Other Communication Methods for Courtship

Question 1

Which animals can detect UV light

Answer 1

Bees
Butterflies
Fishes
Lizards
Songbirds

Question 2

How to butterflies use UV light for courtship

Answer 2

Females prefer males with brighter UV reflecting patches

Question 3

How is UV used in songbirds

Answer 3

Songbirds prefer males with UV reflecting feathers

Question 4

What does courtship require

Answer 4

A nervous system that can recognize important stimuli

Question 5

Which five modifications to the nervous system form the basis for selection

Answer 5

Visual
Auditory
Touch
Taste-smell
Motor patterns

Question 6

How do signals arise

Answer 6

Co-option of an existing signal
Produce new signals for which perceptual ability already exists

Question 7

What does co’option of existing signal do

Answer 7

Allows females to make choices between mates

Question 8

What is it called when an animal produces new signal for which perceptual ability already exists

Answer 8

Sensory exploitation

Question 9

How do water mites exhibit sensory exploitation

Answer 9

Male trembles, tricking female into thinking theres pray. She grabs male and releases him. He then deposits his sperm, she picks it up if receptive

Question 10

Which water mites are more receptive to the sensory exploitation, and what does this indicate

Answer 10

Hungry females- male trembling takes advantage of hungry female’s perceptual abilities

Question 11

How do male guppies attract females

Answer 11

Eat fruits so that they can obtain carotenoids that turn their scales orange

Question 12

Why is turning the scales orange beneficial for guppies

Answer 12

The female lays eggs in nest, takes eggs into her mouth. Male swims by, flashes anal fin with orange spots, which the female tries to eat. Male deposits sperm, fertilizes eggs

Question 13

What corresponds with female receptivity birds

Answer 13

Crest size

Question 14

How was crest size’s impact on females studied?

Answer 14

Stuffed birds with various sized artificial crests were used. Large crests (even if abnormally large) had the strongest female responses

Question 15

What is a theory for why animals are attracted to features that they have never seen

Answer 15

Novel stimuli plays a role in attraction

Question 16

Why may artificial stimuli have strong reactions from females

Answer 16

Ancestors displayed these types of stimuli in a biologically relevent setting

Question 17

How are ancestral attractions signals seen in lizards

Answer 17

They lost their abdominal blue patch, but females still respond appropriately to conspecifics with artificial blue patch painted on

Question 18

What are the three aspects of evolution of sexual selection traits

Answer 18

Occur rapidly
Hard to study
Many interpretations

Question 19

Why does evolution of sexual selection traits occur rapidly

Answer 19

Traits gained and lost, sometimes more than once

Question 20

What interpretations are there for evolution of sexual selection of traits

Answer 20

Nutrition, health of male, general preference for body size

Question 21

what are the four reasons why communication is adaptive

Answer 21

Attract males
Scare off intruders
Advertise fitness
Warn off predators

Question 22

What are honest signals/why are they adaptive

Answer 22

Signals that are adaptive bc they cant be mimicked

Question 23

What happens when an honest signal is mimicked

Answer 23

Receivers can learn to ignore the fake signal, reducing likelihood of it being produced

Question 24

What hypothesis is there regarding honest signals

Answer 24

Threat signals are honest and accurately reflect a male’s capacity, as weakened males shouldnt be able to produce as honest of a signal of aggression compared to their healthy state

Question 25

Which animals have honest signals corresponding to frequency, and what does this mean

Answer 25

Male croak, geckos, and owls. Lower frequency means larger size

Question 26

How does the correspondence of frequency and size give others important information

Answer 26

Informs the others if they would like to attack or not based on frequency of noises produced by the animal

Question 27

What are deceptive or illegitimate signalers

Answer 27

Species that learn to mimic another species as to exploit it

Question 28

What is an example of illegitimate signaling

Answer 28

Butterfly larvae secrete chemical cues identical to ants in order to get the ants to take care of them

Question 29

How to illegitimate signalers impact the receivers

Answer 29

They reduce the receiver's fitness

Question 30

When can deceptive behavior pose a problem for the sender

Answer 30

When modern conditions are different, causing the behavior is no longer adaptive?

Question 31

Why does deception evolve

Answer 31

Deception does not cause complete loss of fitness for the receiver. If the receiver lost the ability to respond to the cue, it would result in zero fitness for the species, so it is beneficial for the receiver to continue responding

Question 32

What is an illegitimate receiver

Answer 32

An animal that uses signal information to the detriment of the signaler

Question 33

What is an example of illegitimate receiver

Answer 33

Crickets in Hawaii went from calling to silent after a deadly parasitic fly was produced. The parasitic fly was the illegitimate receiver

Question 34

Why may begging by baby chicks be maladaptive

Answer 34

Attracts preators, but parental warning calls can eliminate begging calls from chicks, reducing their risk

Question 35

what sound charasteristic is good for animals that may be at risk of predation

Answer 35

High frequencies- dont travel as far

Question 36

What are the two reasons why baby animals may beg

Answer 36

Sibling rivalry Honest signal hypothesis

Question 37

Why may sibling rivalry cause animals to beg

Answer 37

Gain parents attention, get more food

Question 38

Why may honest signal hypothesis explain why animals beg

Answer 38

Begging cries provide accurate info about need

Question 39

What happened when food deprived baby robins were put in the nest with well fed siblings

Answer 39

More robust begging from the well-fed siblings

Question 40

Describe the begging calls of chicks with no siblings

Answer 40

When parents return with food, they produce a begging call that correlates with its condition (hungry = more calls)

Question 41

How do Blue Throat birds determine which baby to feed first

Answer 41

Feed the largest baby first depite equal begging from smaller chicks

Question 42

How do other species of birds determine which baby to feed first

Answer 42

Feed the loudest, most intense caller first

Question 43

Why is the first hatched the first to be fed

Answer 43

They are larger and stronger

Question 44

Describe Reed Warbler's feeding of their young

Answer 44

Parents will feed birds that are not their own offspring. Cuckoos can mimic the call of the Warblers, and tend to get almost four times the amount of food in comparison to the Warbler's actual offspring

Question 45

What type of cause is exploitation

Answer 45

Proximate cause

Question 46

What type of cause is the female preference of novel male attributes

Answer 46

Ultimate cause