Lecture 7: Parental Behavior

Question 1

What is parental behavior?

Answer 1

Any behavior performed in relation to one’s offspring that directly contributes to survival of fertilized eggs/offspring outside of the female body

Question 2

Maternal behavior is specific to ____ while parental behavior is specific to ___

Answer 2

Mothers; father

Question 3

The sex who is choosier for potential mates tends to be the sex that will have a larger investment in ___ and ___ their offspring. This principle applies to most mammalian species, with ___ being choosier and therefore investing the most in parental care.

Answer 3

Feeding and protecting ; females

Question 4

What species provide little to no parental care?

Answer 4

Fish: They release eggs to be fertilized, leave them on their own for development/survival

Reptiles: Many females cover eggs in dirt, sand, etc and leave them alone for hatching/survival

Question 5

Since the pandemic began, the share of young adults living with their parents has risen to levels not seen since the _____

Answer 5

Great Depression

Question 6

____ offspring are born/hatched at early developmental stages, generally quite helpless and require substantial parental care to survive

Answer 6

Altricial

Question 7

____are offspring born/hatched at advanced developmental stages, which requires little to no parental intervention to survive

Answer 7

Precocial

Question 8

What type of offspring require less initial investment per individual (during development)?

Answer 8

Altricial

Question 9

What type of offspring require more initial investment per individual (during development)?

Answer 9

Precocial

Question 10

The extent and nature of parental care depends on development of the ____

Answer 10

Offspring

Question 11

90% of ___ species exhibit biparental care

Answer 11

Avian

Question 12

Robins and starlings are _____ young while chickens and ducks are ___ young

Answer 12

Altricial; precocial

Question 13

For altricial young, biparental care involves: ____, ______, and ____

Answer 13

Nest building; Incubation; food (typically weeks)

Question 14

In precocial young, biparental care involves: ____, ___, and ___

Answer 14

Nest building, incubation, and broody behavior

Question 15

In avian species, males may assist in ___, ___, or __ parental tasks

Answer 15

One, several, or all

Question 16

Many primates (including humans) produce ____ offspring

Answer 16

Semi-precocial

Question 17

Marsupials are mammals that lack ____, they have a pouch where mammary glands are located and used to transport young

Answer 17

Placenta

Question 18

Some mothers display ____, meaning they will defend their young from intruders, even sometimes the father or pet owner

Answer 18

Aggression

Question 19

Mothers provide ___, ___, and ___ for offspring

Answer 19

Food, shelter, and protection

Question 20

_____ mammals are those with placenta during pregnancy, which allows for greater development prior to birth

Answer 20

Eutherian

Question 21

What type of learning is involved in maternal care and behaviors?

Answer 21

Trial and Error Learning

Question 22

Dams lick their pups after birth to clean off the ____ fluid and stimulate ___ of wastes

Answer 22

Amniotic; elimination

Question 23

Dams adopt a nursing posture, huddling above the pups to allow access to the ___ and to provide ___ and ___

Answer 23

Ventrum; warmth; protection

Question 24

When dams bring their pups back to the ___ if they wander away

Answer 24

Nest

Question 25

Concaveation is also known as ___ _____

Answer 25

Pup induction

Question 26

How long will it take for a nulliparous female to take on maternal roles if they are in the presence of pups?

Answer 26

4-6 days

Question 27

How long will it take for a primiparous females to take on maternal roles if they are in the presence of pups?

Answer 27

4-6 days (after giving birth, she immediately starts taking on these roles)

Question 28

An experienced female will have a __ latency to maternal response compared to an inexperienced female

Answer 28

lower

Question 29

A female that has never had babies will have a latency period in response to pups, it will just be on average ____ days

Answer 29

4-6

Question 30

Once primiparous mothers give birth their maternal latency becomes 0. Is this hormonally mediated or not?

Answer 30

Yes

Question 31

Nulliparous females maternal behaviors are dependent upon __

Answer 31

presence of pups

Question 32

In rats, what hormone is elevated during pregnancy/gestational period?

Answer 32

Progesterone (declines during parturition)

Question 33

In rats, what hormones is elevated during parturition?

Answer 33

Prolactin

Question 34

In rats, what hormone peaks right before parturition occurs?

Answer 34

Estradiol

Question 35

In humans ___ and ___ rise during the gestational period, then decrease right before birth

Answer 35

progesterone and estradiol

Question 36

What happens to prolactin levels during human pregnancy?

Answer 36

Prolactin levels increase gradually until parturition and stay elevated until nursing is completed

Question 37

If human mothers have more circulating estrogen than progesterone in their blood, they may experience ___ attachment with their child. If you have less estrogen to progesterone, you will have __ attachment

Answer 37

low; high

Question 38

When the blood of a new mother is transfused into a nulliparous rat, that rat showed maternal behavior within __ hrs

Answer 38

24

Question 39

True or False: Paternal care and behaviors are visible in primates, rodents, and carnivores

Answer 39

True

Question 40

For paternal care, certainty of paternity should be ___

Answer 40

high

Question 41

True or False: There tends to be more parental care in non-monogamous species.

Answer 41

False - There tends to be more parental care in monogamous species.

Question 42

California mouse father have increased ___ concentrations

Answer 42

prolactin

Question 43

In expecting human fathers, concentrations of ___ and ___ are reduced while ____ concentrations are increased

Answer 43

testosterone/cortisol; estradiol

Question 44

____ levels are decreased in father common marmosets when they are exposed to infant scent

Answer 44

Testosterone