TT2 Flashcards

1
Q

What is adaptation? What is another name for it?

A

Short term change in a species (microevolution)

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2
Q

What is evolution? What is another name for it?

A

Long term change that results in the appearance of a new species (macroevolution)

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3
Q

What is the primary mechanism that fuels change over time?

A

Natural selection (both adaptation and evolution)

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4
Q

What are the three fundamental facts of natural selection?

A
  1. Variation (inter and intraspecific)
  2. Inheritance
  3. Overproduction (more offspring produced than # surviving to adulthood)
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5
Q

Survival alone is not the only important thing in understanding evolution. What is the second thing to consider?

A

Reproduction

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6
Q

What is the ability to live and reproduce?

A

Fitness

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7
Q

The variance in fitness in each parental generation (________) leads to what?

A

Natural selection; leads to a change in the frequency of trait appearance. From one generation to the next.

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8
Q

Traits well suited to the environment…? (2)

A

Given individuals an adaptive advantage (increase fitness)

Increase expression of successful traits in future generations

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9
Q

What are the 4 points about natural selection and evolutionary change?

A
  1. Evolution operates on the population
  2. NS operates on the individual (ind reproduces or doesn’t)
  3. Variation has to be present
  4. There is no one better variation
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10
Q

Sociobiology examines _______ and how it affects natural selection.

A

Behaviour

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11
Q

What are the 3 main ideas behind sociobiology?

A

Kin selection
Reciprocal altruism
Parental investment

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12
Q

What is the popular definition of altruism? Biological definition?

A

A nice, selfless act.

An act which increases (benefits the recipient) survival and reproduction at a cost to the actor.

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13
Q

Originally, altruistic behavior was thought to evolve because….

A

It was for the good of the group

Group selection

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14
Q

What was the problem with group selection?

A

Altruistic genes reduce in frequency as selfish individuals genes increase in frequency

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15
Q

What is Hamilton’s Law?

A

Explains the cost of an action must be less than the benefit + degree of relatedness
C<BR

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16
Q

What is inclusive fitness?

A

The S&R of an individual + weighted S&R of relatives

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17
Q

Why was sexual selection theory developed?

A

To explain secondary sexual characteristics

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18
Q

Why was a second theory (SS) required to explain secondary sexual characteristics? (3)

A

Contrary to natural selection:

  1. SC’s don’t help with survival
  2. May be detrimental to survival
  3. Don’t appear until adulthood (although competition to survive occurs before)
19
Q

According to Darwin, secondary sexual characteristics evolve because of either: (2)

A

Male-male competition

Female choice

20
Q

What are the four differences b/w NS and SS?

A
  1. NS focuses on surviving to adulthood; SS kicks in at adulthood
  2. NS focuses on survival; SS focuses on reproduction
  3. NS selects via physical environment; SS selects via social environment
  4. SS operates more on males
21
Q

What is the definition of parental investment?

A

The investment a parent makes at the cost of investing in other offspring

22
Q

In parental investment, there is a great potential in conflict between…? (3)

A
  1. parent-offspring
  2. offspring-offspring
  3. parent-parent
23
Q

In sociobiology, what are the four factors that differentiate male/female reproductive strategies?

A
  1. parental investment
  2. total reproductive output
  3. variation in reproductive success
  4. factors limiting success
24
Q

What are the 5 main group possibilities?

A
  1. Solitary
  2. Pair living (Monogamous)
  3. Unimale-Multifemale (Polygynous)
  4. Multimale-Unifemale (Polyandrous)
  5. Multimale and female (Polygynandrous)
25
Q

What is natal/secondary emigration?

A

First/secondary dispersal away from natal group; not necessarily into a breeding group

26
Q

What is natal/secondary transfer?

A

First/secondary dispersal from natal group into a breeding group

27
Q

Where do dispersing primates go? (3)

A
  1. stay solitary
  2. disperse into same sex groups
  3. disperse into bisexual groups (breeding groups)
28
Q

When do dispersing primates go? (2) Primary/secondary + mvf

A

Primary - at maturity
Secondary
m - 5 years, perhaps due to mating choice and success
f - typically stay in group after reproducing (exception: gorilla and maybe howlers)

29
Q

What is the difference between proximate and ultimate explanations?

A

P - immediate causes (trigger)

U - evolutionary reasoning

30
Q

What are the two variants of group cohesion?

A

Cohesive and fission-fusion

31
Q

What are the differences b/w cohesive and f-f primates? (5)

A

Group size, coordination, home ranges, sub-group formation, spatial proximity

32
Q

What are the new terms of f-f dynamics?

A

High f-f (low cohesion)

Low f-f (high cohesion)

33
Q

What 5 things do we examine to quantify f-f dynamics?

A
  1. size
  2. composition
  3. spread
  4. stability
  5. segregation by age/sex
34
Q

Why do primates live in groups at all? (and 3 d’s)

A

Predation protection
detection
dilution
defense

35
Q

What are five possible reasons of variation in kinds of groups?

A

Phylogeny - taxonomic differences (similarities - ie: cercopithecines and male dispersal)
Population density
Predation - red colobus monkeys in Tai and Gombe forests
Infanticide - parallel w/ predation
Feeding competition

36
Q

What are the two types of feeding competition (2) and how do they effect within group social response? (4)

A

Contest and scramble

  1. Female residency/dispersal
  2. Differentiated/Undifferentiated relationships
  3. Dominance hierarchies/egalitarian
  4. Social bonds/no social bonds
37
Q

What is the Human Obstetrical Dilemma and what are four adaptations females possess in light of this?

A

aka human infant challenge. Human big head + bipedalism (narrower birth canal).

  1. unfused skull plates
  2. hormones loosen pelvis
  3. very early birth
  4. obligatory midwife
38
Q

What are two potential reasons primates might want to take care of someone else’s children?

A
  1. juvenile females learning to mother

2. mother relief hypothesis (kin selection + inclusive fitness)

39
Q

What are the four socializing agents in infant care?

A
  1. mothers
  2. alloparents (aunting/infant care)
  3. adult males
  4. peers
40
Q

What is the range of interactions b/w males and infants? (5)

A
  1. intensive caregiving (monogamous nwm)
  2. affiliation (some baboons)
  3. tolerance (some macaques)
  4. use and misuse (gelada)
  5. infanticide (gorillas, langurs, colobus, cebus, many others)
41
Q

Why would males interact with infants? (2)

A
  1. kin selection

2. sexual selection

42
Q

Why do males commit infanticide? (5)

A
  1. nutrition (cannibalism)
  2. reduce competition
  3. sexual selection (lactational amhorrenea)
  4. byproduct of aggression
  5. abnormal nonadaptive pathology
43
Q

Explain three characteristics of the transition to adulthood (puberty)

A
  1. higher mortality
  2. natal dispersal
  3. more gradual for males than females
44
Q

What are the three types of mother parity (experience)?

A
  1. nulliparous
  2. primiparous
  3. multiparous