Chapter 1: Introduction to Animal Behavior

Question 1

Charles Dawsin developed the theory of ___ by ___ ____

Answer 1

EVOLUTION by NATURAL SELECTION

Question 2

Natural selection operates on ____ _____, but that variation must have a heritable component

Answer 2

Natural selection operates on PHENOTYPIC VARIATION, but that variation must have a heritable component

Question 3

3 fundamental requirements for natural selection

Answer 3

1) variation; members must have a dif phenotype
2) differential reproductive success; some variations result in more surviving offspring than others
3) heredity; at least some of this variation is heritable.

Question 4

____ arise through the process of natural selection : those features of the phenotype associated with greater reproductive success and are at least in part heritable will tend to increase in the population over time

Answer 4

ADAPTATION

Question 5

5 big personality traits in humans that are heritable

Answer 5

1) neuroticism
2) extraversion
3) openness
4) agreeableness
5) conscientiousness

Question 6

proximate levels of analysis

Answer 6

Mechanisms that UNDERLIE development and neurophysiology that act within the lifespan of individuals; Immediate and mechanistic

Question 7

proximate levels of analysis are ___ and ___

Answer 7

IMMEDIATE AND MECHANISTIC

Question 8

ultimate levels of analysis

Answer 8

Ultimate causes provide us with a perspective on the adaptive value and evolutionary history of a trait of interest

Question 9

explain the reasons behind male infanticide in langurs.

Answer 9

Hanuman (gray) langurs are found in the Indian subcontinent. They live in groups of several females and their offspring accompanied by one or more adult males

Sarah Hrdy conducted her doctoral work on whether OVERCROWDING caused infanticide in Hanuman langurs at Mount Abu

She and others observed male langurs attacking and killing young infants of females in their group

Females attacked the males attempting to harm their infants

infanticide may be GOOD FOR THE GROUP (PREVENT OVERCROWDING), OR IT MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR THE MALE (doesn’t exert paternal care for cubs that aren’t theirs)

Question 10

Why does infanticide benefit the infanticideal male? what is it called when a process only benefits one sex and not the other?

Answer 10

Infanticide benefits the infanticidal male because females become sexually receptive sooner following the loss of their infant.

In these systems, males benefit from infanticide whereas females pay a fitness cost: there is SEXUAL CONFLICT over infanticide. Female lions, mice and langurs use a variety of tactics to avoid infanticide, not always successfully.

Question 11

3 approaches to studying behavior

Answer 11

Observational approach: simply watch animals behaving in nature or in the lab

Experimental approach: manipulate features of the animal or its environment to more directly establish a relationship among traits

Comparative approach: use many species to look for general patterns of why behaviours evolved

Question 12

Why do birds mob?

Answer 12

Blackbirds, gulls and other birds mob predators when they approach nests: the assaults often DRIVE PREDATORS AWAY, protecting young

Question 13

____ birds are particularly effective at mobbing predators

Answer 13

Colonial birds are particularly effective at mobbing predators

Question 14

proof of the hypothesis that mobbing DISTRACTS predators, making it less likely they would find the mobber’s offspring.

Answer 14

crows were more likely to mobbed the CLOSER they got to the gull nesting colony; and that eggs inside the colony were less likely to be eaten

Question 15

broadly, why did mobbing arise as an adaptation?

Answer 15

the mobbing phenotype is associated with greater reproductive success through the protection of young.

Question 16

Correlation between nest density and offspring survival in mobbing species

Answer 16

the more neighbors an organism has, the more mobbing defense against predators the colony has, therefore, birds (such as skuas) with many neighbors reared more offspring than skuas with few neighbors.

Question 17

the fact that other species (not just birds, even mammals like squrrels) have evolved mobbing behavior is an example of ___ evolution

Answer 17

CONVERGENT evolution under a similar selection pressure.
Like birds protect themselves, their colony, and their young from predators, mammalian Colonial California ground squirrels mob their snake enemies

Question 18

How do california ground squirrels protect against their snake enemies?

Answer 18

California ground squirrels approach and tail flag (THEY HEAT UP THEIR TAIL) at the rattlesnake – they know the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes

The ground squirrels are also resistant to rattlesnake venom– have serum proteins that neutralize rattlesnake venom by inactivating the enzymes in that venom responsible for hemorrhagic activities