Plant and Animal Defense Mechanisms Quiz

Natural History

• Biology Natural History is the course about the observation of living plants and animals, their interactions, and how they survive in their environment.
• Natural history is an observational science.
• Charles Darwin was a world renowned naturalist.

Lecture 1: Staying Alive- Defence

• Camouflage is used by animals to hide from view.
• Various habitats offer different concealment challenges (e.g., fields, meadows, marshes, forests).
• Camouflage tactics include background matching and disruptive patterns.
• Animals living in areas with lots of vertical lines or vertical/ horizontal patterns on their bodies match these patterns.
• Examples include sparrows in Savannah (grassy or bushy), American bitterns, ruffed grouse, and spruce grouse .

Lecture 2: Additional Defence Mechanisms

• Seasonal background matching is when coloration changes throughout the year to blend with the environment. This is also seen in certain birds and can be seen in snowshoe hares in which the hairs change to turn white in the winter to blend in better with the environment.
• Disruptive patterns help animals break up their silhouettes and blend into their surroundings.
• Masquerade is a type of camouflage where an animal's body resembles a part of the environment (e.g., dead leaf).
• Many animals use disruptive patterns.
• Disruptive patterns include breaks in shapes and segmentation.

Lecture 3: Distraction and Deflection

• Eastern tent caterpillar build silk tents to offer safety/ protection.
• They leave the tent to feed at night when its safer.
• Fall webworms also make silk tents, but these are around the leaves to make sure their food is within reach.
• Caterpillars have soft hairs as a physical defense against predators who dont like to eat hairy things.
• Porcupines use quills as physical protection (modified hairs).

Lecture 4: Colouration and Defence

• Chemical defenses (animals that store toxins from food plants)
• Animals that store toxins usually have bright colours (aposematic coloration).
• Milkweed plants are poisonous and that is reflected in the animals who feed on it. This is called sequestering.
• Aposematic coloration is used by animals to warn predators of their toxicity.
• Animals that store toxins in their bodies are brightly coloured.
• Warning coloration is a way to signal to predators that an animal is dangerous or toxic.

Lecture 5: Internal Structures and Defence Mechanisms

• Plants use cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin for structural support, making their tissue hard to digest.
• Lignin adds stiffness to leaves; silica is found in horsetails and grasses.
• Tannis and other resins are ways that plants prevent predators from consuming them.
• Calcium oxalate crystals are a deterrent present in some plant species.
• Plants produce toxins that can be harmful if consumed that is called sequestering.

Lecture 6: Chemical and Defensive Mechanisms

• Some chemicals in plants, such as hydrogen cyanide, are produced in response to being attacked by an animal.
• In defensive strategies, some chemicals are produced as a result of attack to deter that specific animal from being eaten again.
• Aposematic coloration is a warning sign.
• Mullerian mimicry- several unrelated, but dangerous animals share similar appearances and colours to further deter predators from any of them.
• Batesian mimicry- harmless animals mimic those that are dangerous to deter predators - mimicking toxic ones...
• Some animals rely on aposematic coloration.

Lecture 7: Visual, Auditory, Olfactory Defence Mechanisms

• The way animals have eyes is an adaptation to their surroundings and lifestyle.
• Some animals might have eyes on the side of their heads to provide a wider view of their surroundings.
• Owls' eyes are forward-facing for better depth perception.
• Beavers have eyes, noses, and ears all on top of their heads to facilitate underwater activities.
• Many animals have a similar adaptation in which they are able to see in many directions.
• Other adaptations like big ears for auditory and noses or antlers for smell are also prominent adaptations within these animals lives in many different ways for safety through the environment.

Lecture 8 and 9: Adaptations for Cold Climates

• Mammals grow thicker fur,
• The birds develop fluffier feathers in the fall.
• Some animals use subcutaneous fat for insulation
• Animals use their behaviours to retain heat.
• Internal fat is metabolized to create heat.

Lecture 10: Adaptations for Water Habitats

• Some animals use features to be able to swim and maneuver through water or be in the water for a long time such as their ears and mouth placement for better maneuverablilty.
• Animals in water have additional adaptations to be well adapted for water.

Lecture 11: Animal/ Plant Adaptations

• Ant mimics- mimic the appearance and behaviour of ants, to attract certain prey, e.g. fish.
• Mole tunnels- used by star-nosed moles to find prey.
• Snapping turtles- have quick and sharp bites that help them catch their prey.
• Angler fish- have specialized lures to attract prey such as their bodies and heads.

Lecture 12: Parasites and Ectoparasites

• Some animals prey on smaller animals such as ectoparasites.
• Ectoparasites feed on the outside of animals, for example fleas.
• Some animals have adaptations to fight off parasites to keep their body safe.
• The animal that is infested by a parasite is called a host.
• Ticks specifically lay eggs on moose in fall and winter.

Lecture 13: Scavenging

• Animals that eat dead plants and animals are called scavengers.
• A lot of animals get food to survive thus they resort to behaviors such as scavenging.
• They have adaptations which make them good scavengers.

Lecture 14: Nutritional Needs of Plants

• Plants primarily rely on photosynthesis.
• However, plants still need essential nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and calcium, to survive.
• Plants acquire these nutrients from the soil or through other processes such as nitrogen fixation.
• Peatlands and bogs are nutrient poor habitats for plants.

Lecture 15 and 16: Adaptations for Pollination, and Mating

• Plants use various strategies for pollination, such as colour, shape, scent, and rewards for their pollinators.
• The majority of plants rely on insects (called entomophily), although birds and bats may also play a part in pollination.
• Mating calls and courtship displays vary among animal species.
• Visual and auditory adaptations assist animals in attracting and recognizing mates.

Lecture 17: Parental Care - Male Care Patterns

• Male animals in some species have adaptations to guard nests to guarantee paternity, e.g., male bullfish guarding nests; some male snakes which use plugs for copulation .
• Some animals provide biparental care, where both the male and female take care of the young (e.g., wolves).
• Female animals usually produce and protect their young, even if the males get involved in caring for their offspring as well.

Lecture 18: Specialized Pollination Adaptations

• Flowers have different structures to attract specific pollinators, such as long spurs for hummingbird pollination.
• Some flowers create smells to attract pollinators like certain types of flies.
• Flowers can use deceit by mimicking other things, like rotting flesh or even similar types of insects, to attract specific pollinators.

Lecture 19: Seed Dispersal Strategies

• Many different strategies for protecting, dispersing- and disseminating seeds exist within plant species.
• Some plants rely on wind dispersal, other use water, and still others rely on animals.
• Seeds that are spread/dispersed by animals are called zoochory.
• Seeds with hooks or barbs to attach to animal fur are an adaptation to ensure dispersal.

Lecture 20: Egg Laying and Protection Strategies

• Some animals lay eggs in rotting logs and some animals have to lay eggs outside to avoid being eaten by predators.
• The temperature of the ground during the time of egg laying can impact the sex of eggs laid.
• Some animals protect their nests and eggs, while others leave them exposed.

Lecture 21: Parental Care, and Colony Raising

• Many animals display parental care behaviors towards their young.
• Bi parental care is when both females and males invest in caring for their young.
• Birds and mammals often display bi-parental care but it can differ by species.
• Some birds and insects have social behaviors and lay their eggs in groups. This is called delayed implantation.

Lecture 22: Brood Parasitism

• Brood parasitism is where one species lays eggs in the nest of another.
• Cuckoos are an example of a brood parasite that lays their eggs in other birds' nests.
• Brood parasitism can be intraspecific or interspecific.
• Many species of birds have solutions to protect their young from this threat, such as making their nests in different locations to avoid brood parasitism.