MST1102 Tony Clare

Question 1

Define behaviour

Answer 1

Behaviour is defined simply as the way an organism responds to a stimulus in its environment. It covers all kinds of movement and responses to changes in the environment, ranging from simple reflexive movements, such as breathing, to complex learned skills.

Relationships with members of own species, other species and the physical environment.

“Adaptive behaviour ensures survival, and survival ensures evolutionary success”

Question 2

Define Ethology

Answer 2

Ethology – the study of the mechanisms of behaviour and their adaptive value; the natural history of behaviour

Question 3

Define comparative psychology

Answer 3

Comparative psychology – comparative studies of animal behaviour

Question 4

Define behavioural ecology & sociobiology

Answer 4

Behavioural ecology & sociobiology – behavioural ecology concerned with a species’ ecological niche; sociobiology concerned with the social system of a species and its evolution

Question 5

What are proximate causes

Answer 5

Proximate causes comprise the underlying physiological mechanisms and the assembly of mechanisms during development.

Question 6

What are ultimate causes?

Answer 6

Ultimate causes are concerned with why genes and proximate mechanisms have persisted and the evolution of the behavioural trait.

Question 7

What can natural selection be employed to test a hypothesis on?

Answer 7

Natural selection theory can be employed to erect testable hypotheses about the possible adaptive value of an animal’s behavior.

Question 8

What is differential reproduction?

Answer 8

Differential reproduction: Some alleles may be better than others at producing effects that cause their bearers to transmit copies of their alleles to subsequent generations.

Question 9

Define instinct

Answer 9

Definition: a behaviour pattern that appears in fully functional form the first time it is performed, even though the animal may have had no previous experience with the cues that elicit the behaviour.

Question 10

Define a phenotype

Answer 10

Phenotype: any behavioural trait that develops as a result of the interaction between the individual’s genotype and the environment

(IQ score)

Question 11

How does CRISPR-Cas9 edit genes?

Answer 11

Question 12

Define - allopatric speciation

Answer 12

Role of behaviour in speciation – interruption of gene flow by physical barrier – allopatric speciation. E.g. Ismuth of Panama and wrasse speciation. If species diverge they may be prevented from interbreeding by pre- or postzygotic mechanisms.

Question 13

Define imprinting

Answer 13

Imprinting - a process that occurs when an animal learns to make a particular response to only one type of animal or object

Question 14

Describe the optimality model

Answer 14

Optimality model – “seeks to predict which particular trade-off between costs and benefits will give the maximum net benefit to the individual”

Question 15

What is an adaptation?

Answer 15

An hereditable trait that (1) either spread because of natural selection to the present or (2) is currently spreading relative to alternative traits because of natural selection (Alcock, 2001)

Question 16

Describe batesian mimicry

Answer 16

Batesian mimicry – non-poisonous species has markings similar to a poisonous species and gains protection from this similarity

Question 17

Describe mullerian mimmicry

Answer 17

Müllerian mimicry – noxious species that resemble each other

ØE.g. Tropical Queen and Monarch are two poisonous species that have similar markings

Question 18

Describe vigilance

Answer 18

Vigilance – the animal’s state of readiness to detect certain specified events occurring unpredictably in the environment (McFarland, 1981)

Particularly effective in group situations, e.g. response of wood pigeons to goshawk

Question 19

Define communication

Answer 19

Biological communication defined as: “action on the part of one organism (or cell) that alters the probability pattern of behaviour in another organism (or cell) in a fashion adaptive to either one or both of the participants” (Wilson, 1975)

Question 20

What is a signal.

Answer 20

Signal is “the physical form in which a message is coded for transmission through the environment” (Drickamer et al., 2002).

Question 21

Define illegitimate receivers

Answer 21

Illegitimate receivers ‘listen in’ on communication between legitimate senders and receivers

Question 22

Describe the raffle hypothesis.

Answer 22

Raffle hypothesis - genetically variable offspring better suited to unpredictable environment

Question 23

Describe the Red Queen hypothesis

Answer 23

Red Queen hypothesis – evolutionary race in which variable offspring have more chance of being resistant to pathogens, competing better, etc.

Question 24

Describe intersexual selection.

Answer 24

Intersexual selection – members of one sex choose certain mates of the other sex

Question 25

Describe intrasexual selection.

Answer 25

Intrasexual selection – individuals of one sex compete among themselves for mates

Question 26

Describe runaway selection

Answer 26

Runaway selection – sexually selected traits may become exaggerated, e.g. peacock

Question 27

Monogamy

Answer 27

association between one male and one female at a time.

Question 28

Polygyny

Answer 28

Association between one male and two or more females at a time

Question 29

Polyandry

Answer 29

Association between one female and two or more males at a time.

Question 30

Polygamy

Answer 30

general term which includes all multiple-mating and non-monogamous systems.

Question 31

Promiscuity

Answer 31

Absence of any prolonged association and multiple mating by at least one sex.

Question 32

Monogomy - what is the mate-guarding hypothesis

Answer 32

Mate guarding hypothesis - adaptive for male to guard female if she remains receptive after mating

Question 33

Monogomy what is the male assistance hypothesis?

Answer 33

Male assistance hypothesis – male stays with a single female to help raise young

Question 34

Polygyny, what is resource defence polygyny

Answer 34

Resource-defence polygyny – female’s choice of mate depends upon the quality of the male and the resources in his territory

Question 35

Polygyny, what is the Female (harem)-defence polygyny?

Answer 35

Female (harem)-defence polygyny – when females aggregate in favourable breeding sites, males can monopolise them

Question 36

Polygyny, what is male-dominance polygyny?

Answer 36

Male-dominance polygyny – if movements or areas of assembly of females are predictable, males can lek

Question 37

Polygyny, what is scramble polygyny?

Answer 37

Scramble polygyny (scramble competition polygyny) – competition by ‘racing’ to females

Question 38

What is sex-role reversal polyandry?

Answer 38

Sex role reversal polyandry – males provide parental care and females compete for mates. E.g. American jacana and spotted sandpiper

Question 39

What is society?

Answer 39

Society – “a group of individuals of the same species that is organised in a co-operative manner extending beyond sexual and parental behavior” (Drickamer et al. 2002)

Question 40

Define mutualism

Answer 40

Mutualism – both helper and recipient gain from the interaction Sometimes mutual benefits may not be so obvious, e.g. long-tailed manakin

Question 41

Define altruism

Answer 41

Altruism – unrelated individual acts to increase the fitness of another individual at a cost to its own fitness

Question 42

Define reciprocal altruism

Answer 42

Reciprocal altruism – eventual pay-off for helper

Question 43

Define eusocial.

Answer 43

Species that include specialised non-reproductive castes that work on behalf of the reproductive members of the society are termed eusocial. Also characterised by overlapping generations