intro

Question 1

what is the integrative approach in studying animal behavior? (4 approaches we are taking in this course)

Answer 1

1. ecological approach
2. mechanistic appraoch (genes, neurology, physiology)
3. developmental appraoch
4. phylogenetic approach

Question 2

what are the 3 features of natural selection by charles darwin?

Answer 2

1. variation - different traits in individuals
2. differential reproductive success - some individuals reproduce more
3. inheritance - basis for diff in trait affecting reproductive success

Question 3

one feature of natural selection is inheritance:

the basis for difference in traits affecting reproductive success are based on ________ factors.

Answer 3

hereditary

Question 4

what are adaptations?

Answer 4

heritable traits that benefit individual’s ability to survive and reproduce (favorerd by natural selection)

Question 5

adaptations increase _____, which is a measure of reproductive success

Answer 5

fitness

Question 6

evolution aka?

Answer 6

descent with modification

Question 7

alleles - ________ - trait - ___________

Answer 7

genotype; phenotype

Question 8

what is the gene-centric approach to evolution (4 steps)?

note: genes are main drivers of evolution. natural selection works on genes, not individuals or species. Genes that help organism survive and reproduce get passed on to the next generation.

Answer 8

1. traits influence ability to reproduce
2. alleles/genes supporting these traits passes on to next gen
3. alleles increase in frequency in the next gen
4. evolution occurs by this change in gene structure of the population

Question 9

what is evolution?

Answer 9

evolution is:
1. change in gene frequency.
2. result of reproductive outcomes over long periods

Question 10

natural selection is not evolution, but a _________ of evolution. it is also ________.

Answer 10

cause; unintentional

Question 11

1) scientists develop hypotheses about a behavior.

_________ hypotheses are competing explanations.

_________ hypotheses are multiple explanations.

2) hypotheses make predictions about _________ r/s on fitness.

these hypotheses predict whether the fitness _______ of having the trait outweigh its _____.

If the benefits are greater, the trait is likely to be ________ through generations.

If the costs are ______, the trait might not survive long in the population.

Answer 11

1)

alternative

non-mutually exclusive

cost-benefit

2)

cost-benefit

benefits; costs

passed on

greater

Question 12

direct vs indirect measures of fitness.

Answer 12

direct measures look at organism’s actual reproductive success

while

indirect look at traits that suggest reproductive success

Question 13

state 3 direct and 3 indirect measures of fitness.

Answer 13

direct
- production of gametes
- rate of mating (copulation)
- fertilisation of eggs
- no. of offspring
- rate of offspring growth
- offspring survival to adulthood
- alleles they are carrying

indirect
- ability to survive
- ability to compete
- access to food
- access to living space
- efficiency of locomotion
- morphological/physical features
- immune response

Question 14

what are the 2 levels of analysis in the study of animal behavior, and what does each contain? (tinbergen’s 4 questions)

Answer 14

proximate level
- development (assembly of animal, internal components)
- mechanism (neuronal-hormonal mechanisms controlling animal’s behavior)

ultimate level
- evolutionary history
- adaptive function (adaptive value as affected by natural selection)

Question 15

which level of analysis is associated with male digger bees smelling the females and locating them for mating?

Answer 15

proximate level - mechanism

Question 16

what are the 3 appraoches to study animal behavior?

Answer 16

1. comparative (comparing behavior across diff species)
2. expt
3. observational

Question 17

what is the predator distraction hypothesis?

Answer 17

by mobbing potential predators, gulls distract them from predating on their nests

Question 18

which of the 3 study approaches did hans kruuk use to investigate the predator distraction hypothesis?

Answer 18

all 3.

1. observational
2. expt (placed 10 eggs every 10m, on a line from inside to outside nesting colony, and observed which eggs were predated on by the carrion crows)
3. comparative (explored gull phylogeny to see if ground-nesting is an ancestral feature of seagulls, and if mobbing is found only in ground-nesting gulls)

Question 19

closely related species more similar than distantly related species due to __________ contraints. (ie. similar inheritance)

Answer 19

evolutionary

Question 20

convergent evolution vs divergent evolution

Answer 20

convergent evolution is whereby distantly related species share similar traits due to similar living conditions.

while

divergent evolution is whereby closely relate species have different traits due to changing conditions.

Question 21

occam’s razor means _______

Answer 21

parsimony - simplest explanation possible