Ornithologists have determined that some species of birds tend to avoid flights over large bodies of...

Ornithologists have determined that some species of birds tend to avoid flights over large bodies of water during daylight hours. It is believed that more energy is required to fly over water than land because air generally rises over land and falls over water during the day. A bird with these tendencies is released from an island that is 7 km from the nearest point B on the shoreline, flies to a point C on the shoreline, and then flies along the shoreline to its nesting area D. Assume that the bird instinctively chooses a path that will minimize its energy expenditure. Points B and D are 17 km apart. (Round your answers to two decimal places.)

(a) In general, if it takes 1.1 times as much energy to fly over water as land, to what point C should the bird fly in order to minimize the total energy expended in returning to its nesting area? km from B

(b) Let W and L denote the energy (in joules) per kilometer flown over water and land, respectively. Assuming the bird's energy expenditure is minimized, determine a function for the ratio W/L in terms of x, the distance from B to C. W/L =

(c) What should the value of W/L be in order for the bird to fly directly to its nesting area D? (d) If the ornithologists observe that birds of a certain species reach the shore at a point 6 km from B, how many times more energy does it take a bird to fly over water than land?

Solutions

Expert Solution

milcah answered 1 year ago

Next > < Previous

Related Solutions

1. Explain why people tend to avoid betting on numbers that have recently won in a...

1. Explain why people tend to avoid betting on numbers that have recently won in a lottery, but also may want to buy their tickets from a store where a big-winning ticket has recently been sold.

4. Birds of many species retain the same breeding partners over many years, yet migration often...

4. Birds of many species retain the same breeding partners over many years, yet migration often occurs separately, and male and female overwintering grounds may be separated by thousands of kilometers. If breeding pairs are established, we might expect an association between the day female partners arrive at a breeding ground and the day male partners arrive. Scientists tried to determine if long-term breeding partners exist in a small population of wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) in western Pennsylvania. The researchers...

A number of different, unrelated species of Arctic fishes have evolved an adaptation to avoid freezing...

A number of different, unrelated species of Arctic fishes have evolved an adaptation to avoid freezing in frigid, winter waters. These different species all use the same glycoprotein that they circulate through their blood to prevent ice crystals from forming in their bloodstream. What is the adaptation of freeze resistance in these fishes is an example of? What evolutionary process?

Humerus bones from the same species of animal tend to have approximately the same length-to-width ratios....

Humerus bones from the same species of animal tend to have approximately the same length-to-width ratios. When fossils of humerus bones are discovered, archeologists can often determine the species of animal by examining the length-to-width ratios of the bones. It is known that species A has a mean of 8.5. Suppose forty-one fossils of humerus bones were unearthed at an archeological site in East Africa, where species A is believed to have inhabited. (Assume that the unearthed bones are all...

Small areas that have a large number of endangered and threatened species are referred to as...

Small areas that have a large number of endangered and threatened species are referred to as ______. Select one: a. biodiverse environments b. biologically magnified c. endemic environments d. biodiversity hot spots 2. The primary goal of conservation biology is to ______. Select one: a. integrate human culture back into nature b. maximize the land set aside for wildlife c. counter the loss of biodiversity d. catalog species 3. Organisms that consume producers are ______. Select one: a. detritivores b....

In the real world, countries that have faster money growth over the long run tend to...

In the real world, countries that have faster money growth over the long run tend to have a lower government budget deficits over the long run b higher inflation over the long run c lower inflation over the long run d lower nominal interest rates over the long run

Discuss the various factors of productivity, how it is determined and changes that have occurred over...

Discuss the various factors of productivity, how it is determined and changes that have occurred over time that have increased productivity. Use the production function - Y = AF(L,K,H,

QUESTION 2 Species that have large impacts on community diversity due to their functional role are...

QUESTION 2 Species that have large impacts on community diversity due to their functional role are known as A. primary producers B. dominant species C. foundation species D. keystone species 4 points QUESTION 3 In animal communication, what type of signal would likely be best for long term signaling at night for a forest dwelling animal? A. urine sprayed on a tree trunk B. bright feathers and a long tail C. a deep, resonating call D. a strong electrical...

Recall that Benford's Law claims that numbers chosen from very large data files tend to have...

Recall that Benford's Law claims that numbers chosen from very large data files tend to have "1" as the first nonzero digit disproportionately often. In fact, research has shown that if you randomly draw a number from a very large data file, the probability of getting a number with "1" as the leading digit is about 0.301. Now suppose you are an auditor for a very large corporation. The revenue report involves millions of numbers in a large computer file....

Benford's Law claims that numbers chosen from very large data files tend to have "1" as...

Benford's Law claims that numbers chosen from very large data files tend to have "1" as the first nonzero digit disproportionately often. In fact, research has shown that if you randomly draw a number from a very large data file, the probability of getting a number with "1" as the leading digit is about 0.301. Suppose you are an auditor for a very large corporation. The revenue report involves millions of numbers in a large computer file. Let us say...

Subjects