Chapter 9

Question 1

Part of the research by Sinervo and Lively on side‐blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana) dealt with
proportions of males of the orange, blue, and yellow morphs in a population of this species.
What did they find?
A) Individuals of the large, aggressive orange morph were always most numerous.
B) Individuals of the smaller, vigilant blue morph were always most numerous.
C) Individuals of the female‐mimic yellow morph were always most numerous.
D) There was a predictable cycling in frequencies of the three morphs.

Answer 1

D) There was a predictable cycling in frequencies of the three morphs.

Question 2

The spatial organization of flocks or herds may be related to social rank of individuals. How
does this principle apply to flocks of wood pigeons?
A) Dominant individuals tend to be at the periphery of the flock, where they can serve as
lookouts.
B) Dominant individuals tend to be at the center of the flock, where they can feed relatively
undisturbed.
C) Dominant individuals tend to spread themselves evenly throughout the flock, so as to avoid
confrontations with other dominant individuals.
D) Dominant individuals tend to be spread randomly throughout the flock, because flocks of
wood pigeons have no spatial structure.

Answer 2

B) Dominant individuals tend to be at the center of the flock, where they can feed relatively
undisturbed.

Question 3

When two spiders meet to contest a potential web site, which of the following will predispose
the two individuals to fight?
A) high quality web site and spiders of similar size
B) high quality web site and spiders of dissimilar size
C) low quality web site and spiders of similar size
D) low quality web site and spiders of dissimilar size

Answer 3

A) high quality web site and spiders of similar size

Question 4

Game theory analysis is based on:
A) understanding outcomes that depend on probabilities of different events.
B) understanding outcomes that depend on the behaviors of players.
C) understanding outcomes that depend on current weather conditions.
D) understanding outcomes of human gambling habits.

Answer 4

B) understanding outcomes that depend on the behaviors of players.

Question 5

Which of the following comes closest to constituting a true social group?
A) flies attracted to a dung pat
B) cattle attracted to a desert watering hole
C) goldfinches flocking to feed together on seed heads of plants growing in open fields
D) oak seedlings aggregated because of the failure of seeds to disperse

Answer 5

C) goldfinches flocking to feed together on seed heads of plants growing in open fields

Question 6

Flocking behavior in European goldfinches has costs and benefits. Which of the following would
be considered a cost associated with increasing flock size?
A) fewer head jerks per minute for individuals
B) increased total vigilance rate for the entire flock
C) reduced food handling time for individuals
D) increased flight time between food plants for individuals

Answer 6

D) increased flight time between food plants for individuals

Question 7

A crow attacks a red‐tailed hawk flying nearby. Which of these two birds is the donor of the
attacking behavior?
A) the crow B) the red‐tailed hawk

Answer 7

A) the crow

Question 8

A blue jay attempts to displace a cardinal from a small bird feeder. The cardinal stands its
ground and the blue jay backs off. Which bird is the recipient of the second behavior?
A) the blue jay B) the cardinal

Answer 8

A) the blue jay

Question 9

A lioness kills an old gazelle. Just as she begins to eat the gazelle, she is chased away by a male
lion, that then proceeds to eat his fill. Which of the following behaviors is illustrated by the
male lion in this example?
A) cooperative B) altruistic C) selfish D) spiteful

Answer 9

C) selfish

Question 10

A man runs into his burning home to rescue his young son. Which of the following behaviors is
illustrated in this example?
A) cooperative B) altruistic C) selfish D) spiteful

Answer 10

B) altruistic

Question 11

Which of the following kinds of behavior cannot be favored by natural selection under any
circumstance?
A) cooperative B) altruistic C) selfish D) spiteful

Answer 11

D) spiteful

Question 12

What is the coefficient of relationship (probability of identity by descent) of a human individual
to one of its grandparents?
A) 1.0 B) 0.75 C) 0.5 D) 0.25 E) 0.125

Answer 12

D) 0.25

Question 13

When an individual is the donor of a specific behavior toward another individual, the inclusive
fitness of that behavior for the donor is dependent on the coefficient of relationship between
the donor and the recipient.
A) True B) False

Answer 13

A) True

Question 14

If C is the cost of a particular behavior for the donor, B is the benefit of the behavior to the
recipient, and r is the coefficient of relationship, what does the equation C

Answer 14

C) conditions under which an altruistic behavior will increase in the population

Question 15

When Alan Krakauer studied courtship displays in male turkeys, he found that males often
displayed in pairs. What was true of the males belonging to a given pair?
A) They were more closely related than two males drawn at random from the population.
B) They were less closely related than two males drawn at random from the population.
C) They were related to about the same extent as two males drawn at random from the
population.
D) Krakauer was unable to determine the degree of relatedness among these males.

