introduction to animal behaviour

Question 1

population genetics

Answer 1

change in gene frequencies in populations

Question 2

molecular evolution

Answer 2

history of life recorded in DNA sequences

Question 3

systematics

Answer 3

evolutionary relationships between species

Question 4

Palaeontology

Answer 4

The study of life of the geologic past

Question 5

evolutionary ecology

Answer 5

phenotypes and reprodctive success

Question 6

life-history strategy ( phenotype reproductive success )

Answer 6

• age and size at maturity
• number and size of offspring
• sex-allocation
• life-span

Question 7

behavioural ecology ( phenotype reproductive success )

Answer 7

• mate choice
• parental care
• foraging
• competiton for resources

Question 8

behaviour

Answer 8

the sum of the responces of an organism to internal and external stimuli

can either be instinctive or learned

Question 9

Tinbergen’s 4 questions

Answer 9

• control : how does it work?
• ontogeny : how did it develop?
• function : what is it for?
  evolution : how did it evolve?

Question 10

ontogeny of claw waving in Uca ( fiddler crabs )

Answer 10

small crabs : claws are equal weight ( 8% of total weight )

large males : major chela grows even more rapidly, eventually constituting about 38%

large females : claws remain about 8% of th ebody weigh throughout their life

Question 11

function of claw waving in Uca

Answer 11

• defence of burrow against rival ales
• species recognition
• mate attraction
• all factors that relate to reproductive success

Question 12

evolution of claw waving in Uca

Answer 12

Genus : Uca
- all show marked cheliped asymmetry and use chela for signalling

Family : Ocypodidae (Ghost crabs, fiddler crabs etc.. )
- asymmetry common. signalling function

Order : Decapoda
- cheliped asymmetry is common. signalling function for chelae in some groups