Raising Offspring

Question 0

What is the reproductive value?

Answer 0

We assume that organisms are adapted to maximise reproductive value (RV) which can be partitioned into current and future reproductions

Question 1

What is life history theory?

Answer 1

4 questions faced by parents:

• when to start breast feeding
• how many offspring to produce
• what sex offspring to produce
• how much to care for offspring

Question 2

What components are trade offs between?

Answer 2

• growth vs reproduction
• offspring quantity vs quality
• current vs future reproduction

Question 3

What is r and k selection?

Answer 3

R- selected species = quantity over quantity

K-selected species = quality over quantity

r/K selection is relative

Question 4

Teenage pregnancy

Answer 4

Uk highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe

Strong association with poverty

Increase education and contraceptive availability

Question 5

What are the conflict of interest?

Answer 5

• fishers sex ratio theory
• 1:1 ratio
• disagreement over the optimal sex ratio

Question 6

What is parental care?

Answer 6

Trivers 1972

Any investment by the parent in an individual offspring that increases the offspring change of surviving at the cost of the parents ability to invest in other offspring

Question 7

What is sibling rivalry?

Answer 7

Another prediction of the parent - offspring conflict model is that each offspring wants more pi for itself than for its offspring by father of 2

Question 8

what is nestling begging?

Answer 8

Kilner and Johnstone 1997