NAU Biology BIO 326
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BIO326 : Predation/Competition : Coevolution : Lesson

Coevolution: Lesson


Glossary terms that are important in this lesson:

Aggressive mimicry, alkaloid, allopatric, aposematic, clade, cladistics, cladogram, convergence, crypsis, ectoparasite, elaiosome, endoparasite, facultative, mast, monophyletic, mycorrhizae, obligate, outgroup, phenolic, polymorphism, preadaptations, secondary compounds, symbiosis, sympatric, tannins, terpenoid, trophic, virulence.



Use the outline below to guide your study of the material in this lesson. The outline follows the book, but indicates those topics the instructor feels are most important for you to learn in the course. You should read all the pages that are assigned, but the outline will help you focus your study.

I. Relationships Among Species

  1. Introduction

  2. Types of interactions between species

  3. Prey escape

  4. Parasites

  1. Herbivory and plant defenses
    • Most plant tissues have low nutritional value
    • Secondary compounds are toxic
    • Structural defenses: spines, hairs, tough seed coats, sticky gums and resins
    • Protein content of food is important for herbivore growth, development, and survival
    • Biochemistry
      • Tannins: combine with proteins and inhibit digestion - insects produce chemicals which separate the tannins and proteins
      • Secondary compounds: insects detoxify them - bruchids, tobacco hornworm
      • Plants and herbivores with similar biochemical specializations associate into plant defense guilds
      • Plant defenses may be induced by herbivore damage - Tetranychus
tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta
  1. Mutualism: both species benefit

II. Evolutionary Responses and Coevolution

  1. Introduction

  2. Evolutionary relationships between antagonists

  1. Evolutionary equilibria
    • Selective adaptations in prey populations should increase as predation rate increases
    • Selective adaptations in predator populations should increase as exploitation rate decreases
    • Interacting populations reach an evolutionary steady state when rates balance

  2. Genetic variation in competitive ability
    • Competitive ability has a genetic basis and can evolve in laboratory populations
    • Examples: flour beetles, fruit flies, house flies and blowflies
    • Sparse populations can evolve interspecific competitive ability more rapidly than dense populations
flour beetle, Tribolium confusum

  1. Character displacement

  2. Coevolution - reciprocal evolutionary responses

  3. Summary

When you have completed this lesson, go on to Review Questions


E-mail Professor Gaud at William.Gaud@nau.edu
or call (520) 523-7516
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