Sex And Behaviour

Question 1

what defines parental investment

Answer 1

use of resources by a parent to benefit future or exsiting offspring

Question 2

what are the benefits of parental investment

Answer 2

increased number of offspring with higher chance of survival, increased evolutionary fitness of parent

Question 3

what are the selection pressures for gametes

Answer 3

large eggs(more energy supply), fast sperm

Question 4

describe the paradox of quantity Vs quality in male and female gamete production

Answer 4

males = quantity/ quality, large amount of sperm produced, females = quality/ quantity, fewer eggs over a limited period

Question 5

describe a sessile organism

Answer 5

a very slow moving or fixed organism

Question 6

state the three solutions to sessile organisms reproducing

Answer 6

self fertilization, synchronized release of gametes, using animal carriers

Question 7

give one benefit and cost of internal fertilization

Answer 7

benefit - great control in choosing a mate, cost - increased risk of parasitism

Question 8

what would be one reason to not choose external fertilization

Answer 8

little choice over mate, more gametes may be required, low success rates

Question 9

describe characteristics of an r strategist

Answer 9

many offspring produced, unstable environment, little parental care, smaller organisms, higher death rates

Question 10

if an organism have little offspring but had extensive parental care what would you class them as

Answer 10

k strategists

Question 11

what is a monogamous organism

Answer 11

an organism who shares gametes with only one other organism

Question 12

what leads to sexual dimorphism

Answer 12

sexual selection

Question 13

what sex of the species is often inconspicuous

Answer 13

femalesb

Question 14

what is sexual dimorphism

Answer 14

stark differences in characteristics between two sexes of the same species

Question 15

give an example of a species that displays reverse sexual dimorphism

Answer 15

artic wading birds

Question 16

what are sneaker males

Answer 16

use cunning methods to sneak in and mate with females, aren’t the strongest, often disguise themselves to resemble females

Question 17

what are males competiting for in male to male rivalry

Answer 17

access and rights to breed with femalesb

Question 18

what is a lek

Answer 18

small communal area where males display to females

Question 19

describe lekking

Answer 19

males display in a lek and females come to visit and select between the males, normally one or two dominant males that mate with most females

Question 20

what are satellite males

Answer 20

alternative strategy to lekking, try to intercept females at the peripheral at the lek and mate with them

Question 21

when does imprinting occur

Answer 21

during a critical time period in young animals development

Question 22

what is imprinting

Answer 22

an irreversible rapid development process by which the animal fixates its attention and follows the first object it senses

Question 23

what may imprinting influence later in life

Answer 23

mate selection

Question 24

what do honest signals and good phenotypic qualities show the females

Answer 24

male has good genotype and low parasitic burden

Question 25

what is a fixed action pattern response

Answer 25

it’s triggered when there is a specific stimulus, varies very little between members of the same species, instinctive. example : male sticklebacks/imprinting

Question 26

what is polygamy

Answer 26

when one individual mates with several others in the same mating season

Question 27

give an example of a species that leks

Answer 27

black grouse