Natural History (BIOL 1902) - Lectures 1 to 10 Questions
With Complete Solutions
"Once bitten, twice shy" Correct Answers Animals that are
armed with chemical defences / weapons often bear aposematic
colouration (bright or contrasting colours that warn others of
danger / threat)
Aposematic colouration allows a predator to learn and avoid that
colour pattern
If a frog, for example, sees a yellowjacket fall into the water and
tries to eat it, it will get stung and spit it out
This will cause it to avoid insects with that pattern in the future
"True Bugs" Correct Answers A group of bugs that can pierce
plant tissues and suck up the juices; they have stylets
2-Stage Process of Acclimation Correct Answers 1. The first
state of acclimation is triggered by a change in the photoperiod
(photoperiod is a ratio of light to darkness); plants have special
chromes/pigments inside of their system called phytochromes
which are light-sensitive photopigments, as the ratio of light-to-
dark changes (as the days get darker and nights get
shorter/lighter), these phytochromes get activated and causes the
cells to slow down their metabolic rates and start going dormant
2. The second stage is triggered by cold (but not sub-zero)
temperatures (10° - 0° C); this is when the plants (especially
trees) become more cold hardy
A butterfly is brightly coloured with orange spots and has a
strong chemical defence. A beetle is also brightly coloured with
orange spots and also has a strong chemical defence.
,What is being described above? Correct Answers a. Müllerian
Mimicry
b. Aposematic Colouration
c. Batesian Mimicry
d. Background Matching
ANSWER:
a
Advantages to Eating Animals Correct Answers (1) More
return for the effort: you get more "return" for your time spent
foraging b/c the proteins you want to ingest are already
packaged inside the other animals
(2) Easier to digest: other animals are easier to digest than plants
are
Aggressive Group Defences Correct Answers Group defences
can also be aggressive
For example, if you disturb a nest of wasps or bees, especially
yellowjackets, they will attack you (the release attack
pheromones, which tells other members to attack you)
Birds behaviour defence can also be aggressive; they may attack
potential predators if they feel threatened (I.e. mobbing)
Aggressive Mimicry Correct Answers A technique used by
some animals to lure prey to them by mimicking something else
Every type of firefly has a different type of code (like morse
code), as well as colour (some are green, some are yellow), as
well they differ in the time of day they fly at
Fireflies contain a toxin that they sequester from plants as a grub
(a young beetle)
,Female photuris fireflies sequester their chemical defenses by
eating male photinus fireflies
The female photuris firefly is mimicking the response to the
male photinus firefly (that a female photinus would normally
respond with)
Alkaloids Correct Answers Alkaloids are a type of
chemical/toxin that does contain nitrogren
Asters and buttercups are examples of plants that contain
alkaloids
Alkaloids interfere w digestion by binding to digestive enzymes
(so they are also a digestibility reducer); some are sugar mimics
Allen's Rule Correct Answers Animals living in cold-weather
areas (more north) have shorter extremities (shorter ears, legs,
tails, etc.) because extremities lose heat very easily
American Bitter & Eye Placement Correct Answers The
American Bittern's eyes are placed near the base of the beak,
which gives it good binocular vision in front, but not in the back
But when they have their bill in the air, when "freezing" to blend
in with their background, this is a convenient location for them
because they are able to see any predators in front of them
The Bittern is able to rotate its neck around 180 degrees so it can
see behind it, but this of course requires that it move (and when
being stealthy, this can give oneself away)
Analogous Structures Correct Answers Structures that serve
the same purpose / function but come from different parts of the
body (have different origins)
, e.g. Mandibles (for caterpillars), radula (for snails / slugs) and
cheek teeth (for mammals) all perform the same function but
arise from different origins
Animals that eat Nectar Correct Answers Butterflies and
Hummingbirds (these are the only ones we covered in class)
Animals that Filter Feed Correct Answers Clams, Ducks &
Swans, Black fly larvae
Animals that Migrate Correct Answers Birds, like Canadian
Geese, most Songbirds, Sandpipers, Ducks, etc.
Insects, like Monarch Butterflies and Dragonflies (like Green
Darners)
Red bars migrate
Etc.
Animals that use Disruptive Patterns Correct Answers
Songbirds, killdeer birds, loons and geese, raccoons, frogs/toads,
etc.
Aposematic Coloration Correct Answers Bright warning colors
in animals with a chemical defense.
Often animals with a chemical defense are brightly coloured,
which advertises to potential attackers that they have a defense
and aren't afraid to use it.
