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Behavioural Ecology🦓🐝🐒 > Mating Systems > Flashcards

Mating Systems Flashcards

1
Q

What is Bateman’s principle

A

“the theory that females almost always invest more energy into producing offspring than males, and therefore in most species females are a limited resource over which the other sex will compete”

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2
Q

How do males and females differ in time/ energy investments in offspring

A
  • Males – invest time and energy in male competitions – gives them maximum number of mating
  • Females – invest time/ energy to gain mate and parental care – maximises number of offspring
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3
Q

What does Bateman’s principle suggest about sexual selection in males and females

A

Males optimise offspring QUANTITY

Females optimise offspring QUALITY (of sperm = quality of genetics)

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4
Q

What 3 things are considered by a female choosing a mate?

A

Pheromones
Courtship rituals
Phenotypes (=good genes)

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5
Q

What are the 3 types of Polygamy

A

Polygyny
Polyandry
Polygynandry

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6
Q

Define Polygyny

A

1 males mates with lots of females

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7
Q

Define Polyandry

A

1 females mates with lots of males

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8
Q

Define Polygynandry

A

Everyone mates with everyone

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9
Q

Name a species that is Polyandry

A

Anglerfish

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10
Q

Name a species that is Polygyny

A 
Elephant seal 
Spotted hyena
Gorillas
Hamadyras baboon 
Pheasants
Red Deer
Lions
Bengal Tiger
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11
Q

What is Monogamy

A

One mate for a mating season or lifetime

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12
Q

What animal group is monogamy most common in

A

birds/ aves

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13
Q

What does DNA analysis show about monogamous bird species

A

Promiscuity occurs.

The offspring aren’t always genetically fathered by the resident male

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14
Q

What percentage of mammal species are monogamous?

A

3%

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15
Q

What percentage of Avian species are monogamous?

A

90%

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16
Q

What percentage of monogamous birds’ offspring are actually fathered by another male

A

30%

17
Q

What does Bateman’s Principle suggest about monogamy?

A

Monogamy isn’t very/ at all beneficial to males (doesn’t select for quantity)

18
Q

What are 3 hypotheses for male monogamy

A

Mate-Guarding Hypothesis
Mate-Assistance Hypothesis
Female-Enforcement Hypothesis

19
Q

How does the Mate-Guarding Hypothesis explain male monogamy?

A

Males that stay with female, prevent other males mating with her.

20
Q

When is the mate-guarding hypothesis most beneficial?

A

When mates are hard to find

Or when the male becomes sterile after copulation

21
Q

Give an example of male suicide

A

Redback Spiders

Become sterile after copulation so place self in female’s jaws

22
Q

Why do Redback Spider males commit male suicide?

A
  • Large male: female ratio = females are hard to find

- Males become sterile after copulation

23
Q

When is male sacrifice favoured?

A
  • When less than 20% of males find a female

- When the male becomes sterile after copulation

24
Q

What is the male-assistance hypothesis?

A

Suggests males stay with partner because male assistance increase offspring survival and therefore lifetime reproductive output (Increased survival of young outweighs young gained from seeking extra mates)

25
Q

Give an example of animals that support the male-assistance hypothesis

A 
Swans 
Emperor Penguins
Seahorses 
Primates
Rodents
26
Q

How does parental care work in seashorses?

A

Males carry eggs in brood pouch
They synchronise reproductive cycle with females
Both avoid extra pair copulations

27
Q

Explain the female-enforcement hypothesis for monogamy

A
  • Female ensures the male does not have offspring that might compete with her own
  • She actively interferes with the male’s signally to attract other mates – usually some form of aggression
28
Q

Give an animal that supports the female-enforcement hypothesis

A 
Razorbills
Burying Beetles (Necrophorus)
29
Q

How do burying beetles support the female-enforcement hypothesis?

A
  • After setting up one nest with a female, a male will want to attract another female (beneficial for HIM)
  • Male may add additionally females to the nest (releasing pheromones)
  • First female will attack the male if she detects these pheromones
30
Q

How do Djungarian Hamsters support the male-assistance hypothesis?

A
  • Males help infants being born
  • No significant association between monogamy and male care
  • Males don’t leave because if they are out looking for a female, they leave themselves open to cuckoldry
31
Q

How do songbirds support the male-assistance hypothesis?

A
  • Both males and females can produce milk
  • Provide more food
  • Increases breeding success when food is scarce
32
Q

What happened to Male Spotless Starling behaviour when testosterone levels were reduced?

A

Testosterone levels reduced, they provided more food for broods and had higher fledgling rates per brood

33
Q

What happened to Male Spotless Starling behaviour when testosterone levels were increased?

A

Less food was provided to the brood

Ended up with lowest fledgling rate

34
Q

How does male presence in snow buntings (birds) affect young?

A

When male snow buntings were removed, females reared fewer than 3 young
When males helped, 4x more young were reared

35
Q

How does hatching rates differ in biparental and uniparental starlings?

A 
Biparental = 97% eggs  hatched
Uniparental = 75% eggs hatched
36
Q

How do Tree Swallows support the male-assistance hypothesis?

A

Polygynous Tree Swallow males fathered 0.8 fledglings

Monogamous Tree Swallow males fathered 3.0 fledglings (over 3x more)

37
Q

How do Horned Beetles demonstrate alternative mating strategies?

A
  • Nutrition affects body size
  • More nutrients = bigger horns in males
  • Long horns = mate-guarding behaviour
  • Small/ no horns = adopt sneaking strategy (dig tunnel to intercept female tunnel without begin noticed)

Both strategies = effective

38
Q

How to Red Paper Wasps demonstrate alternative mating strategies?

A
  • Smaller wasps = Patrollers
  • Larger wasps = Territorial (will chase away intruders)
  • Owning territory leads to greater number of mating opportunities
  • Territorial males rub abdomens across territory to apply pheromones, attracting females
  • Patrollers are too small to compete, so resort to sneaking behaviours – will sneakily mate with females in other territories when territorial male is temporarily away or distracted
39
Q

What are secondary sexual characteristics?

A

any physical characteristic developing at puberty which distinguishes between the sexes but is not directly involved in reproduction

Behavioural Ecology🦓🐝🐒 (13 decks)

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