Mammal Anatomy Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What term describes the replacement of species over time in a community?

Succession (correct)

Stability

Trophic Levels

Biogeography

Which trophic level consists of organisms that are primarily photosynthetic?

Primary Producers (correct)

Primary Consumers

Secondary Consumers

Tertiary Consumers

What is the main difference between primary and secondary succession?

Primary succession starts in lifeless areas, while secondary succession starts after disturbances. (correct)

Secondary succession begins in lifeless areas, while primary succession begins after disturbances.

Primary succession occurs in disturbed areas, while secondary succession occurs in lifeless areas.

There is no significant difference between the two types of succession.

Which of the following best describes net primary productivity?

Gross primary productivity minus energy used in producer respiration Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of K-selected populations?

They maintain equilibrium near carrying capacity. Signup and view all the answers

What focus does behavioral ecology have regarding animal behavior?

Examining proximate and ultimate causes of behavior. Signup and view all the answers

In what way do interspecific interactions influence evolution?

They drive adaptations and changes in species distributions. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes secondary productivity?

It is the rate at which consumers convert energy from food into biomass. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of tissue is responsible for conducting electrical signals in the body?

Nervous Tissue Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of apocrine glands?

They are activated at puberty. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes antlers?

They are branched and shed annually. Signup and view all the answers

What type of biome covers approximately 75% of the Earth's surface?

Aquatic Biomes Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following factors is classified as a density-dependent factor influencing population growth?

Disease spread Signup and view all the answers

What do scent glands in mammals primarily help with?

Communication and attraction Signup and view all the answers

Which type of posture allows the entire foot to be on the ground?

Plantigrade Signup and view all the answers

Which component is NOT part of the abiotic factors in an environment?

Population density Signup and view all the answers

What term describes the maximum stable population that an environment can support?

Carrying capacity Signup and view all the answers

What is the main function of connective tissue?

To provide support and protection Signup and view all the answers

How does migration affect the fitness of individuals?

It allows individuals to maximize their reproductive potential. Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic is commonly associated with primates?

Grasping hands and flexible limbs. Signup and view all the answers

What differentiates New World monkeys from Old World monkeys?

Old World monkeys have close-set nostrils. Signup and view all the answers

What is a defining feature of modern humans in relation to primates?

They belong to a group called hominins. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement is true regarding orangutans?

They have long, powerful arms for moving through trees. Signup and view all the answers

Which hominin is known as the oldest known hominin?

Sahelanthropus tchadensis. Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes great apes from other primates?

They are knuckle walkers. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a characteristic of Old World monkeys?

Possess more advanced dental structures. Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic is unique to bonobos compared to chimpanzees?

They never kill other bonobos. Signup and view all the answers

How do the limbs of humans contribute to their evolutionary success?

They enable a bipedal posture that frees up the hands. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Mammal Anatomy

Tissues are composed of cells with a similar structure and function
Similar cells form tissues
Organs are made up of tissues
Organs are part of organ systems (e.g., nervous/digestive)
Epithelial tissue is arranged in continuous sheets of closely packed cells
It covers external body surfaces and lines body cavities
Connective tissue connects organs, protects, supports, fills spaces, produces blood cells, and stores fat
The cells are usually surrounded by a matrix of acellular material
Connective tissue includes cartilage, bone, blood, fat, and other tissues
Muscular tissue is composed of long cells called muscle fibers
It consists mostly of proteins and includes skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle
Nervous tissue consists of neurons and glial cells
Glial cells have many support and service functions

Mammal Anatomy Postures

Plantigrade: entire foot on the ground (e.g., humans)
Digitigrade: up on the digits (e.g., cats, dogs)
Unguligrade: on the tips of toes with hoofs (e.g., ungulates like horses, donkeys)

Mammal Anatomy Antlers and Horns

Antlers: branched, shed every year, usually found in male deer, elk, and moose
Horns: not branched, permanent, consist of a keratin sheath over bone, found in both sexes of some animals, rhinoceros horns are composed of hair-like keratinized filaments, and skin-covered bone ossicones are found in giraffes.

