lecture 9 Flashcards
what is the purpose of natural selection?
to reduce variation to identify the most adaptive trait for the environment the individual is in
characteristic is passed on
how do traits show fitness, indicating adaptation?
fecundity
survivorship
what is fecundity?
the number of offspring an individual has
what is survivorship?
whether the offspring lives for long enough to reproduce
who proposed what sexual selection arises from?
Andersson, 1994
what does sexual selection arise from?
differences in reproductive success caused by competition for access to mates
what is the difference between inter sexual and intra sexual competition?
intersexual competition= competition between members to attract the opposite sex
intrasexual competition= members of one sex choose members of the other sex
what is directional selection?
favours traits which are overall positive, want more of that trait
what is stabilising selection?
want the mean level of the trait
extremes are selected against
what is disruptive selection?
extreme traits are favoured
what is heritability?
proportion of phenotypic variation in the population that is due to genetic variation
what is the formula for heritability?
h^2=Gv/(Gv+Ev)
what does Gv stand for?
genetic variation
what does Ev stand for?
environmental variation
is all genetic variance transmitted from one generation to the next?
no
who suggested three possible mechanisms for the evolution of personality?
Penke, Denissen and Miller, 2007
what are the three possible mechanisms for the evolution of personality?
selective neutrality
mutation selection
balancing selection
what is the most plausible mechanism for the evolution of personality?
balancing selection
what is selection neutrality?
mutations build up, but as these are removed by natural selection, they do not make significant contributions to variation within the species
how is reproductive success measured?
how many children people have
how many children live to age 5
these children’s bmi
what did Alvergne et al (2010) find out about personality and reproductive success in women?
greater reproductive success is linked to average levels of neuroticism
what did Alvergne et al (2010) find out about personality and reproductive success in men?
higher extraversion in men is linked to greater social status and more children
what is the mutation selection balance idea?
natural selection (decreasing trait variance) balances the effects of mutation (increasing trait variance)
everyone wants beneficial traits, but inbreeding doesn’t increase this trait
traits should be sexually attractive
is there evidence for assortive mating?
yes, but only for openness and conscientious personality traits
what is assortive mating?
individuals with similar traits are more likely to mate
what was found for husbands for assortive mating?
husbands who wanted kind, considerate wives got wives with high agreeableness and extraversion