Exam 3, Modules 8 - 13 Flashcards
Communication signals are believed to have evolved via what three hypotheses/theories?
- preexisting biases
- preexisting traits
- panda principle
__ __ hypothesis states traits that already provide informative cues to receivers, and if the sender benefits from the receiver’s response as a result of these cues, then the cue can be modified into a __ via a process called __.
Preexisting traits
signal
ritualization
__ __ theory explains how biases in sensory systems (that detect some features of the world better than others) can be __ by sender signals in a process called sensory __.
Preexisting bias
exploited
exploitation
The __ __ states that traits, such as the waggle dance, may have evolved from __-__ movements that alerted foragers to food, but did not provide direction or distance. “__ is a tinkerer, not an engineer”.
panda principle
less-sophisticated
Evolution
A female water mite grabs a male like she would prey because he vibrates water the way prey would.
Female guppies seek males that produce orange pigment because they prefer carotinoid-containing foods.
Male noctuid moths that use ultrasonic sounds (like a bat) to attract females.
These are examples of?
Sensory exploitation of preexisting bias
Piloerection is a thermoregulatory response that has been __; in other words, it was a preexisting __ that benefited the sender due to the receiver’s response.
ritualized
trait
Name and briefly describe he three hypotheses that might explain the adaptive value of the spotted hyena’s pseudopenis.
- By-product hypothesis: the pseudopenis isn’t itself adaptive but evolved as a result of another adaptation, such as high testosterone (and the benefits that come with dominance).
- Submission hypothesis: pseudopenis signals subordination or willingness to bond; evidenced by subordinates displaying pp to dominants, first.
- Social Bonding hypothesis: pseudopenis sniffing promotes cooperative coalitions which may raise fitness
~Stiff-legged strut by female spotted hyenas communicate aggression; females might submit rather than costly fight.
~Male impalas snort and shake horns which presents opportunity to size each other up which may avoid fight.
Both are examples of?
Honest signaling.
Honest signals can be enforced via what two ideas?
- production costs – cost associated with an expensive signal.
- Maintenance costs – cost of maintaining a signal due to social enforcement. Usually the signal itself isn’t costly in which case it’s called a badge of status (as in female wasps with black mark).
__ __ is the fine-tuning of signals to work effectively in a particular environment (evolutionary).
Sensory drive
When is sensory drive important for signal evolution?
When the constraints on the signaling environment are extreme.
Why are alarm calls given by different species of birds hunted by hawks are so similar?
Calls at a certain frequency can warn legitimate receivers very nearby, but weakens quickly so that the hawk can’t hear… convergent evolution!!!
__ __ is the process by which complex behavioral patterns evolve gradually from less complex behavioral patterns through long and slow accumulation. Also known as this principle.
Cumulative selection
Panda principle.
Darwin’s theory of descent with modification tells us what about the adaptive traits of extant species?
Adaptive traits are the products of past changes layered on still older changes that occurred during the history of the species.
This is the process whereby novel communication signals can originate when signalers possess a mutant attribute that turns on a sensory preference that had evolved for other purposes.
Sensory exploitation
Female birds dig male birds that were given artificial crests. What explanation might be given for this behavior?
Crest activated a preference due to preexisting bias for trait (LCA had a crest).
The femme fatale firefly is a species of firefly that sends __ signal to a male that is flashing a pattern to attract females (she is __), and eats him when he flies to her; this is an example of __ signaling using a __ __.
deceptive
eavesdropping
deceitful
sensory trap
Name and describe the 2 hypotheses to explain maladaptive behavior of male fireflies with the femme fatale firefly.
- Novel environment hypothesis: the current environment changed too fast (humans), and the males haven’t adapted yet.
- Net benefit hypothesis: the sensory mechanism resulting in fitness losses doesn’t outweigh the average fitness gains provided by the mechanism (avoiding females could lead to greater losses).
Unintended receiver of purposeful communication signals is this.
