Exam III

Question 1

alturistic behavior

Answer 1

behavior that is costly to self but beneficial to others

Question 2

kinship

Answer 2

a family relationship; center on the probability that individuals share copies of alleles that they have inherited from common ancestors

Question 3

identical by descent

Answer 3

alleles that are shared because of common ancestry

Question 4

inclusive fitness

Answer 4

when both direct and indirect components are components of overall fitness

Question 5

inclusive fitness model

Answer 5

addition to the “classical” models of natural selection; considers the effect of an allele, not only on the individual in which it resides, but on individuals carrying alleles that are identical by descent

Question 6

Hamilton’s Rule

Answer 6

the decision to aid family members is a function of how related individuals are, and how high/low the costs and benefits associated with the trait turn out to be

Question 7

ecological constraints theory

Answer 7

examines dispersal options of mature offspring and specifically the conditions that favor dispersal from home rather than remaining on a natal territory

Question 8

reproductive skew theory

Answer 8

examines how reproductive opportunities are divided among potential breeders by predicting conditions that should favor conflict or cooperation with respect to breeding decisions

Question 9

worker policing in honeybees

Answer 9

worker bees use information associated with genetic relatedness to “police” their hive and destroy eggs that have low genetic relatedness to them, resulting in an increase in their inclusive fitness

Question 10

parent-offspring conflict

Answer 10

arises with respect to a parent’s decisions about how much to aid to give to any particular offspring

Question 11

kin recognition matching models

Answer 11

the basic concept is that Individual 1 attempts to assess whether Individual 2 is kin or nonkin, depending on how closely individual 2 matches the internal template of individual 1.

Question 12

alliances

Answer 12

when coalitions exist of a long period of time

Question 13

Byproduct mutualism

Answer 13

-When cooperation is a byproduct of the theoretical cost incurred if the individual did not act in a cooperative manner
-The benefits of acting cooperatively here outweigh the costs, and there is less of a temptation to cheat than present in reciprocity
-More likely to evolve in harsher environments

Question 14

coalition behavior

Answer 14

cooperative action by two or more individuals or groups against another individual/group; the formation of rival “teams”.

Question 15

conspecific mutualism

Answer 15

cooperation between individuals of the same species where both participants benefit

Question 16

cooperation

Answer 16

An outcome that, despite possible costs to the individual, provides some benefits to others; to behave in a way that makes cooperation possible

Question 17

cooperative signaling

Answer 17

natural selection should favor less exaggerated signals; favors minimizing signaling costs through conspirational whispers, which reduces the conspicuousness of the communication itself

Question 18

dyadic interactions

Answer 18

happen when two individuals interact in such a way that the fitness of each is affected by both its own action and the action of its partner

Question 19

Evolutionary Stable Strategy (ESS)

Answer 19

A strategy that when it is used by a large part of the population is the most successful strategy and can’t be replaced.

Question 20

Four paths of cooperation

Answer 20

1. Byproct mutualism
2. Reciprocity
3. Group selection
4. Kin selection

Question 21

game theory

Answer 21

A parable for the difficulty of solving problems by acting in their own self-interest, find themselves with greater penalty than they would face if they worked together

Question 22

Implicit information

Answer 22

both parties usually benefit from the information exchange; there is little selection pressure for either to be deceitful: the signaler and receiver have common interests, and selection favors the most economical way to share information

Question 23

manipulator/mind-reader type communication

Answer 23

signals employed should be exaggerated, similar to a salesman trying to convince someone to buy something

Question 24

natal area

Answer 24

place of birth

Question 25

neuroeconomics

Answer 25

a collaborative research effort between economists, neurobiologists and evolutionary biologists that uses brain-imaging technology to understand questions regarding behavior

Question 26

Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT)

Answer 26

Model which mathematically describes food sources in order to pinpoint the most optimal (or worthy) choice

Question 27

parental investment

Answer 27

the amount of energy parents invest in raising their offspring

Question 28

phylogeny

Answer 28

the study of the evolutionary history of a group of organisms

Question 29

polyadic interaction

Answer 29

interaction that involves more than 2 individuals

Question 30

predator inspection

Answer 30

a behavior in which an individual approaches a potential predator to assess the threat it poses

Question 31

Prisoner’s dilemma

Answer 31

a game theory payoff model that is used to study the evolution of cooperation

Question 32

reciprocal altruism

Answer 32

an organism acts in a manner that temporarily reduces its fitness while increasing another organism’s fitness, with the expectation that the other organism will act in a similar manner at a later time

Question 33

search theory

Answer 33

the more an organism encounters a target, the more it becomes familiar with its attributes; will be more successful in locating a target

Question 34

social grooming

Answer 34

when one individual grooms another, considered a cooperative behavior

Question 35

Tit for Tat (TFT) strategy

Answer 35

-A cooperation strategy based on the “if-then” rule with three main characteristics:
1. “Niceness”- The individual is never the instigator of cheating
2. “Retaliation”- If the partner cheats or defects, the individual using TFT will do the same
3. “Forgiveness”- If the partner goes back to cooperating, the individual will not hold a grudge

Question 36

Trait-group selection

Answer 36

selection for trait groups based on a group where individuals affect one another’s fitness

Question 37

Waggle dance

Answer 37

A unique form of behavior in which a bee, deep inside her colony’s nest, performs a miniaturized reenactment of her recent journey to a patch of flowers