Chapter 8

Question 1

an immediate, underlying cause that is based on internal features of an organism and can be used to explain how a behavior occurs

Answer 1

proximate cause

Question 2

the underlying evolutionary or historical reason for a particular behavior

Answer 2

ultimate cause

Question 3

a process in which traits that confer survival or reproductive advantages tend to increase in frequency over time

Answer 3

adaptive evolution

Question 4

a theory proposing that animals will maximize the amount of energy acquired per unit of feeding time

Answer 4

optimal foraging

Question 5

a conceptual optimal foraging model proposing that an animal should stay in a good patch until the rate of energy gain in that patch has declined to the average rate for the habitat, then depart to another patch

Answer 5

marginal value theorem

Question 6

a process in which individuals with certain characteristics gain an advantage over others of the same sex solely with respect to mating success

Answer 6

sexual selection

Question 7

a phenomenon in which the chance that any particular member of a group is the one attacked decreases as the number of individuals in the group increases

Answer 7

dilution effect