Midterm Glossary

Question 1

a genetic, morphological, or behavior change that a species makes to help it survive in its environment

Answer 1

adaptation

Question 2

a loud vocalization given by all ages and genders in response to a disturbance such as the appearance of a predator or another group

Answer 2

alarm call

Question 3

reciprocal cleaning of the fur

Answer 3

allogrooming

Question 4

adapted to life in trees

Answer 4

arboreal

Question 5

a grouping of two or more species that travel and/or feed together

Answer 5

association

Question 6

swinging with arms from one branch to another

Answer 6

brachiation

Question 7

a structure in the mouth used to store food temporarily; found in Old World monkeys but not colobines

Answer 7

cheek pouch

Question 8

with regard to a male and an estrous female, to temporarily associate and travel together to enhance the male’s chances of paternity. Consortion is found in baboons and chimpanzees

Answer 8

consort

Question 9

belonging to the same species

Answer 9

conspecific

Question 10

the distance a group travels in a day, usually measured in meters

Answer 10

day range

Question 11

a conspicuous behavior involving posture, action, and/or vocalization that usually conveys a message to members of the same species

Answer 11

display

Question 12

active during the day

Answer 12

diurnal

Question 13

higher ranking in the hierarchy, as determined by the displacement of other troop members for priority of access to food, mates, or resting places

Answer 13

dominant

Question 14

the specific role of an organism in its environment and community that allows it to survive and reproduce

Answer 14

ecological niche

Question 15

the study of how organisms are affected by and interact with other organisms in a particular environment

Answer 15

ecology

Question 16

the interrelationships among the living organisms and the chemical and physical components of a given environment

Answer 16

ecosystem

Question 17

the departure of an individual from a group to travel alone or join another group, usually at adulthood

Answer 17

emigration

Question 18

the period around ovulation when females are willing to mate, as indicated by perineal swellings or pheromonal or behavioral signals

Answer 18

estrus

Question 19

a social structure in which individuals of a troop split into small sub-groups for foraging and re-form as a large group when food resources permit

Answer 19

fission-fusion

Question 20

an animal that eat fruit as a major percentage of its diet.

Answer 20

frugivore

Question 21

the taxonomic classification below family and above species; indicated by italics and capitalization

Answer 21

genus

Question 22

the period between conception and birth

Answer 22

gestation

Question 23

an interaction between two primates, with one cleaning the other’s fur

Answer 23

grooming

Question 24

animals that have gradually learned to trust researchers and can be followed and studied

Answer 24

habituated troop

Question 25

a rank-ordered system defined by interactions among individuals, with dominants and subordinates

Answer 25

hierarchy

Question 26

the area used by a troop over an annual cycle; usually expressed in hectares (ha). 1 ha= about 2.5 acres.

Answer 26

home range

Question 27

the deliberate killing of infants by members of their own species

Answer 27

infanticide

Question 28

between or among different groups

Answer 28

intergroup

Question 29

within a group

Answer 29

intragroup

Question 30

the two pads on the rump, upon which Old World monkeys and gibbons sit.

Answer 30

ischial callosities

Question 31

an individual between infancy and sexual maturity

Answer 31

juvenille

Question 32

a gesture that many primate species use as a friendly signal when approaching another individual

Answer 32

lip smacking

Question 33

pertaining to kinship or descent through female lines

Answer 33

matrilineal

Question 34

a type of social structure centered on one male and one female that mate only with each other

Answer 34

monogamy

Question 35

the group into which an individual is born

Answer 35

natal troop

Question 36

the tropical regions of Central and South America

Answer 36

neotropics

Question 37

an animal that eats both animal and vegetable material as major percentages of its diet.

Answer 37

omnivore

Question 38

inflation of the tissue between the anus and the vulva with fluid, signaling the onset of estrus and at its fullest, ovulation

Answer 38

perineal swelling

Question 39

able to grasp by wrapping around; often refers to the tail of some larger Neotropical monkeys

Answer 39

prehensile

Question 40

Pertaining to behavior that indicates an individual's interest in sex

Answer 40

proceptive

Question 41

a botanically diverse forest in the tropics or subtropics with plentiful year-round rainfall

Answer 41

rain forest

Question 42

ready to mate; usually corresponds to "estrous"

Answer 42

receptive

Question 43

open, flat tropical grassland with varying amounts of trees and seasonal rainfall

Answer 43

savanna

Question 44

an odor-producing organ

Answer 44

scent gland

Question 45

an olfactory message communicated by rubbing glandular secretions or leaving urine or feces at a specific site

Answer 45

scent mark

Question 46

an animal that passes seeds through its digestive tract and deposits them unarmed. Some seeds germinate faster after having passed through an animal's digestive tract

Answer 46

seed disperser

Question 47

forest in which some but not all of the tree species lose their leaves during one season of the year

Answer 47

semideciduous forest

Question 48

color pattern variation between genders of the same species

Answer 48

sexual dichromatism

Question 49

size, color, or weight variation between genders of the same species

Answer 49

sexual dimorphism

Question 50

the basic biological unit of classification in which like members are similar in appearance, can interbreed, and are different from other species, with which they do not normally interbreed. The species epithet is the uncapitalized word that follows the genus name, as in Cebus apella.

Answer 50

species

Question 51

pertaining to the chest region near the sternum, or breastbone

Answer 51

sternal

Question 52

an individual between sexual maturity and full adulthood; similar to a human adolescent

Answer 52

subadult

Question 53

lower ranking in a hierarchy and therefore giving way to dominant individuals

Answer 53

subordinate

Question 54

a classification level for a species subgroup that lives in a different geographical region and is morphologically different. The second uncapitalized word after the genus name designates the subspecies, as in Cebus apella nigritus.

Answer 54

subspecies

Question 55

in latitudes bordering the tropical and temperate zones

Answer 55

subtropical

Question 56

hanging, climbing, or moving below tree branches

Answer 56

suspensory behavior

Question 57

sharing the same geographic area

Answer 57

sympatric

Question 58

the descriptive science of classification and naming of organisms

Answer 58

taxonomy

Question 59

adapted to life on the ground

Answer 59

terrestrial

Question 60

the area an animal or group actively defends from other members of its species

Answer 60

territory

Question 61

a prosimian's lower incisors, which are inclined forward like a comb and are used for grooming

Answer 61

tooth comb