7: Parental Behaviour

Question 1

2 dimensions of human parental behavior

Answer 1

expectation and support

Question 2

4 categories based off the 2 dimensions

Answer 2

neglectful = low/low
permissiveness = low/high
authoritarian = high/low
authoritative = high/high

Question 3

alloparenting

Answer 3

parenting has both paternal and maternal behaviors but often extends to include broader social groups too

Question 4

2 things determine the degree to which offspring require parental assistance in order to survive to reproductive age

Answer 4

altricial and precocial
- altricial young get more parenting

Question 5

altricial

Answer 5

being relatively un or under developed at parturition

Question 6

precocial

Answer 6

being relatively well developed at parturition

Question 7

what is one evolutionary strategy to avoid costs of parenting

Answer 7

the overproduction of precocial young (ex mosquitoes)

Question 8

kin selection

Answer 8

mechanism that can promote alloparenting, in which fitness is given to genetic relatives of those providing care

Question 9

hamiltons rule for altruism

Answer 9

r> C/B

where r is the coefficient of relatedness that can range from 0 to 1
- 0 = no relation above average and 1 = a clone
- parents are related to offspring at r = 0.5 and offspring are related to themselves at r = 1

where B is the quantification of the fitness benefit given to the offspring

where C is the quantification of the fitness cost incurred by the caregiver

Question 10

parent offspring conflict theory

Answer 10

Depending on the ecological
circumstances of a particular
species, there time point at which
the cost overcomes the benefits
varies, but it inevitably arrives

Question 11

what does early care termination result in

Answer 11

parents allowed to reinvest in new young

Question 12

what does late care termination result in

Answer 12

allows young to maximize their benefit

Question 13

parental behavior in female sex

Answer 13

incur more proximal costs than males
for their investment in offspring

Question 14

parental behavior in male sex

Answer 14

Paternal investment is rare, so sexual selection itself becomes a trade-off between the selection of low- vs. high-investment males

Question 15

low investment males vs high investment males

Answer 15

Low-investment males have more time for inter-male competition

High-investment males are therefore less likely to be able to dominate low investment males in inter-male competition

Question 16

mother tree

Answer 16

local douglas firs that preferentially redistribute nutrients to related
local saplings and other plants

Question 17

what is this redistribution facilitated by

Answer 17

a network of fungi that act as sources and sinks for the various molecules that can be “called for” by both the plants and the fungi themselves

Question 18

exceptions of fish engaging in parenting behavior

Answer 18

yolk composition and other feeding

Question 19

in which fish does the hormonal content of the yolk affect morphology

Answer 19

tropical damselfish

Question 20

what hormones in TD fish yolk affect morphology

Answer 20

cortisol decreases larvae length and Test increases yolk size

Question 21

daffodil cichlid alloparents vs parents

Answer 21

allos have higher levels of cortisol

Question 22

which fish feed off the mucus made in the skin of their parents and why

Answer 22

midas cichlids
- because mucus has prolactin, GH and T4

Question 23

what are the exceptions of parental care in amphibians

Answer 23

egg attendance, egg transport
tadpole attendance, tadpole transport, tadpole feeding and internal gestation in the oviduct

Question 24

what does some reptiles show the first signs of

Answer 24

dyadic mate preference

Question 25

what is tissue development in larvae controlled by

Answer 25

T3, T4, CORT and PRL

Question 26

what can tip the balance in sex determination for amphibians and reptiles

Answer 26

steroids in the egg yolk

Question 26

what induces egg laying in amph/rep

Answer 26

nonapeptides

Question 26

male birds parenting facts (3)

Answer 26

unlike other vertebrate classes, most male birds will provide some parental support for new hatchlings or egg incubation males in 60% of subfamilies provide some kind of parental care alloparenting is common in bird species but specifically with older male siblings providing support

Question 26

why are pigeons and doves unique in sense of maternal endocrinology

Answer 26

both males and females have a crop sac with crop milk

Question 27

what has behav endo in birds been mainly focused on

Answer 27

atypical birds like chickens, pigeons and doves

Question 27

broodiness

Answer 27

when females and often males provide parental support by incubating eggs and warming hatchlings

Question 28

what can induce broodiness in non-broody hens

Answer 28

blood serum from broody hens, this is bc of the prolactin

Question 29

when are prolactin levels high in bird moms

Answer 29

during incubation, even for precocial young

Question 30

prolactin levels for altricial young birds

Answer 30

levels remain high for the duration of chick rearing, levels correspond to the length of that rearing

Question 31

bird egg laying and hormones

Answer 31

parasitic parents have increases in prolactin immediately after egg laying egg laying itself is preceded by increases in steroid hormones and LH and FSH

Question 32

example of parasitic form of parenting in birds

Answer 32

the cuckoo - lays their eggs in the nests of other birds so host mom will misidentify the hatchlings as their own - cuckoo hatches first and take disproportionate amount of regurgitated food from host mom - cuckoo has instinct to push other eggs out before they hatch

Question 33

reproductive cycle in ringdove moms

Answer 33

nest building, egg laying, incubation, hatching and post-hatching behavior

Question 34

how is incubation initiated and sustained in ring dove moms

Answer 34

started by high levels of progesterone and sustained by mid incubation increase in prolactin

Question 35

ringdoves - what do crop sacs require

Answer 35

prolactin which can be inhibited by corticosterone

Question 36

what are capons inclined to

Answer 36

broodiness

Question 37

perching birds- nest building is strongly related to what

Answer 37

a decrease in androgen levels BUT androgen levels need to increase in response to territorial defense requirements in males

Question 38

what do paternal male birds show increased levels in

Answer 38

prolactin

Question 39

what is female birds hormonal profile dependent on

Answer 39

nest building and courtship - males hormonal profile is independent from this!!!

Question 40

nest building in male birds and HORMONES!

Answer 40

doves: nest building requires Test to be high instead of progesterone mesotocin and vasotocin antagonists decrease nest building behavior

Question 41

what expresses vasoactive intestinal peptide VIP

Answer 41

brain areas networked w the POA = the medial amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis BNST

Question 42

what is VIP linked to

Answer 42

nesting

Question 43

what receptor density decreases in the POA of parenting birds

Answer 43

androgen

Question 44

what receptor density varies with courtship and brooding, and where and what are the exceptions

Answer 44

prolactin receptor density decreases in the nucleus tuberis but increases in the POA - exception is the parasitic cowbird that has fewer POA receptors

Question 45

testosterone injections in male juncos

Answer 45

resulted in decreased parental behavior but did NOT affect the levels of prolactin or prolactin receptors

Question 46

what are mammals named after

Answer 46

the gland that produces the milk milk = the characteristic nutritive substance produced for its young

Question 47

3 subgroups of mammals

Answer 47

monotremes, marsupials, placentals

Question 48

marsupials

Answer 48

latin for pouch - has 3 phases of parenting

Question 49

monotremes

Answer 49

no nipple, lays eggs

Question 50

placentals

Answer 50

most mammals, named for the specialized organ

Question 51

monotremes - which post pituitary hormones change

Answer 51

mesotocin becomes oxytocin vasotocin becomes vasopressin

Question 52

monotremes - what brain parts reflex low functionality in certain animals

Answer 52

the small size of the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei in both enchidna and the platypus

Question 53

monotreme hormones

Answer 53

monotreme prolactin and GH show closer similarity to other mammals than other reptiles

Question 54

monotremes - lactation hormones

Answer 54

regulated by insulin or CORT

Question 55

marsupials