Ch. 7

Question 0

Anything organisms do that involves action in response to internal or external stimuli. The response of an individual, group, or species to its environment. Such responses may or may not be deliberate and they aren’t necessarily the results of conscious decision making.

Answer 0

Behavior

Question 1

Pertaining to the relationships between organisms and all aspects of their environment (temperature, predators, nonpredators, vegetation, availability of food and water, types of food, disease organisms, parasites, etc.).

Answer 1

Ecological

Question 2

The study of the evolution of behavior, emphasizing the role of ecological factors as agents of natural selection. Behaviors and behavioral patterns have been favored because they increase the reproductive fitness of individuals (i.e., they are adaptive) in specific environmental contexts.

Answer 2

Behavioral ecology

Question 3

The composition, size, and sex ratio of a group of animals. The social structure of a species is, in part, the result of natural selection in a specific habitat, and it guides individual interactions and social relationships.

Answer 3

Social structure

Question 4

The chemical processes within cells that break down nutrients and release energy for the body to use. (When nutrients are broken down into their component parts, such as amino acids, energy is released and made available for the cells to use.)

Answer 4

Metabolism

Question 5

Groups that consist of a female, her daughters, and their offspring. Matrilines are common among macaques.

Answer 5

Matrilines

Question 6

Characteristics and developmental stages that influence reproductive rates. Examples include longevity, age at sexual maturity, length of time between births, etc.

Answer 6

Life history traits

Question 7

Systems of social organization wherein individuals within a group are ranked relative to one another. Higher- ranking animals have greater access to preferred food items and mating partners than lower- ranking individuals. Dominance hierarchies are sometimes called “pecking orders.”

Answer 7

Dominance hierarchies

Question 8

Any act that conveys information to another individual. Frequently, the result of communication is a change in the behavior of the recipient. Communication may not be deliberate but may instead be the result of involuntary processes or a secondary consequence of an intentional action.

Answer 8

Communication

Question 9

Pertaining to physiological responses not under voluntary control. An example in chimpanzees would be the erection of body hair during excitement. Blushing is a human example. Both convey information regarding emotional states, but neither is deliberate, and communication isn’t intended.

Answer 9

Autonomic

Question 10

Picking through fur to remove dirt, parasites, and other materials that may be present. Social grooming is common among primates and reinforces social relationships.

Answer 10

Grooming

Question 11

Sequences of repetitious behaviors that serve to communicate emotional states. Nonhuman primate displays are most frequently associated with reproductive or agnostic behavior; examples include chest slapping in gorillas or, in male chimpanzees, dragging and waving branches while charging and threatening other animals.

Answer 11

Displays

Question 12

A standardized system of arbitrary vocal sounds, written symbols, and gestures used in communication.

Answer 12

Language

Question 13

Amicable associations between individuals. Affiliative behaviors, such as grooming, reinforce social bonds and promote group cohesion.

Answer 13

Affiliative behaviors

Question 14

Behaviors or behavioral complexes that have been favored by natural selection to increase individual reproductive success. The behaviors need not be deliberate, and they often vary considerably between males and females.

Answer 14

Reproductive strategies

Question 15

Pertaining to K-selection, an adaptive strategy whereby individuals produce relatively few offspring, in whom they invest increased parental care. Although only a few infants are born, chances of survival are increased for each one because of parental investments of time and energy. Birds, elephants, and canids (wolves, coyotes, and dogs) are examples of K-selected nonprimate species.

Answer 15

K-selected

Question 16

Pertaining to r-selection, a reproductive strategy that emphasizes relatively large numbers of offspring and reduced parental care compared with K-selected species. K-selection and r-selection are relative terms; for example, mice are r-selected compared with primates but K-selected compared with insects.

Answer 16

r-selected

Question 17

A type of natural selection that operates on only one sex within a species. It’s the result of competition for mates, and it can lead to sexual dimorphism with regard to one or more traits.

Answer 17

Sexual selection

Question 18

Pertaining to polygyny. A mating system in which a male mates with more than one female. This is the most common mating pattern found in mammals, including most primates.

Answer 18

Polygynous

Question 19

A mating system wherein a female continuously associates with more than one male (usually two or three) with whom she mates. Among nonhuman primates, polyandry is seen only in marmosets and tamarins. It also occurs in a few human societies.

Answer 19

Polyandry

Question 20

The proportional size of the brain relative to some estimate of overall body size, such as weight. More precisely, the term refers to increases in brain size beyond what would be expected given the body size of a particular species.

Answer 20

Encephalization

Question 21

Viewing nonhuman organisms in terms of human experience and capabilities. Emphasizing the importance of humans over everything else.

Answer 21

Anthropocentric

Question 22

The portion of a home range containing the highest concentration and most reliable supplies of food and water. The core area is defended.

Answer 22

Core area

Question 23

Portions of an individual’s or groups home range that are actively defended against intrusion, especially by members of the same species.

Answer 23

Territories

Question 24

Actions that benefit other individuals and/or a society as a whole. Loosely speaking, the term “prosocial” is the opposite of “antisocial.”

Answer 24

Prosocial behaviors

Question 25

Actions that benefit another individual but at some potential risk or cost to oneself.

Answer 25

Altruism

Question 26

The ability to identify with the feelings and thoughts of another individual.

Answer 26

Empathy

Question 27

Refers to the fact that organisms are related through common ancestry and that behaviors and traits seen in one species are also seen in others to varying degrees. (When expressions of a phenomenon continuously grade into one another so that there are no discrete categories, they are said to exist on a continuum. Color is one such phenomenon.)

Answer 27

Biological continuum