Animal Behaviour

Question 1

Why do animal’s communicate?

Answer 1

Aggression
Sex 
Identity
Status
Need
Social info

Question 2

What is communication?

Answer 2

Passing of info from sender to receiver

Question 3

What is a signal?

Answer 3

Feature of an animal that has evolved specifically to alter the behaviour of receivers

Question 4

What are cues?

Answer 4

Any feature that can be used by an animal as a guide to future action

Question 5

What are animal senses?

Answer 5

Methods by which animals perceive their environment

Question 6

How do signals evolve?

Answer 6

Cues revealing autonomic stimulation

Ritualisation of uses revealing changes in behaviour

Question 7

What are Tinbergen’s 4 why questions?

Answer 7

1. Causation (mechanisms)
2. Ontogeny (development)
3. Function (adaptive advantage)
4. Phylogeny (evolutionary history)

Question 8

What does evolution of behaviour depend on?

Answer 8

The heritability of behaviour

Question 9

What is calling rate influenced by? In crickets

Answer 9

Genetics
Ambient temp
Presence of females
Whether there are other males around (tend to chirp more with more males around)

Question 10

How do genes influence behaviour?

Answer 10

Controlling hormones and senses impacts how an animal may act

Question 11

How do genes influence behaviour of birds in migration?

Answer 11

Control corticosterone: foraging activity, migratory fuelling rate, departure fuel load
Control melatonin: migratory restlessness, departure decisions, duration of migratory flights
Control orientation in relation to visual/ magnetic cues: migration route

Question 12

In mutualism, what is the effect on self and effect on others?

Answer 12

Effect on self: Positive

Effect on others: Positive

Question 13

In altruism, what is the effect on self and effect on others?

Answer 13

Effect on self: Negative

Effect on others: Positive

Question 14

In selfish behaviour, what is the effect on self and effect on others?

Answer 14

Effect on self: Positive

Effect on others: Negative

Question 15

In spiteful behaviour. what is the effect on self and effect on others?

Answer 15

Effect on self: Negative

Effect on others: Negative

Question 16

What are some examples of cooperation?

Answer 16

Parental care

Helping siblings

Question 17

What is the coefficient of relatedness?

Answer 17

Genetic similarity of 2 individuals relative to the population as a whole

Question 18

What is the coefficient of relatedness of identical twins?

Answer 18

1.0

Question 19

What is the coefficient of relatedness of a parent and their offspring?

Answer 19

0.5

Question 20

What is the coefficient of relatedness of siblings?

Answer 20

0.5

Question 21

What is the coefficient of relatedness of a grandparent and their grandchild?

Answer 21

0.25

Question 22

What is the coefficient of relatedness of an aunt/ uncle to their nephew/ niece?

Answer 22

0.25

Question 23

What is the coefficient of relatedness of a great-grandparent and their great-grandchild?

Answer 23

0.125

Question 24

What is the coefficient of relatedness of 1st cousins?

Answer 24

0.125

Question 25

What is inclusive fitness?

Answer 25

The ability of a individual organism to pass on its genes to the next generation, taking into account the shared genes passed on by the organism's close relatives Direct fitness and indirect fitness

Question 26

What is direct fitness?

Answer 26

A gene can maximise its transmission into the next generation by maximising the reproductive success of the individual it is in

Question 27

What is indirect fitness?

Answer 27

A gene can maximise its transmission into the next generation by maximising reproductive success of other individuals who are likely to share copies of that gene

Question 28

What is kin selection?

Answer 28

The process by which traits are favoured due to their effects on the fitness of relatives

Question 29

What does Hamilton's rule do?

Answer 29

Identifies the conditions under which altruism will spread due to kin selection

Question 30

When will altruism be favoured (e.g. what is Hamilton's rule)?

Answer 30

r*B - C > 0 r=coefficient of relatedness between actor and recipient B= benefit to recipient C= cost to actor

Question 31

What is an example of extreme altruism?

Answer 31

Suicide and sterility in the social insects Bee stings fatal to worker bee= suicide Workers rarely reproduce, help their mother (the queen) to produce offspring= sterility

Question 32

Describe the genetics of male bees.

Answer 32

Develop from unfertilised eggs so are haploid

Question 33

Describe the genetics of female bees.

Answer 33

Develop from fertilised eggs so are diploid | half genes from mother and half from father

Question 34

Describe the population dynamics and altruism in Naked mole rats.

Answer 34

``` Reproductive division of labour Lots of close relations High coefficients of relatedness Cooperative brood care Overlap of generations Cooperative foraging ```

Question 35

How does cooperative courtship work in wild turkeys?

Answer 35

``` Male turkeys form coalitions to court and defend females One dominant male, gets the matings One subordinate male, gets no matings Brother-brother Father-son ```

Question 36

What are some reasons to cooperate?

Answer 36

``` Kin selection By-product benefits Reciprocity Enforcement Deception ```

Question 37

Why are there by-product benefits for cooperation?

Answer 37

Cooperation is the best option in these cases from a selfish perspective, but it also happens to help others too Cooperative hunting increases net food intake

Question 38

What is reciprocity in terms of cooperation?

Answer 38

Net benefits in longer term | Favoured by repeated interactions between individuals

Question 39

What is enforcement in terms of cooperation?

Answer 39

Costs of defecting are high | Punishment in human and primate societies

Question 40

What is deception in terms of cooperation?

Answer 40

Animals may cooperate by mistake | Manipulation of receivers by signallers

Question 41

What is an example of selfish behaviour in reproduction?

Answer 41

Parasitoid wasp Sterile soldiers, don't become adult Soldiers harm relatively unrelated individuals Strong competition for limited resources

Question 42

When does defection pay?

Answer 42

If your opponent cooperates

Question 43

When does cooperation pay?

Answer 43

If your opponent also cooperates

Question 44

What does the choice of cooperation of defection depend on?

Answer 44

Relative payoffs of each strategy Behaviour of opponent Reputation Whether you anticipate future interactions