Primates Flashcards
Behaviour ________ anatomical evolution
Precedes
What are the requirements for fitness?
- find food
- find and cooperate with a mate
- have and rear offspring
- avoid parasites
- avoid predators
What are the costs of group living?
- increased competition for resources (food, mates)
- increased likelihood of disease and parasite transmission
- increased conspucuousness (predation)
What are the benefits of group living?
- defence of resources and territory from competitors
- less risk of predation
Why does group living lower the chances of predation?
- detection: more eyes to detect predators
- deterrence: more individuals to mob or chase predators away
- dilution: smaller chance that any one individual is the prey when the groups is larger
What do males compete over?
Females
What do females compete over?
Access to males
Correlation of diet with body size
Insectivores < frugivores < folivores
What do small primates require?
Small quantities of high quality food
What do larger primates require?
Large quantities of lower quality food
Why do frugivores have large brains?
Need larger brains to remember the location and phenological status of fruit trees
What is sexual dimorphism suggestive of?
Male to male competition
Clumped distributions of food
May be defended
Territorial
Even distribution of food ie grass
Difficult or not worth defending
Home ranges without defence
Why do both sexes not remain in their natal group?
- in order to increase genetic variation and avoid inbreeding
- seeking better resources
- result of intrasexual competition
