of proximate vs ultimate explanations?

A

Reproductive behaviour in lions (Panthera leo).

43
Q

Observations of eg of proximate vs ultimate explanations? (2)

A

• Females are synchronous in oestrus.
• Young die when new males take over pride.

44
Q

Oestrus?

A

= a period of sexual receptivity in most female mammals, except humans, when ovulation & copulation take place.

45
Q

Conditions for behaviour to evolve? (3)

A

• There must be behavioural differences in population.

• The differences must be heritable.

• Some behavioural differences must have greater reproductive success than others.

46
Q

Summary of Darwin’s theory of NS?

A

Heritable variation with competition for survival & reproduction.

47
Q

What is the place of behavioural ecology in the wider field of ecology?

A
48
Q

Consider the following scenario & explain in terms of Tinbergen’s 4 questions (Causation):

Within a pride of lions, females tend to come into oestrus about the same time.

A

• Chemical cues.

49
Q

Consider the following scenario & explain in terms of Tinbergen’s 4 questions (Development):

Within a pride of lions, females tend to come into oestrus about the same time.

A
50
Q

Consider the following scenario & explain in terms of Tinbergen’s 4 questions (Evolutionary history):

Within a pride of lions, females tend to come into oestrus about the same time.

A
51
Q

Consider the following scenario & explain in terms of Tinbergen’s 4 questions (Function):

Within a pride of lions, females tend to come into oestrus about the same time.

A
52
Q

What is the one difference between behavioural ecology & animal behaviour?

A
53
Q

Causal explanations of females being synchronous in oestrus? (2)

A

• Chemical cues.
• Take-over by males.

54
Q

Causal explanations of young dying when new males take over pride? (2)

A

• Abortion.
• Take-over males kill or evict young.

55
Q

Functional explanations of females being synchronous in oestrus? (2)

A

• Better cub survival.
• Young males survive better & have increased reproductive success when they leave the pride if in a group.

56
Q

Functional explanations of young dying when new males take over pride? (2)

A

• Females come into oestrus more quickly.
• Male removes older cubs which would compete with his young.

57
Q

Causal explanations vs Functional explanations?

A

Causal explanations deal with mechanisms, while functional explanations deal with why these particular mechanisms (and not others) have been favoured by NS.

58
Q

Summary of Darwin’s theory of NS in modern genetic terms?

A

Selection causes changes in gene frequency (favourable changes result in increased gene frequency of favourable gene/allele, meaning increased survivability).

59
Q

“Genes for” certain traits?

A

= gene differences bringing about differences in behaviour.

60
Q

Points to consider regarding egs that show how genetic differences between individuals can lead to differences in behaviour? (3)

A

• Molecular path linking genes to behaviour is complicated (transcription, neural activity, etc).

• Genes & behaviour influence each other (i.e., genes influence behaviour & behaviour influences gene expression).

• Genes alone don’t produce the behaviour.

61
Q

Why don’t genes alone produce the behaviour?

A

It’s because behavioural development is an outcome of a complex interaction between genes & the environment.

62
Q

Egs that show how genetic differences between individuals can lead to differences in behaviour? (3)

A

• Drosophila & honeybees (foraging, learning & singing).
• MC1R (mate choice & camouflage).
• Blackcaps (migratory behaviour).

63
Q

Explain Drosophila & honeybees (foraging, learning & singing)? (2)

A

● DIFFERENCES in alleles of the “for” gene caused different individual foraging behaviours (rovers & sitters) in Drosophila, whereas in Honeybees CHANGES in “for” gene expression caused the changes in behaviour within individuals.

● Regarding courtship song in male Drosophila, differences in the period gene cause differences in song structure (courtship song) between species.

64
Q

Explain MC1R (mate choice & camouflage)? (2)

A

● MC1R in Snow geese = mate choice. Snow geese have two morphs, white (homozygous for one variant allele) & blue (heterozygous or homozygous for the other allele). Although having either colour doesn’t give one a selective advantage, colour influences mate choice as white snow geese pair with other white snow geese & blue snow geese mate with other blue snow geese (assortative mating).

● MC1R in Rocket pocket mice = camouflage. Rock pocket mice have two morphs, dark mice (live on black lava flows) & sandy-coloured mice (live on sandy, desert habitats). Both undergo selective predation by owls when they contrast their background.

65
Q

Explain Blackcaps (migratory behaviour)? (4)

A

● Demonstrates how phenotype differences are a result of multiple genes (not one) acting in concert.

● Primarily, gene differences among Blackcaps caused different migration behaviours with one group being highly migratory (found in Germany) and the other group being sedentary (found in Canary Islands).

● Furthermore, among the migratory Blackcaps differences in migration behaviour are caused, not by genes but, by the wintering area that is migrated to. Before, all migratory Blackcaps travelled to the south-west of western Mediterranean but, due to the wintering areas in Britain & Ireland having milder winters and more food, some travelled in a more westerly direction, and started mating assortatively. This resulted in the rapid evolution of migration behaviour.

● Differences in migration behaviours are caused by gene differences & wintering areas (environment).

66
Q

Aim of behavioural ecology?

A

To understand how behaviour evolves in relation to ecological conditions, including both the physical environment & the social environment (competitors, predators, etc).

67
Q

What does Mechanism focus on? (2)

A

• Morphological or physiological feature that allows for the behaviour to occur in the individuals of a same species.

• Trigger for the behaviour (i.e., spotting a predator).

68
Q

What does Ontogeny focus on?

A

How an individual exhibiting a particular behaviour has developed the understanding of when the behaviour is applicable within its own lifetime.

69
Q

What does Evolutionary history focus on?

A

How a beneficial behaviour (promoting survival and/or reproduction) initially occurs within an individual but, over time, is a common trait within a particular population or species.

70
Q

What does Adaptation focus on?

A

The benefits an individual may gain by exhibiting beneficial behaviours within its own lifetime.

71
Q

Question to ask yourself regarding Mechanism?

A

What drives an individual to exhibit such a behaviour?

72
Q

Question to ask yourself regarding Ontogeny?

A

How does an individual come to exhibit the behaviour within its own lifetime?

73
Q

Question to ask yourself regarding Evolutionary history?

A

Why are most individuals within the same species (or population) capable of exhibiting a particular behaviour?

74
Q

Question to ask yourself regarding Adaptation?

A

Why is this behaviour so beneficial to an individual, within its own lifetime, that we commonly observe the trait throughout the population?

ECO3A: Individs, Popns, Commun (10 decks)

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