biology - 2.4b - reproductive behaviours and mating systems in animals Flashcards
What are mating systems based on?
How many mates an individual has during one breeding
season.
What do mating systems range from?
Polygamy (polygyny and
polyandry) to monogamy.
What is monogamy?
The mating of a pair of animals to the exclusion of all others.
What is polygamy?
Individuals of one sex have more than one mate.
What is polygyny?
One male mates exclusively with a group of females.
What is polyandry?
One female mates with a number of males in the same breeding season.
What do many animals have?
Mate-selection courtship rituals.
What can successful courtship behaviour in birds and fish be a result of?
Species-specific sign stimuli and fixed action pattern responses.
What does sexual selection select for?
Characteristics that have little survival benefit for the individual, but increase their chances of mating.
What do many species exhibit as a product of sexual selection?
Sexual dimorphism.
What are females generally?
Inconspicuous;
males
usually have more conspicuous markings, structures and behaviours.
What occurs in some species?
Reversed sexual dimorphism.
What does female choice involve?
Females assessing honest signals of the fitness of males.
What can honest signals indicate?
Favourable alleles that increase the chances of survival of offspring (fitness) or a low parasite burden suggesting a healthy individual.
In lekking species, what happens?
Males gather to display at a lek, where female choice occurs.
