BIOL 215 Midterm: Ecology midterm notes

• School: University of Victoria
• Department: Biology
• Course: BIOL 215
• Professor: Thomas E Reimchen

Document Summary

Behavioural ecology: optimal foraging theory (oft, preference for food/prey with the greatest net energy gain (energy to find, catch, manipulate, feed more selectively when food/prey are abundant. If the (cid:373)ale (cid:272)a(cid:374) su(cid:396)(cid:448)i(cid:448)e adulthood (cid:449)ith su(cid:272)h a (cid:858)ha(cid:374)di(cid:272)ap(cid:859) it is a(cid:374) (cid:858)ho(cid:374)est(cid:859) sig(cid:374)al of fitness (ex. Increased food search efficiency (ex. seed detection in songbirds, fish detection in gulls) Increased defense against predators -> mobbing: selfish-heard theory (dilution effect) each individual is looking out only for themselves, disadvantages of living in a group, sharing limited resources and resource depletion. If a species breeds once and dies (semelparous), population size after a single reproductive season (pulsed reproduction) is predicted by the equation nt+! If the population grows without constraints its called geometric growth: can estimate the geometric growth of the population into the future. If net reproductive rate (r0) is unknown use lambda: = geometric rate of increase or finite multiplication rate or finite rate of increase.