Illegitimate receiver
The detection of signals from a legitimate signaler by an illegitimate receiver (to the detriment of the signaler and the benefit of the receiver) is known as this.
Eavesdropping
~Storks use dance to reinforce pair-bonds and stimulate ovulation.
~In monogamous siamang primates, duetting is performed to advertise territory.
Both are examples of what type of communication?
reproductive communications
A form of communication where the male and female participate to maintain pair bonds (such as in plan wrens and siamang primates) is called this.
Duetting
Foragers performs waggle-runs by shaking what? The duration and orientation contain info about what? A longer waggle-run means what?
her abdomen
the distance and direction to food
The more distant the food.
What does a forager bee use to convey direction outside the hive? In a dark hive?
Outside the hive: horizontal surface using the sun’s position to orient direction (sundial).
Inside: a vertical surface using gravity
An informative cue from a sender to a receiver where the sender benefits, so the cue is modified into a signal is called this.
ritualization
Communication systems are the result of what two phenomenon?
Cumulative selection and sensory exploitation.
Multiple communication signals used simultaneously is called this.
a. redundant signaling
b. Pluripotent signaling
c. Multimodal signaling.
d. degenerate signaling
Multimodal signaling.
A __ communication signal is a “backup” that increases its robustness (often through repetition)
A __ signal increases the robustness and functionality of the signal, often with “two components serving similar functions”.
A __ signal in which one structure serves “multiple” functions, something that can increase signaling efficiency.
Redundant
Degenerate
Pluripotent
When a peacock spider uses his fan display and vibrates abdomen to produce sound, are these multiple messages, or are they redundant signals.
They can be either!
The ratio of sexually active males (or females) to sexually receptive females (or males) is known as this.
Operational sex ratio
If there is a male biased operational sex ratio, what does each sex demonstrate with respect to:
Parental investment
Reproductive rate
Sexual activity
Parental investment males = low, females = high
Reproductive rate males = high; females = low
Sexual activity males = high; females = low.
How does a male-biased operational sex ratio influence male and female behavior?
Males:
compete for mates (intrasexual selection)
Elaborate traits (intersexual selection)
Fitness benefits - More mates = more offspring
Females:
Choosy (intersexual)
Fitness benefits - better mate quality and healthier offspring
Intrasexual selection produces what kind of behavior? Intersexual?
Intra = competion
Inter = ornaments (physical or behavioral as in songs, dance, etc.)
Which forms of sexual selection impact ornaments and armaments?
Ornaments: intersexual selection (look at me)
Armaments: intrasexual selection (fight me)
What kind of sexual structure yields the following:
*Potential mates “both” engage in courtship displays.
*Both sexes are choosy
*Pair bond is formed and reinforced with displays
monogamy
The fusion of two gametes that differ greatly in size is this.
Anisogamy
Given that, in general, female reproductive success is dependent on mate quality while male reproductive success is dependent on number of mates, what theory describes how these two points will yield higher variance in males?
a. Hamilton and Zuk hypothesis
b. Hamilton’s rule
c. Bateman’s principle
d. Trivers-Willard hypothesis
c. Bateman’s principle.
In general, female’s reproductive success is far more dependent on the quality of her partner than on the number of males she mates with. Sperm are cheaper than eggs, so male’s reproductive success is limited by the number of mates. How does this impact reproductive success on males (vs. females)? What principle is this?
Males have higher variance in reproductive success (they may get all the babes or none).
Bateman’s principle.
Unequal partitioning of reproduction within a population or social group is known as reproductive __.
skew
This theory argues that eggs are expensive but sperm are cheap hence why male-biased operational sex ratio is the norm in most species.
a. Reproductive skew
b. Bateman’s principle
c. Fundamental asymmetry of sex
d. Sexual conflict
Fundamental asymmetry of sex
The cost associated with parental activities that increase the likelihood of survival for (some) existing offspring but that may reduce the parent’s future reproductive success is called this.
Parental investment
List 3 examples of sex role reversals.