Answer 15

A) They were more closely related than two males drawn at random from the population.

Question 16

The meerkat (Suricata suricatta), a social mongoose of southern Africa, has been studied
carefully to determine whether or not its guarding behavior is altruistic. Which of the following
statements is not correct?
A) Meerkats will undertake guarding behavior only after eating well.
B) Larger groups of meerkats are more likely to be protected by guarding individuals.
C) Guarding incurs a high cost to those meerkats who undertake this risky activity.
D) Most of the individuals in a meerkat group are close relatives.

Answer 16

C) Guarding incurs a high cost to those meerkats who undertake this risky activity.

Question 17

Interactions among unrelated individuals are governed by self‐interest. However, a paradox of
social behavior is that conflict can reduce the fitness of selfish individuals below that of
cooperative individuals.
A) True
B) False

Answer 17

A) True

Question 18

When a social organization consists of cooperative individuals, selection will always favor
individuals that increase their personal reproductive success by __________.
A) becoming more cooperative C) performing spiteful behaviors
B) performing altruistic behaviors D) cheating

Answer 18

D) cheating

Question 19

In the hawk‐dove game, the hawk:
A) always behaves selfishly in conflict situations.
B) always behaves cooperatively in conflict situations.
C) always wins in conflict situations.
D) always receives the same payoff, regardless of the behavior of its opponent.

Answer 19

A) always behaves selfishly in conflict situations.

Question 20

In the hawk‐dove game, the dove:
A) always behaves selfishly in conflict situations.
B) always behaves cooperatively in conflict situations.
C) always wins in conflict situations.
D) always receives the same payoff, regardless of the behavior of its opponent.

Answer 20

B) always behaves cooperatively in conflict situations.

Question 21

In the hawk‐dove game, a world of hawks:
A) cannot be invaded by the dove strategy.
B) is difficult to invade by the dove strategy.
C) is easily invaded by the dove strategy.

Answer 21

B) is difficult to invade by the dove strategy.

Question 22

In the hawk‐dove game, a world of doves:
A) cannot be invaded by the hawk strategy.
B) is difficult to invade by the hawk strategy.
C) is easily invaded by the hawk strategy.

Answer 22

C) is easily invaded by the hawk strategy.

Question 23

What must be true for doves to invade a world of hawks successfully?
A) The potential reward or benefit must be less than twice the cost of conflict.
B) The potential reward or benefit must be more than twice the cost of conflict.
C) The potential reward or benefit must be equal to the cost of conflict.
D) There is no combination of benefit and cost that would permit doves to successfully invade
a world of hawks.

Answer 23

A) The potential reward or benefit must be less than twice the cost of conflict.

Question 24

The interests of parents and their offspring are generally compatible. However, parentoffspring
conflicts may arise when:
A) accumulation of resources by one offspring increases the overall fecundity of its parents.
B) accumulation of resources by one offspring has no effect upon the overall fecundity of its
parents.
C) accumulation of resources by one offspring reduces the overall fecundity of its parents.

Answer 24

C) accumulation of resources by one offspring reduces the overall fecundity of its parents.

Question 25

From a parent’s perspective, all offspring are equivalent, having a coefficient of relationship of
0.5 to the parent. Parents should thus compare the benefit (B) of providing additional care to
an offspring to the cost (C) of forgoing some future reproductive success. When the
benefit:cost (B:C) ratio falls below one of the following values a parent will cease providing care
to an offspring in favor of producing a new one. Which value is it?
A) 2.0 B) 1.0 C) 0.5 D) 0.25

Answer 25

B) 1.0

Question 26

From an offspring’s perspective, its siblings are not as valuable as itself, because its siblings
have a coefficient of relationship of 0.5 (compared to its coefficient of relationship to itself of
1.0). Offspring should thus compare the benefit (B) of accepting additional care from their
parents to the cost (C) this care represents for future reproductive success (production of more
full siblings) of their parents. When the benefit:cost (B:C) ratio falls below one of the following
values an offspring will cease to accept additional care from its parents. Which value is it?
A) 2.0 B) 1.0 C) 0.5 D) 0.25

