HABITAT SELECTION (B)

Habitat choice&repro success

ind makes a good choice of habitat, will have high repro success

ex: aphid that feed cottonwood (Female with larger leaves have greater repro success than small leaves

Proximate Factors: Environmental cues

Abiotic environmental cues

Social cues

Risk of predation & competition

Determinants of habitat preference

Traditional

heredity

Learning&early experience

Ex: Gerbils prefer feeding sites around bushes/grass & active during new moons. When their competitors(striped mice) were removed, gerbils increased foraging activity

Humidity

Temperature&humidity

ex: Isopod moves randomly until it finds high humidity

Drosophila prefer warm temp where humidity high

Sales (1970): habitat selection in fish based on exploitary behavior

Animals moves more in unsuitable habitat & less in suitable one

Testing if genetics prediposition to certain stimuli can be altered by early experience (imprinting)

Habitat selection is important for conservation

Ex: chipping sparrow. (3 groups-wild caught (prefer pine), lab reared&no foliage exposure (prefer pine), lab reared&oak foliage exposure (prefer oak))

If 2 animals reared from birth in identical env differ in habitat preference when adults

Ex: coal tits-pine, blue tits-aok

has been shown for insects, molluscs and crustaceans

passed form one generation to next through learning process

Habitat imprinting

occurs in migratory vertebrates that return to natal sites to breed

Ex: bird & salmon

Moose & deer increased their home range but sheep does not

Moose&deer are solitary animals that establishes ranges by ind exploration after driving out by mothers

Sheep transmit home range knowledge from generation to next with same group members. No exploration like moose and deer. Rather poor adaptation to env. Mother does not chase away their young