- pipefish
- empid flies that hunt for nuptial gifts, then choose females with the fanciest wings and legs.
- During lean times, male Mormon crickets that produce a spermatophore (high energy, can only mate once) and choose largest females.
This type of social organization is where conflicts are not about an immediate mating opportunity, but about establishment of pecking order, then access to mates.
dominance hierarchy
T or F: dominance hierarchies do not have a major impact on sexual dimorphism.
F: produce extreme sexual dimorphisms as in the size difference between male and female elephant seals.
Are conditional strategies polymorphic or polyphenic?
They can be either as in bluegill fishes (polyphenic contingent on environment during critical period of development) or as in side-blotched lizards with alphas, betas, and gammas (polymorphic).
Scorpion flies have a caste where the largest males defend dead insects to attract mates, medium males secrete salivary gift, and small males force matings. When the largest is removed, small and medium males “graduate” to higher caste. What kind of conditional strategy is this?
Socially-dependent conditional strategy
Smaller male frogs/toads will stay near the largest male waiting for him to “call” females to him, then sneak in. What is the name of this behavior?
Satellite or sneaker behavior
Rove beetles, medium bluegill (1 of 3 forms), gamma marine sponge isopods (1 of 3 forms); and yellow side-splotched lizards (1 of 3 forms) engage in this to sneak past alpha males.
female mimicry
The side-blotched lizard has three forms (orange, yellow, and blue) that has been compared to rock-paper-scissors. Explain.
Orange beats blue because they are polygynous and territorial, so they bully and steal blue’s mate.
Yellow beats orange by mimicking unreceptive females and chasing him away from real females.
Blue beats yellow by mate guarding since they are monogamous.
What kind of selection acts on the three polymorphic forms of the side-blotched lizard? From an evolutionary standpoint, what kind of strategy is it?
frequency-dependent selection
evolutionarily-stable strategy
Polyphenic __-__ morphs are determined during critical period of development (bluegill); or by social environment and have behavioral plasticity (scorpionflies, baboons). Which morph is the most fit?
Condition-dependent
Equal fitness
The genetically based capacity of an individual to use different mating tactics under different environmental conditions; the inherited behavioral capacity to be flexible in response to certain cues or situations. Also name aka.
conditional mating tactic (aka Conditional strategy with alternate mating tactics)
A type of behavioral polymorphism that has a strong genetic component and is therefore inflexible and fixed throughout an individual’s life.
Alternative mating strategy
Alternative mating strategy vs. Conditional strategy with alternate mating tactics?
Alternative mating strategy: very strong genetic component with inflexible behavior.
Conditional strategy with alternate mating tactics: genetic component enables behavioral plasticity.
Subordinate male baboons will befriend females and help rear young. This increases the probability of the female seeking him out during her next estrous. What kind of strategy is the male employing?
Conditional strategy with alternate mating tactics (or conditional mating tactics) utilizing alliances / friendship.
A mating by a male or female with an individual other than his or her partner in a socially monogamous species.
Extra-pair copulations
Female choice includes direct and indirect benefits. Label the following as an indirect or direct benefit.
1. parental care
2. good genes
3. protection (from predators or harassing betas)
4. access to resources
- direct
- indirect
- direct
- direct
What three circumstances lead to sexual suicide?
- Females are extremely rare / hard to find (redback < 20% locating rate).
- Cannibalized males fertilize more eggs (increased female fecundity).
- Females might be less likely to mate immediately afterward.
What hypothesis states male self-sacrifice can enhance fertilization success if it means females are less likely to mate again?
a. Sexual suicide hypothesis
b. Mate guarding hypothesis
c. Paternal assurance hypothesis
d. Mate limitation hypothesis
Sexual suicide hypothesis
Testosterone stimulates the development of traits used in sexual selection, but it also reduces immunocompetence; therefore, testosterone-dependent signals may honestly advertise health to females (ability to overcome drawbacks). What hypothesis is this?
Immunocompetence handicap hypothesis
