Intro

Question 1

What are proximate and ultimate questions?

Answer 1

Proximate - How questions:
- causation (mechanism)
- development (ontogeny)

Ultimare - Why questions:
- evolution (phylogeny)
- function (selection)

Question 2

What does level of analysis mean?

Answer 2

Refers to whether you’re studying ultimate or proximate causes

Question 3

Give an example of testing a proximate hypothesis

Answer 3

Orientation in bee wolves

Female bee wolf provisions her underground nest with honeybees

She leaves on hunting trips but always finds her way back to the nest

On flying away she circles to presumeably memorise landmarks near the entrance

After hunting trip she will return to the wrong location if the landmarks have been moved by an experimenter

Question 4

Give an example of testing an ultimate hypothesis

Answer 4

Eggshells are removed by parent birds

The closer shells are to gull nests the greater the predation

This supports the hypothesis that removing shells after hatching increases fitness

Question 5

What are the four steps in the scientific method

Answer 5

1) ask a question about an observed behaviour

2) establish a hypothesis to potentially explain what has been seen

3) set up predictions based on the hypothesis

4) test these predictions by gathering appropriate data (field observations, experiments etc)