Quiz 4 Flashcards
T/F Sexual selection is different from natural selection because it affects reproductive
fitness.
F, both affect reproductive fitness
Why did Alfred Russell Wallace dislike Darwin’s idea of sexual selection?
a. Because he didn’t think of it first
b. Because it implies that mental judgments affect evolution
c. Because it acts against natural selection
d. Because it causes exaggerated traits
e. Because peacocks made him sick
B. because it implies that mental judgments affect evolution
Name THREE general characteristics of the pair bonding reproductive strategy.
sexual dimorphism, male energy divided between male-male competition and parental investment, mutual courtship, low degree of polygyny, low variance in male vs male reproductive success
“All other things being equal?” Describe a social, environmental or physiological condition that
a. is likely to promote polygyny:
b. is likely to promote monogamy:
a) likely to promote polygyny - asymmetric parental investment, high variance in male reproductive success, male energy devoted to competition
b) likely to promote monogamy - offspring that require extensive or prolonged care, not-abundant/not-clumped food resources, limited nest or burrow sites, low population densities
Which of these tend to be true about the gender that invests more in caring for offspring?
a. that gender is a ‘limiting resource’ for the reproduction of the other gender.
b. that gender shows greater discernment in choosing mates than the other gender.
c. physical traits that differ between the two genders become signals of reproductive
value.
d. The investing gender is more likely to survive relative to the other gender.
e. All of the above.
E. all of the above
Under what conditions is a helper at the nest strategy most likely to evolve?
The helper-at-the-nest strategy is most likely to evolve in conditions when nest sites are difficult to find and defend, and cooperation becomes necessary. Helpers at the nest defend the nest site so the main pair can successfully reproduce.
What are three prerequisites for the evolution of reciprocal altruism?
Reciprocal altruism evolves when there is a low cost to giving aid to another individual but a high benefit of aid, as well as long-term association between individuals, a means of identifying individuals, and a means of punishing non-reciprocators.
Provide a likely evolutionary explanation for why adults in the following species regularly commit infanticide.
a. male lions
b. female Lilly Trotters (Jaçanas)
a) In lions, female estrus is suppressed while nursing cbs, who take several years to fully mature. Since pride lions only retain their spot for a few years before being ousted, they cannot afford to wait for the females to stop nursing, so they remove the cubs in order to maximize the likelihood of passing on their genes.
b) Female jacanas often try to encroach on territory previously occupied by another female. Males are the ones that brood, and will not be receptive to fertilizing another female while still brooding.
How is reciprocal altruism different from kin selection?
a. Reciprocal altruism requires memory
b. Kin selection requires repeated interactions
c. Reciprocal altruism requires a high degree of relatedness
d. Kin selection leads to reciprocal altruism
e. They are the same thing
A. reciprocal altruism requires memory
