ANT276 Midterm 1 Flashcards
Sexual Behavior
any behavior that might contribute to the reproduction success, such as behaviors that are employed in mated, courtship, or pair bonding
Homosexual
Sexual and/or romantic relationships between members of the same biological sex. Used in older literature on non-human animals but NOW is reserved for discussing humans
Same-sex sexual behavior
sexual interactions between members of the same sex. NOW the most commonly used term to referring to homosexual behavior in animals
13th century philosopher & priest Thomas Aquinas
argued for the unnaturalness of homosexuality bc it didn’t happen between animals
French Naturalist George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon
- earliest observation of SSB in several bird species
1800s on SSB
Only male-female pairings allow for successful propagation of genes, making them the primary drivers of evolution
1834, entomologist August Kelch
- Discovered two male doodlebugs having sex
- “sexual perversion in male beetles”
- first modern scientific account of SSB in animals
- one bug was dominating the weaker bug
- believed it MUST have been a female but later agreed it was coercion (rape)
- later discovered the big bug was the one actually taking it in
Karl Heinrich (1880)
argued that SSB between insects has no basis as justification for homosexual behavior in animals, including humans
Henri Gadeau de Kerville
- said some doodlebugs are driven to same-sex sex by lack of females but there are others who seem to prefer it
- only between males
20th century
Scientific Study:
- comparisons to humans to understand “cause” of “sexual perversion” with efforts to find a “cure”
- increase in captive and wild studies on primate behavior
Societal attitudes:
- homosexuality is pathological and can be cured
- public & politicians compelled to insert their value judgement and righteousness in animal behavior
- AIDS crisis, centering “family values”
- Rams & bulls exhibit homosexual preferences (ppl didn’t want to accept this
- animal sexuality was the only form of queer sexuality the US was willing to consider (after aids crisis)
Presumption of Heterosexuality
- assumption that all courtship and mating activity is heterosexual unless proven otherwise
- study of laughing gulls
- DNA analysis is now being used to determine the sex of nesting birds
Terminological denials of homosexual activity
- same sex behaviors in animals not being coded as sexual
- SSB often requires an alternate function such as social dominance or aggression but heterosexual behaviors do not
Inadequate or inconsistent coverage
- not a lot of stats of SSB
- “only this percent of the population displays SSB”
- leads to false “novel” claims about a behavior or assumption that it’s rare
Omission or Suppression of Information
- silence & stigmatization of SSB in animals
- report of Killer Whale SSB behavior was eliminated in a US document
Natural selection
- process in which populations adapt & change, requires that genes increase an individual’s fitness in order to be passed on to offspring
- individuals with traits that are better adapted to their environment will more likely survive and reproduce
darwin
- variation in beak size
- beak size is heritable
- drought selected for birds with larger beaks
reproduction is critical
only m-f allow for the successful propagation of genes -> primary drivers of evolution
natural selection
struggle for existence
sexual selection
struggle for mates
traits can evolve if they increase reproductive success even at the cost of survival
mate competition
- intrAsexual selection
- direct competition for access to mates
- physical fights
- selection for weapons
- male-male competition
- reproductive success limited by females
mate choice
- intErsexual selection
- goal: attract mates
- courtship displays
- selection for extravagant traits
- Female mate choice
Antiosogamy
sexual reproduction wherein males & females produce gametes of different sizes
- smaller gamete (sperm)
- larger gamete (egg)
bateman’s principal
male reproductive success increases with number of mates, but female reproductive success does as one fit mate was enough to successfully complete fertilization
- data was inconsistent
females are not passive
- competitive
- sexually assertive
- have just as much of a say as males do in reproduction
- promiscuous mating in female langurs confuses paternity & reduces the risk of infanticide
- hyaenas are bigger and more dominant than males
parental investment theory (1972)
- ” Typical” species: females tend to invest more in offspring than males, gestation & lactation, and provide most post-parturition care.
- Females should be choosy
- Since there are less fertile females than reproductive males, males need to compete
animals don’t only have sex to reproduce
- form social bonds
- reduce tension
- out of boredom
- it feels good
- female Japanese macaques have sex with females just bc they WANT TO
two sex roles: competing males & choosy females
- reversable & changing sex roles
- hermaphroditism