Mating Systems and Parental Care

Question 1

Factors that predict parental care

Answer 1

Mating systems, Ecological factors, Physiological constraints, Territory size

Question 2

Monogamy

Answer 2

Male and female pair bond

Short bonds, such as pair over a breeding season

Long term bonds pair for life

Males and females provide parental care

Question 3

Polygyny

Answer 3

Males mate with multiple females

Can be simultaneous or succession

Common in mammals

Most advantageous to male reproductive success

Question 4

Polyandry

Answer 4

Opposite of polygyny, females mate with multiple males

Can be simultaneous or succession

Males provide parental care

Rare (occur in inverts, amphibians, primates)

Question 5

Simultaneous

Answer 5

Seen in polygyny and polyandry

mate with several females or males within a short period of time

Question 6

Successive

Answer 6

Seen in polygyny and polyandry

mate with several females or males within longer duration of time

Question 7

Promiscuity

Answer 7

Male and females both have multiple mating partners

Either male or female provides parental care

Seen in primates, some species of fish

Question 8

Paternity certainty

Answer 8

External fertilization – male more sure he is father, male parental care

Internal fertilization – male not as sure he is father, female parental care

Question 9

Seasonal harem

Answer 9

males only defend females during specific times of the year

Question 10

Permanent Harem

Answer 10

males defend females throughout the year; more exhausting/energy used

Question 11

Super harem

Answer 11

Male defends group of females in one area and males defend female group in another area

may occupy same location, engage in competition to decide which male is better and becomes leader

Question 12

Leks

Answer 12

• group of males meet in specific areas to find mates together
• success rate small for males
• seen in birds, amphibians

Question 13

Hotshot hypothesis

Answer 13

association with better looking males to appear more attractive to others

Question 14

Describe the significance of the Sparrow Experiment

Answer 14

-Experiment: raising young

• Seaside Sparrow removed male, success at 98%
• Song Sparrow removed female, success at 69%
• Monogamous in current studies show greater reproductive success, preferred over polygany tactics

Question 15

What can effect/alter maternal behaviors?

Answer 15

steroid hormones!

Question 16

Name steroid hormones that can alter/effect maternal behaviors

Answer 16

Oxytocin (posterior pituitary), Vasopressin (posterior pituitary), Prolactin (anterior pituitary), Others like neurotransmitters (like dopamine and serotonin)

Question 17

Name steroid hormones that can effect/alter paternal behaviors

Answer 17

Prolactin, Progesterone, Oxytocin, Vasopressin, Testosterone

Question 18

Name costs of parental behavior

Answer 18

Risk of predation: vulnerable with young attached at the hip, care makes vulnerable

Huge investment of resources and energy

Lost opportunities: sacrificing one thing for another

Question 19

Describe the Female rat in Kyphosis experiment: if given pups when not theirs, what behaviors will happen?

Answer 19

• the experiment began with ovaries removed from rats and drug to block prolactin
• rats treated with estradiol and progesterone (present during pregnancy)
• then different amounts of prolactin were dispersed: none (control), 10microg. or 50microg.
• conclusion: maternal behavior higher in female rats injected with prolactin compared to control

Question 20

Infanticide

Answer 20

• See in polygyny
• Male kills off offspring
• Reasons: Inducing reproductive status (young care does not allow ovulation, will go into heat if no offspring); Frees up genetic competition; more resources (does not want to provide for others’ offspring)

Question 21

Describe parental behavior cost in Common Eider

Answer 21

Have to sit on eggs, do not move to prevent eggs from freezing, huge weight loss creates own risk

Question 22

Brood reduction

Answer 22

Occurs when female faces drain of resources and energy

Not all offspring will survive, engage in behavior to get rid of some offspring

Abandoned animal increase chance of their own survival

Question 23

Siblicide

Answer 23

Offspring take each other out, stronger kick out weaker to promote survivability

Question 24

Brood parasitism

Answer 24

No care at all for offspring (damn, that’s tough)

Question 25

Name an example of brood parasitism

Answer 25

Great Spotted Cuckoo

Sometimes leaves another species to take care of their own egg; can do to multiple nests

Question 26

What can happen to an egg recognized to be different in another specie’s next?

Answer 26

recognized egg can be kicked out as egg or hatchling