2.4 sex and behaviour Flashcards
how do males position themselves at the lek?
dominant males will position themselves in the centre, while smaller (satellite) males will stay on the outside
what is lekking?
where males cluster at communal display areas (a lek) to display and possibly fight to attract females
what do male courtship and appearance provide to the female?
honest signals of male fitness
what does an impressive courtship display or a good appearance indicate to females?
a healthy male with a low parasite burden
the presence of advantageous alleles
what are fixed action pattern responses?
a series of steps which always take place in response to the stimulus
what can courtship behaviours in fish and birds be a result of?
species specific sign stimulus and fixed action pattern responses
what are some costs of internal fertilisation?
time and energy required to find a mate
requires direct transmission of gametes from one organism to another
what are some benefits of internal fertilisation?
increased chance of successful fertilisation
offspring can be retained internally for protection and development
higher offspringsurvival rate
fewer eggs needed
what are some costs of external fertilisation?
many gametes predated or not fertilised
no or limited parental care
little to no offspring survive
what is a benefit of external fertilisation?
large numbers of offspring produced
what is courtship?
a specialised behaviour in animals that attracts a member of the opposite sex and leads to mating
what is polyandry?
when one females gets exclusive mating rights with multiple males
what is polygyny?
when one male gets exclusive mating rights with multiple females
what is polygamy?
when an individual has more than one mate
when does monogamy occur?
when one male mates with one female exclusively