Milkweed Tussock moth caterpillars, aka Milkweed Tiger moth
caterpillars, for example, have bright orange coloured segments
on them
With Complete Solutions
"Once bitten, twice shy" Correct Answers Animals that are
armed with chemical defences / weapons often bear aposematic
colouration (bright or contrasting colours that warn others of
danger / threat)
Aposematic colouration allows a predator to learn and avoid that
colour pattern
If a frog, for example, sees a yellowjacket fall into the water and
tries to eat it, it will get stung and spit it out
This will cause it to avoid insects with that pattern in the future
"True Bugs" Correct Answers A group of bugs that can pierce
plant tissues and suck up the juices; they have stylets
2-Stage Process of Acclimation Correct Answers 1. The first
state of acclimation is triggered by a change in the photoperiod
(photoperiod is a ratio of light to darkness); plants have special
chromes/pigments inside of their system called phytochromes
which are light-sensitive photopigments, as the ratio of light-to-
dark changes (as the days get darker and nights get
shorter/lighter), these phytochromes get activated and causes the
cells to slow down their metabolic rates and start going dormant
2. The second stage is triggered by cold (but not sub-zero)
temperatures (10° - 0° C); this is when the plants (especially
trees) become more cold hardy
A butterfly is brightly coloured with orange spots and has a
strong chemical defence. A beetle is also brightly coloured with
orange spots and also has a strong chemical defence.
,What is being described above? Correct Answers a. Müllerian
Mimicry
b. Aposematic Colouration
c. Batesian Mimicry
d. Background Matching
ANSWER:
a
Advantages to Eating Animals Correct Answers (1) More
return for the effort: you get more "return" for your time spent
foraging b/c the proteins you want to ingest are already
packaged inside the other animals
(2) Easier to digest: other animals are easier to digest than plants
are
Aggressive Group Defences Correct Answers Group defences
can also be aggressive
For example, if you disturb a nest of wasps or bees, especially
yellowjackets, they will attack you (the release attack
pheromones, which tells other members to attack you)
Birds behaviour defence can also be aggressive; they may attack
potential predators if they feel threatened (I.e. mobbing)
Aggressive Mimicry Correct Answers A technique used by
some animals to lure prey to them by mimicking something else
Every type of firefly has a different type of code (like morse
code), as well as colour (some are green, some are yellow), as
well they differ in the time of day they fly at
Fireflies contain a toxin that they sequester from plants as a grub
(a young beetle)
,Female photuris fireflies sequester their chemical defenses by
eating male photinus fireflies
The female photuris firefly is mimicking the response to the
male photinus firefly (that a female photinus would normally
respond with)
Alkaloids Correct Answers Alkaloids are a type of
chemical/toxin that does contain nitrogren
Asters and buttercups are examples of plants that contain
alkaloids
Alkaloids interfere w digestion by binding to digestive enzymes
(so they are also a digestibility reducer); some are sugar mimics
Allen's Rule Correct Answers Animals living in cold-weather
areas (more north) have shorter extremities (shorter ears, legs,
tails, etc.) because extremities lose heat very easily
American Bitter & Eye Placement Correct Answers The
American Bittern's eyes are placed near the base of the beak,
which gives it good binocular vision in front, but not in the back
But when they have their bill in the air, when "freezing" to blend
in with their background, this is a convenient location for them
because they are able to see any predators in front of them
The Bittern is able to rotate its neck around 180 degrees so it can
see behind it, but this of course requires that it move (and when
being stealthy, this can give oneself away)
Analogous Structures Correct Answers Structures that serve
the same purpose / function but come from different parts of the
body (have different origins)
, e.g. Mandibles (for caterpillars), radula (for snails / slugs) and
cheek teeth (for mammals) all perform the same function but
arise from different origins
Animals that eat Nectar Correct Answers Butterflies and
Hummingbirds (these are the only ones we covered in class)
Animals that Filter Feed Correct Answers Clams, Ducks &
Swans, Black fly larvae
Animals that Migrate Correct Answers Birds, like Canadian
Geese, most Songbirds, Sandpipers, Ducks, etc.
Insects, like Monarch Butterflies and Dragonflies (like Green
Darners)
Red bars migrate
Etc.
Animals that use Disruptive Patterns Correct Answers
Songbirds, killdeer birds, loons and geese, raccoons, frogs/toads,
etc.
Aposematic Coloration Correct Answers Bright warning colors
in animals with a chemical defense.
Often animals with a chemical defense are brightly coloured,
which advertises to potential attackers that they have a defense
and aren't afraid to use it.
Milkweed Tussock moth caterpillars, aka Milkweed Tiger moth
caterpillars, for example, have bright orange coloured segments
on them
