L5 Developement of behaviour - genes

Question 1

What did Charles Darwin assume about natural selection?

Answer 1

All traits are inherited - didn’t know about genes

Question 2

What did Francis Galton assume about intelligence?

Answer 2

That is was inherited, ignored environmental factors e.g. education

Question 3

What is artificial selection?

Answer 3

Different species selected for different traits, e.g. appearance or behavioural traits etc

Question 4

What did Oskar Heinroth show in his studies on courtship displays in ducks?

Answer 4

some behaviours map accurately onto phylogeny

Question 5

What is behavioural ecology?

Answer 5

Began in mid 1970s, focus was on the adaptive significance of behaviour and assumes a genetic basis for most behaviour, assessing the relative influence of genetic and environmental affects on traits

Question 6

Who is Cyril Burt and what did he do?

Answer 6

Conducted twin studies - if behaviour is genetic then identical twins should score the same, not the case, however he was. biased so faked the results of his study

Question 7

What is an emlen funnel?

Answer 7

Emlen funnel is a bird cage shaped like an inverted cone, used to study bird behaviour, in particular birds’ migratory instincts

Question 8

How do Blackcaps to exhibit migratory behaviour?

Answer 8

Duration of restless during migration time, differs in populations depending on proximity to destination, hybrids with intermediate restlessness time were bred. Additional tests selecting for non-migration gene resulted in birds that didn’t migrate, showing migration is a genetic trait

Question 9

What are animal model studies?

Answer 9

Used to estimate the genetic component of phenotype variation. Provides estimates for heritability’s and genetic correlations used to understand how genes influence phenotypes

Question 10

What behaviour trait is genetic in great tits?

Answer 10

Boldness vs shyness

Question 11

give an example to investigate single genes involved in behaviour?

Answer 11

Knockout experiments in mice - single fosB gene responsible for maternal behaviour, if inactivated mother shows no caring instinct for young, showing this is the gene that controls for that behaviour

Question 12

What is a super gene?

Answer 12

two or more genes inherited together

Question 13

What are the three plumage and behavioural polymorphs of the ruff - Philomachus pugnax?

Answer 13

Resident, satellite and Faeder

Question 14

Describe the Resident ruff. what are its mating strategies?

Answer 14

Has ancestral gene, homozygous, dark plumage, territorial, no inversion of the gene, attempts to establish and defend territories (a lek) where females visit

Question 15

Describe the Satellite ruff, What are its mating strategies?

Answer 15

Has the supergene, light plumage, not territorial, attempt to get access to females within defended territories

Question 16

Describe the Faeder ruff. what are its mating strategies?

Answer 16

was created by an inversion, one copy of inversion, one of ancestral gene. Resembles the females, however has extra large testes as are only able to infrequently mate