Answer 26

C) 0.5

Question 27

As an offspring matures and becomes better able to care for itself, the benefit:cost (B:C) ratio—
benefit to the offspring of continued parental care relative to cost in reproductive output to the
parents—decreases. Over what range of B:C ratios is there a period of conflict between
interest of parents and offspring?
A) 0.0 – 0.25 B) 0.25 – 0.5 C) 0.5 – 1.0 D) 1.0 – 2.0

Answer 27

C) 0.5 – 1.0

Question 28

Each of the following groups except one has examples of eusociality. Which is the exception?
A) termites (Isoptera)
B) ants, bees, and wasps (Hymenoptera)
C) mammals
D) hydroids, corals, bryozoans, and many other colonial aquatic animals

Answer 28

D) hydroids, corals, bryozoans, and many other colonial aquatic animals

Question 29

The worker caste in bees consists entirely of:
A) reproductive males.
B) reproductive males in an arrested stage of development.
C) reproductive females.
D) reproductive females in an arrested stage of development.

Answer 29

D) reproductive females in an arrested stage of development.

Question 30

In the Hymenoptera, there is a strong asymmetry in the genetic relatedness of siblings. Of
particular interest is the coefficient of relationship of a female worker to her siblings,
__________.
A) 1.0 B) 0.75 C) 0.5 D) 0.25 E) 0.125

Answer 30

B) 0.75

Question 31

Female workers in the Hymenoptera forgo their own reproduction and instead lavish care on
their siblings, which are predominantly sisters. Why is this?
A) Caring for siblings requires less energy than caring for their own broods.
B) Caring for siblings requires less time than caring for their own broods.
C) Workers achieve higher inclusive fitness by caring for siblings than they would by caring for
their own broods.
D) There is no evolutionary explanation for this behavior.

Answer 31

C) Workers achieve higher inclusive fitness by caring for siblings than they would by caring for
their own broods.

Question 32

Interactions among members of the same species delicately balance cooperation and
competition, altruism and selfishness.
A) True B) False

Answer 32

A) True

Question 33

A __________ is any area defended by an individual against intrusion by others.

Answer 33

territory

Question 34

A __________ is sometimes also referred to as a “pecking order.”

Answer 34

dominance hierarchy

Question 35

When a behavior is directed toward another individual, that individual is referred to as the
__________ of the behavior.

Answer 35

recipient

Question 36

In typical sexually reproducing species, an individual’s highest coefficient of relationship (aside
from that with itself) is with its __________.

Answer 36

full siblings (or parents or offspring)

Question 37

The total fitness of a gene responsible for a particular behavior is referred to as its __________
fitness.

Answer 37

inclusive

Question 38

A __________ is a gathering of males within a traditional arena to attract females.

Answer 38

lek

Question 39

Despite human wishes to the contrary, a world of cooperative individuals (“doves”) cannot
resist evolutionary invasion by selfish (“hawkish”) behavior. Thus we say that dove behavior is
not an evolutionarily __________ strategy.

Answer 39

stable

Question 40

Continuing parental care of offspring presents benefits and costs to both parents and offspring.
As offspring mature and become more self‐sufficient, the benefit:cost ratio (B:C) declines. The
period of maturation between B:C values of 1.0 and 0.5 represents a period of __________.

Answer 40

parent‐offspring conflict

Question 41

The highest “grade” of sociality in the animal world is referred to as __________.

Answer 41

eusociality

Question 42

In eusocial species, an individual or group of individuals that performs a specific task (queen,
worker, etc.) is said to belong to a specific __________.

Answer 42

caste

Question 43

In the Hymenoptera, males develop from unfertilized eggs and appear in colonies only as
reproductive __________ that leave the colony to seek mates.

Answer 43

drones

Question 44

Argentine ants have been effective at displacing native ant species in the United States by
forming networks of connected colonies. Individuals from different colonies of Argentine ants
fail to recognize colony differences and thus cooperate with one another. The reduced genetic
variability that permits this inter‐colony cooperation appears to have resulted from a
__________.

Answer 44

genetic bottleneck