TT2

Question 1

What is adaptation? What is another name for it?

Answer 1

Short term change in a species (microevolution)

Question 2

What is evolution? What is another name for it?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

What is the primary mechanism that fuels change over time?

Answer 3

Natural selection (both adaptation and evolution)

Question 4

What are the three fundamental facts of natural selection?

Answer 4

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

Question 5

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

Answer 5

Reproduction

Question 6

What is the ability to live and reproduce?

Answer 6

Fitness

Question 7

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

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Traits well suited to the environment…? (2)

Answer 8

Given individuals an adaptive advantage (increase fitness)

Increase expression of successful traits in future generations

Question 9

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

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Sociobiology examines _______ and how it affects natural selection.

Answer 10

Behaviour

Question 11

What are the 3 main ideas behind sociobiology?

Answer 11

Kin selection
Reciprocal altruism
Parental investment

Question 12

What is the popular definition of altruism? Biological definition?

Answer 12

A nice, selfless act.

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

Question 13

Originally, altruistic behavior was thought to evolve because….

Answer 13

It was for the good of the group

Group selection

Question 14

What was the problem with group selection?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

What is Hamilton’s Law?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What is inclusive fitness?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Why was sexual selection theory developed?

Answer 17

To explain secondary sexual characteristics

Question 18

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

Answer 18

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)

Question 19

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

Answer 19

Male-male competition

Female choice

Question 20

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

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What is the definition of parental investment?

Answer 21

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

Question 22

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

Answer 22

1. parent-offspring
2. offspring-offspring
3. parent-parent

Question 23

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

Answer 23

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

Question 24

What are the 5 main group possibilities?

Answer 24

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

Question 25

What is natal/secondary emigration?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

What is natal/secondary transfer?

Answer 26

First/secondary dispersal from natal group into a breeding group

Question 27

Where do dispersing primates go? (3)

Answer 27

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

Question 28

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

Answer 28

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)

Question 29

What is the difference between proximate and ultimate explanations?

Answer 29

P - immediate causes (trigger) | U - evolutionary reasoning

Question 30

What are the two variants of group cohesion?

Answer 30

Cohesive and fission-fusion

Question 31

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

Answer 31

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

Question 32

What are the new terms of f-f dynamics?

Answer 32

High f-f (low cohesion) | Low f-f (high cohesion)

Question 33

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

Answer 33

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

Question 34

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

Answer 34

Predation protection detection dilution defense

Question 35

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

Answer 35

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

Question 36

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

Answer 36

Contest and scramble 1. Female residency/dispersal 2. Differentiated/Undifferentiated relationships 3. Dominance hierarchies/egalitarian 4. Social bonds/no social bonds

Question 37

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

Answer 37

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

Question 38

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

Answer 38

1. juvenile females learning to mother | 2. mother relief hypothesis (kin selection + inclusive fitness)

Question 39

What are the four socializing agents in infant care?

Answer 39

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

Question 40

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

Answer 40

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)

Question 41

Why would males interact with infants? (2)

Answer 41

1. kin selection | 2. sexual selection

Question 42

Why do males commit infanticide? (5)

Answer 42

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

Question 43

Explain three characteristics of the transition to adulthood (puberty)

Answer 43

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

Question 44

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

Answer 44

1. nulliparous 2. primiparous 3. multiparous