BIO 31 Final Exam SJSU questions
and answers
Optimal Foraging Theory✔✔Predicts animal will max its benefits and minimize its
costs with respect to food selection.
Animals will vary their diet as a function of
(Optimal Foraging Theory)✔✔-the energy value diet
-the abundance of the diet in the habitat
Goal of Optimal Foraging Theory✔✔achieve most efficient cost to benefit ratio 1:8
Sexual Selection✔✔Evolution of traits driven by intra-specific comp. (for mates)
Same sex compete for mating opportunities (Sexual Selection)✔✔drives selection
for character traits that enhance/ demonstrate fitness
Sexes have different roles or investment in reproduction✔✔-females choosy about
mates (quality)
-males try to maximize opportunities (quantity)
Self Sacrificing Behavior✔✔imparts a cost to self and a benefit to another
Two types✔✔-Kin Selection
-Reciprocal Altruism
Altruism✔✔occurs if cost is less than benefit due to relatedness
Hamilton's Rule (Br > C)✔✔-B= benefit
-r= coefficient of relatedness (as r declines so does B)
-c=cost
Reciprocal Altruism (Analogy)✔✔"I got your back if you got mine! You cover my shift,
I'll cover yours!"
Reciprocal Altruism✔✔-behavior does not depend on immediate reward
-behavior stops if "cheaters" are detected or if colony is big enough to go around
Ecosystems✔✔a community of organisms that interact as a whole with the physical
environment
Flow of energy & nutrients through the systems✔✔-Energy is transferred between
organisms
-Nutrients cycle through the system
, Energy and nutrients✔✔-are not lost to the system, just converted into different
forms
-based on trophic interactions
Food Web (Energy Flow)✔✔(marine & terrestrial) can be altered with profound
impacts
Keystone Species✔✔-Species with effects on communities that are disproportionate
to their biomass
Small Part of the Ecosystem, but a BIG IMPACT (Keystone Species)✔✔-tend to be
top level predators (EX: sea otters, pisaster sea stars)
Biodiversty✔✔variety and variability of life
1) Genetic Diversity✔✔total genetic into contained within all individuals of a species
2) Species Diversity✔✔# of species and relative abundance within a region
3) Ecosystem Diversity✔✔biotic community and abiotic factors that influence the
biota
Phenotype diversity✔✔pigmentation, size, shape, anatomical measures..etc
Molecular diversity✔✔genes, proteins, non-coding DNA
Ecology✔✔Study of how organisms interact with other organisms and their
environment
-organism abundance/ distribution (quantitative)
-how organisms are influenced by their environment
Levels of biological hierarchy✔✔1) Individual Organisms
2) Populations
3) Communities
4) Ecosystems
Populations✔✔-group of individuals of same species living in same locale
-densities, abundance, population dynamics
- changes over time
Communities✔✔-populations of different species living in same locale
-interactions between species, diversity, food webs
Ecosystems (Levels of biological hierarchy)✔✔all biotic & abiotic components of the
system
- nutrient cycle carbon cycle
Individual Organisms✔✔physiological, behavior, evolutionary ecology
and answers
Optimal Foraging Theory✔✔Predicts animal will max its benefits and minimize its
costs with respect to food selection.
Animals will vary their diet as a function of
(Optimal Foraging Theory)✔✔-the energy value diet
-the abundance of the diet in the habitat
Goal of Optimal Foraging Theory✔✔achieve most efficient cost to benefit ratio 1:8
Sexual Selection✔✔Evolution of traits driven by intra-specific comp. (for mates)
Same sex compete for mating opportunities (Sexual Selection)✔✔drives selection
for character traits that enhance/ demonstrate fitness
Sexes have different roles or investment in reproduction✔✔-females choosy about
mates (quality)
-males try to maximize opportunities (quantity)
Self Sacrificing Behavior✔✔imparts a cost to self and a benefit to another
Two types✔✔-Kin Selection
-Reciprocal Altruism
Altruism✔✔occurs if cost is less than benefit due to relatedness
Hamilton's Rule (Br > C)✔✔-B= benefit
-r= coefficient of relatedness (as r declines so does B)
-c=cost
Reciprocal Altruism (Analogy)✔✔"I got your back if you got mine! You cover my shift,
I'll cover yours!"
Reciprocal Altruism✔✔-behavior does not depend on immediate reward
-behavior stops if "cheaters" are detected or if colony is big enough to go around
Ecosystems✔✔a community of organisms that interact as a whole with the physical
environment
Flow of energy & nutrients through the systems✔✔-Energy is transferred between
organisms
-Nutrients cycle through the system
, Energy and nutrients✔✔-are not lost to the system, just converted into different
forms
-based on trophic interactions
Food Web (Energy Flow)✔✔(marine & terrestrial) can be altered with profound
impacts
Keystone Species✔✔-Species with effects on communities that are disproportionate
to their biomass
Small Part of the Ecosystem, but a BIG IMPACT (Keystone Species)✔✔-tend to be
top level predators (EX: sea otters, pisaster sea stars)
Biodiversty✔✔variety and variability of life
1) Genetic Diversity✔✔total genetic into contained within all individuals of a species
2) Species Diversity✔✔# of species and relative abundance within a region
3) Ecosystem Diversity✔✔biotic community and abiotic factors that influence the
biota
Phenotype diversity✔✔pigmentation, size, shape, anatomical measures..etc
Molecular diversity✔✔genes, proteins, non-coding DNA
Ecology✔✔Study of how organisms interact with other organisms and their
environment
-organism abundance/ distribution (quantitative)
-how organisms are influenced by their environment
Levels of biological hierarchy✔✔1) Individual Organisms
2) Populations
3) Communities
4) Ecosystems
Populations✔✔-group of individuals of same species living in same locale
-densities, abundance, population dynamics
- changes over time
Communities✔✔-populations of different species living in same locale
-interactions between species, diversity, food webs
Ecosystems (Levels of biological hierarchy)✔✔all biotic & abiotic components of the
system
- nutrient cycle carbon cycle
Individual Organisms✔✔physiological, behavior, evolutionary ecology
