Qs Flashcards
What is kin selection?
Favours behaviour that increase reproductive success of close kin- individual may not be as good
What is direct fitness?
you pass on genes directly
What is indirect fitness?
Increased reproductive success of genetic relative- some of your genes get passed on by relative
What are the empirical approaches to animal behaviour?
Observation (field study- no control variables)
Experiment (laboratory- variables are controlled)
What is individual learning?
Learn from direct experience of environment
What is cultural transmission?
Taught by other individuals/ social learning (I.e parents)
What are Darwin’s two great laws?
Conditions of existence
Common ancestry
Define homologous
Traits shared because of a common ancestor
Define homoplasy
Traits resulting from selection acting independently (platapus and ducks)
Define convergent evolution
Lead to wings in birds, bags and insects- analogous traits
What is perspective taking?
Take into account the relative position of each other when imitating
What is vertical cultural transmission?
Across generations via parents
Give examples of vertical cultural transmission
. Male finches learn to sing from their fathers
. Bottlenose dolphins- herd fish into a beach- only calves born to mothers that were themselves ‘beachers’ use this strategy. Females teach their daughter to ‘sponge’- provides protection from injury when foraging on sea floor
What is oblique cultural transmission?
Transmission across generations not via parents
Give example of oblique cultural transmission
Lab born monkeys- show no fear reaction to snakes- observe fear reaction then they will show fear reaction. Relationship to actor not important
What is horizontal transmission?
Transmission between pears (if starts among young then doesn’t spread to adults)
What was the guppy study for food path?
. Group taught long route to food
. Introduced native individuals who learnt the behaviour
. Removed original and add new and behaviour still passed on
. Maladaptive behaviour- taught long path then given access to short but still used long
Give an example of combination of learning and cultural transmission
. Allows to maximise energy intake
. Arctic tundra to savanna
. Trans located individuals don’t migrate- expect if placed into existing populations
What is intersexual selection?
Compete for access to females, show females they are good quality
What is intrasexual selection?
Compete each (fight) for access to females
Define Bateman’s principle
Females are selective because their reproductive success is limited. Traits that are favoured will increase in frequency, variance in reproductive success promotes promiscuity
What are proximate factors?
How genes affect choice
What are ultimate factors?
How genes are favoured
What is the direct benefits model?
Genetic predisposition to choose mates that provide resources beyond good genes
Give 2 examples of the direct benefits model
Damsel flies- male gives female a nuptial gift, has to be big prey item because they have to remove other sperm
Male redback spiders- depositing his stern, eve action of his body, backflips into the females jaws (fitness enhancing- cannibalised makes fertilise more eggs)
What is the good genes model?
Females look for high quality
Give examples of good genes models
. Big harem- can protect her
. Peacock- number of spots
What is the runaway selection model?
The loci for two traits is present in males and females but only expressed in one sex (reference expressed in females and trait expressed in males)
Give an example of runaway selection model
Stalk-eyed flies- if repeatedly breed females with shirt stalked males then they should get a preference for this
What is sensory/ pre-existing bias?
Preference for a trait as consequence of a neurobiological response
Give an example of a sensory/ pre-existing bias
Females prefer red berries, red feathered males preferred
Give an example of conditioning (sexually)
Japanese quails. Allowed to breed with blonde females not brown, wen saw them together picked blonde, when blonde was taken away the time they spent with females was greatly reduced
What was seen in cowbirds sexually when cross fostered juveniles?
Males learned the song of the foster parents
Females preferred song of foster parents
When they put dummies on black house male territories what always observed?
Females picked ones with dummies
Give examples of what happens in sperm wars
Sterile filler sperm (fill female with it), sperm removal, anti-aphrodisiac, odours (leave on female making her less attractive), displacement by flushing out, copulatory plugs (stop other sperm), accessory proteins
What can fowl do with sperm?
Eject it after copulation
What can flycatchers do with sperm?
Store it for a month
In what species does ‘sperm races’- speed compete inside female occur in?
Drosophila
Give examples of what happens in sperm wars
Sterile filler sperm (fill female with it), sperm removal, anti-aphrodisiac, odours (leave on female making her less attractive), displacement by flushing out, copulatory plugs (stop other sperm), accessory proteins
What can fowl do with sperm?
Eject it after copulation
What can flycatchers do with sperm?
Store it for a month
In what species does ‘sperm races’- speed compete inside female occur in?
Drosophila
What is the hotspots and hotshots hypothesis?
Males will go where they will encounter females- males in centre have a higher reproductive success. Gather around highest quality male (hotshots hypothesis)
What is the sexy son hypothesis?
Females will pick males that are more attractive to other females because it will increase their reproductive success
Give an example of a species that uses the sexy sons hypothesis
Sandfly leks
What is polyandry? Give an example of a species that uses it
Females mate with more than one male
African grey foam nest treefrogs
What is the difference between polyandry and polygyny?
Polyandry- 1 female lots of males
Polygyny- 1 male and lots of females
Give an example of an animal that uses polyandry
Dunnock
What is genetic monogamy?
Individuals form a pair bond