Lessons 10-15 Flashcards
(52 cards)
1
Q
What is foraging?
A
The act of searching for food or provisions from the environment.
2
Q
What decisions must an animal make when foraging?
(4)
A
- When to eat
- Where to eat
- How long to eat for
- When to return to the same patch to feed again
3
Q
Types of Foraging
(3)
A
- Solitary
- Group
- Specialised
4
Q
Specialised Foraging
A
Adapting to specific habitats or food sources.
5
Q
What factors affect foraging behaviour?
(4)
A
- Social factors such as competition
- Environmental factors such as climate change and food availability
- Food palatability
- Physiology factors such as glucose levels and stomach receptors
6
Q
What problems might occur for foraging species in captivity (i.e. through lack of foraging opportunity)?
(3)
A
- Lack of opportunity to carry out natural behaviour
- Leads to stress and boredom
- Stereotypy as a coping mechanism
7
Q
Foragers
A
Foragers are defined by their reliance on wild resources for survival, including hunting, gathering, and fishing.
8
Q
What is scavenging?
A
Consuming carrion (dead animals) or discard organic material rather than gathering fresh food.
9
Q
Characteristics of scavengers
(3)
A
- Opportunistic
- Highly adapted senses
- Specialised anatomy
- Group/solitary living
- Importance in ecology
10
Q
Species examples of scavangers
(2)
A
- Hyenas
- Vulchers
11
Q
Role of scavangers in ecosystems
A
Cleaning up, slowing the spread of disease
12
Q
Food Storage
A
When more food is available, animals will take more and store it.
13
Q
Caching
A
- The behavior of hiding food or other valuable items for later use or retrieval.
- A sophisticated system of storage of food.
14
Q
Species example of caching
A
Scrub Jays: Remember what, when and where they have cached, and then select food based on rate of decay.
15
Q
Causes of foraging
A
- Basic survival need
- Food availability
- Competition
- Environmental factors
- Predation risk
- Social structures
16
Q
Causes of scavenging
A
- Food scarcity
- Energy efficiency
- Environmental factors
- Behavioural adaptations
- Human influence
17
Q
Methods of hunting
(3)
A
- Ambush
- Borrowing
- Camouflage
- Stalking
- Group hunting
- Diving
18
Q
Preditor avoidance behaviour
(3)
A
- Safety in numbers
- Playing dead
- Bright coloured skin
- Stoting (behavioural signal that conveys to predators that the antelope is fit and can outrun them)
- Sentinel duty
19
Q
Outline how a cheetah hunts
A
- Females always hunt alone
- Males may hunt in cooperative groups
- They stalk their prey, slowly moving towards it
- Once close enough, they burst into a sprint
20
Q
Costs of solo hunting
(3)
A
- Increased risk of predation
- Higher energy expenditure
- Potentially lower hunting success rates compared to cooperative hunting
- Competition for resources
21
Q
Benefits of solo hunting
(3)
A
- Don’t share kill
- Less coordination required
- Reduced competition
22
Q
Outline how a lion hunts
A
- Primarily the females hunt – though males may join in for larger prey
- Once prey has been spotted, they spread out into a line
- Move slowly, stealthily
- One lioness close enough to attack whilst other zebras scatter
- Other lionesses await
23
Q
Mimicry
A
- Mimicry is when an animal copies the physical or behavioural traits of another species or its surroundings to gain a survival advantage.
- The animal that imitates another is called the mimic, and the organism it copies is called the model.
24
Q
Species example of mimicry
A
- The frogfish is a type of angler fish that uses aggressive mimicry to catch its prey
- Camouflage themselves to match their environment
- The lure mimics the appearance and movement of food items
- Once prey is close, frogfish engulf their target
25
Costs of mimicry
- Dependency on model species
- Predator can learn to distinguish mimicry
- Increased competition if multiple species are mimicking the same model
26
Benefits of mimicry
- Protection from predators
- Increased chance of survival
- Improved opportunities for feeding
27
Why does safety in numbers work as an avoidance technique?
| (3)
- More eyes - Lookouts
- Strength in numbers - Fight back
- Scatter and confuse - E.g. zebra
28
Stotting
An honest signal of the animal's fitness. Stotting could be a way of deterring pursuit by warning a predator of the animal's unsuitability as prey.
29
Interspecific vs Intraspecific Communication
"inter-specific" refers to communication or interactions between different species, while "intra-specific" refers to communication or interactions within the same species
30
Biparental Care
Both parents invest in offspring.
- Better survival
- Higher energy costs
31
Female-only Care
Males play no active role but can be present.
- High energy cost from mother
- High survival rate
32
Male-only Care
Male raises offspring, females often not present.
33
No Parental Care
Neither parent is involved, offspring are precocial.
- Low survival
- No energy cost
34
What is alloparenting?
Other individuals help raise offspring.
35
Imprinting
Process that occurs when an animal learns to make a particular response to only one type of animal or object.
36
Filial Imprinting
- Young animals learn characteristics of mother and stay close to her
- Once imprinted, fairly irreversible – fades over time
37
Filial Imprinting adaptive purpose
- Protection from predators
- Food source
- Learning home
- Increased survival rate
38
Sexual Imprinting
- Males imprint on the appearance of their mother
- Influences mate choice
39
Sexual Imprinting adaptive purpose
- Knows what the female of his species looks like
- Prevents crossbreeding
40
Natural Selection
Animals with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on those advantageous traits to their offspring.
41
Natural vs Sexual Selection
Natural selection drives adaptations that improve survival and reproduction, while sexual selection focuses on adaptations that increase mating success.
42
Active vs Indirect Selection
Active choice refers to a female choosing a male based on his traits, while indirect selection involves a female choosing a male with traits that are believed to confer benefits to her offspring's future fitness
43
Indirect Sexual Selection example
Female peacock choosing male for attractiveness of the male's tail.
44
Direct Sexual Selection example
A female choosing a male who provides more food or protection, or a female choosing a male with a specific trait that increases her reproductive success.
45
Mating System
Describes how individuals of a species interact and form relationships for the purpose of reproduction.
46
Polygamy
One male, multiple females
47
Polyandry
One female, multiple males
48
Polygynandry
Males and females have multiple mates
49
Promiscuity
individuals mate with multiple partners
50
Monogamy Benefits
- Searching for another mate or overthrowing the resident male can be costly
- Increased breeding success for established pairs
- Mate guarding
- In some species mating and rearing offspring takes a considerable amount of time
51
Polygyny Benefits
- Resources clumped together – females opt to stay in high density areas and share resources
- Father many offspring
- Higher chance of his offspring surviving - increased survival as more of them
52
Polyandry Benefits
- Don’t lose energy or risk injury by fighting off unwanted mates
- Parenthood split between many males
- Sperm competition and genetic variability
