Evolution and behaviour
What is natural selection?
occurs when a trait that helps an individual have higher reproduction and/or survival in the environment.
They can be behavioural traits which result in more common morphological states.
What is Ne?
abundance of prey (prey encountered over time)
What is Ne?
more abundant prey may reduce the energy required to locate them
What is the red tailed hawk?
mouse vs. rabbit (small vs. large).
less vs. more effort:
- capturing prey
- energy intake
processing time
What are roots?
- below ground part of the plant
- function: take up water and minerals
What is the OFT?
how animals can forage in an environment that has limited food.
What is Cs?
Search cost (time and energy spent searching for prey).
What is Cs?
More time spent searching -> less energy gain over all
What is a specialist?
species with a narrow set of requirements
ex) a predator that only focuses on one type of prey.
What are shoots?
- above ground part of the plants
- function: photosynthesis (light, CO2)
What are limited resources OFT?
natural selection for behaviours that help them access resources.
natural selection should favour individuals that are more effective at acquiring limited resources.
What is H?
Handling time (time spent processing prey).
What is E1?
If you are getting more energy from a prey item, then you can offset the cost of searching for it and eating.
What is a generalist?
species that can live in a wide variety of conditions
ex) predator that focuses on many types of prey. magpie. in citie.
What do plants invest in?
- invest in shoots when light is limiting. ex) when they live in the understory of a forest
- plants invest in roots when water or minerals are limited resources. ex) desert environments
What are trade-offs OFT?
an organism cannot maximize all of their functions at once.
ex) amount of time spent looking for predators vs. foraging
What is Ex?
energy in each prey
What is H?
If you spend more time eating a prey item, you have less time to look for the next one.
What is New E/T equation?
we can use the E/T equation to determine if a predator should be a generalist or a specialist -> new equation takes multiple species into account
What is the equation?
Energy a predator acquires = energy gained - consumed / time spent
What is calculating E/T?
we can calculate E/T for different prey species -> this will tell us which prey species the predator should choose.