BIO220 Lecture 5 Flashcards
Parent offspring conflict
Genes favoured by natural selection…
Favoured genes ALWAYS increase in frequency each generation
What type of genes can natural selection not favour?
Self sacrificial genes
Natural selection acts on…
genes
When is there no parent-offspring conflict?
Amount offspring trying to acquire = amount parent provides
B(p)
fitness of current offspring
C(p)
Number of future offspring given up
What are offsprings trying to maximize?
B(p) - 1/2C(p)
What are parents trying to maximize?
1/2B(p) - 1/2C(p)
Optimal provisioning rate
How much offspring / parent wants to get / give
The optimal provisioning rate for parent and offspring is similar in…
The cost to future offspring (1/2 C)
What is the conflict in the optimal provisioning rate between parent and offspring?
Parent want to give less than offspring want to receive
Why do parents want to give less than offspring want to receive?
Benefit of providing a lot for current offspring is the same as for future offspring (in terms of parents)
Benefit of providing for current offspring (you) is more beneficial than providing for future siblings (in terms of you)
Why is there parent-offspring conflict?
Due to differences in relatedness
What usually happens when there is a parent-offspring conflict?
Compromise
Example of a species that is all maternal care
Golden lion tamerins
Example of a species that is all paternal care
Pipefish
What are the benefits and cons of deserting current offspring?
Benefit: increase quantity of offspring produced
Cost: decrease quality of offspring (might die)
When is female care usually provided? (in terms of deserting)
Cost of deserting high, benefit of deserting low for females.
Cost of deserting low, benefit high for males.
When is female care usually provided?
Females limited by resources. Don’t have enough to produce numerous offspring.
When is male care usually provided? (in terms of deserting)
Benefit of deserting low, cost high for males.
Benefit of deserting high, cost low for females.
When is male care usually provided?
More females in population than male.
Females have access to a lot of resources.
What experiment was done to predict if female or male care will be provided?
Done on Kentish Plovers in Turkey
What does low re-mating time signify?
High benefit of deserting (can get another mate pretty fast)
What does high re-mating time signify?
High cost of deserting (can’t reproduce again)