Mammal Anatomy Hair

Hair is a key feature of mammals
It grows out of hair follicles and is composed of a tough protein called keratin

Mammal Anatomy Glands

Sweat glands are only found in mammals, with two types: eccrine and apocrine
Eccrine glands secrete watery sweat for evaporative cooling
Apocrine glands secrete a white or yellow sweat at puberty, primarily in armpits, pubic areas, breasts
Scent glands are present in most mammals and used to attract mates, mark territories, communicate, and warn others (e.g., skunks)
Sebaceous glands secrete sebum, oils the skin and hair, and keeps them pliable. Has antibacterial properties, and most are associated with hair follicles.
Mammary glands produce milk and are unique to mammals, probably modified sweat glands

Mammal Ecology

Environment: everything an organism is exposed to( abiotic components: weather, light, nutrients, and water; biotic components: all the organisms that live in an organism's environment)
Population: members of a specific species in an area
Community: all populations in a particular area
Ecosystem: the abiotic and biotic factors in an area
Biosphere: global ecosystem
Abiotic factors: temperature, water, sunlight, wind, rocks, soil, periodic disturbances
Biomes: aquatic (oceans, wetlands, estuaries- cover 75% of Earth's surface) and terrestrial biomes (temperate deciduous forests cover 25% of Earth's surface)

Mammal Ecology Density and Dispersion

Density: number of individuals per unit area
Dispersion: pattern of spacing of individuals in a population
Factors influencing population growth:
Intraspecific competition: competition within species
Density-dependent factors: competition for resources increases with population density
Density-independent factors: weather, natural disasters
Patterns of dispersion:
Clumped
Uniform
Random
Carrying capacity: maximum stable population an environment can support
Species diversity includes species richness (number of species) and relative abundance (proportion of each species)

Mammal Ecology Stability and Disturbances

Stability: constant state (equilibrium) a community may reach
Disturbances: have major effects on communities
Ecological succession: replacement of species over time (primary succession begins in lifeless areas like volcanic islands; secondary succession begins after a disturbance such as forestry)
Biogeography: study of the distribution of species and communities
Trophic levels: different feeding levels in an ecosystem
Primary producers: base trophic level, support other levels, usually photosynthetic organisms (plants, phytoplankton)
Primary consumers: herbivores that eat primary producers
Secondary consumers: carnivores that eat primary consumers Food chains and webs form from trophic levels.

Mammal Ecology Behavioral Ecology

Proximate causes of behavior: how questions about behavior (e.g., how bats use sonar)
Ultimate causes of behavior: why questions about behavior's evolutionary basis (e.g., why do birds migrate?)
Fitness: ability of individuals to reproduce and have offspring that survive
Primates: mostly arboreal (tree dwelling), grasping hands, flexible limbs, well-developed brains, binocular vision.
Two groups of primates (Traditional): prosimians (lemurs, tarsiers) and simians (monkeys, apes).

Mammal Ecology Primates

New world monkeys: found in South America, many have prehensile tails
Old world monkeys: found in Africa and Asia, lack prehensile tails
Apes: first appear in fossil record 22 million years ago, generally no tails, longer arms than monkeys, proportionally larger brains.
Gibbons/siamangs: small, social, noisy primates that move by brachiation, found in SE Asia, endangered
Orangutans: large, red, arboreal apes in SE Asia
Great apes: include orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos; all are endangered

Mammal Ecology Human Evolution

Humans belong to the group of primates called hominins.
Upright bipedal posture freed up hands
Upright posture also important for predator vision
Ahelanthropus Tchadenis: oldest known hominin
Ardipithecus Ramidus: bipedal hominin
Early hominins: sahelanthropus, ardipithecus, orrorin (some may not be considered true hominins)

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Description

Test your knowledge of mammal anatomy, including the structure and function of cells, tissues, and organs. Explore the various types of tissues such as epithelial, connective, muscular, and nervous tissues, as well as different postures like plantigrade and digitigrade. This quiz covers essential concepts that are fundamental to understanding mammal biology.