Video Flashcards
Advantages and disadvantages of sexual reproduction compared to asexual reproduction?
Advantages: Sexual reproduction creates genetic diversity, which helps species survive in changing environments and fight off diseases. It ensures that offspring have different traits, which can be helpful for survival.
Disadvantages: It takes more time and energy because organisms have to find a mate. Also, only half of a parent’s genes are passed down, whereas, in asexual reproduction, 100% of the parent’s genes are copied.
Why did Darwin “hate peacocks”?
Large colourfulness didn’t seem helpful for survival - it made peacocks slower and easier to pray.
Later realized that peahens (female peacocks) prefer makes with big, flashy tails because it shows that they are healthy and strong. - Led him to develop the idea of sexual selection.
Why did sexual fish in Mexico lose their resistance after the drought?
Before the drought, sexual fish were more resistant to infection because they had a lot of genetif variety. But after the drought, most of the sexual fish died, and only a small number survived. Since there were fewer of them, they started breeding with close relatives, making them for genetically similar. This loss of variety made them just as vulnerable to infection as the asexual fish.
How does the way chimpanzees and bonobos find food affects their mating behaviour?
- Chimpanzees have to compete with gorillas for food, so female chimps spread out and search for food alone. Since females don’t form strong bonds, male chimps dominate and often use aggression to control mates.
- Bonobos dont have to compete with gorillas, so females can stay together and form alliances. Because of these, females control social interactions, and bonobo society is much more peaceful, with sex being used to reduce tension and build relationships rather than just for reproduction.
What were the results of the smelly T-shirt experiment? Why do they make sense in evolution?
Women preferred the smell of T-shirts worn by men with immune genes that were different from their own. This makes sense in evolution because having a mix of different immune genes in offspring makes them stronger and more likely to survive diseases. It’s nature’s way of helping us pick the healthiest mates.
Why does Geoffrey Miller think the human brain evolved because of sexual selection rather than survival?
He thinks that our brains did not just evolve to help us survive but also to attract mates. Like peacocks show off their tails, humans show off intelligence, creativity, humour, and artistic skills to impress potential partners. This helped shape our brains over time, making humans more intelligent than other animals.
When should males be picky about their mates? Give an example from the video.
Males should be picky when they invest a lot in raising their young. If a male spends time and energy caring for babies, he wants to ensure they are truly his.
Ex: In songbirds, males help feed and raise chicks. If a female cheats and has babies with another male, the caring father might end up raising babies that arent his. So, male songbirds are careful about choosing loyal mates.
