Prep-U Chapter 9

The graph above shows reproducitve output data for male and female fruit flies. How many offspring are produced by females with two mates?

50

In Belding's ground squirrels, why are females much more likely than males to engage in altruistic behavior by sounding alarm calls?

Females tend to remain in the area in which they were born, so the females that call are warning their own kin.

What could be said of our sense of taste?

What tastes good to us is dictated by our nutritional needs.

A gene will increase in a population, even if it causes an individual's fitness to be immediately decreased, if:

an individual's "sacrificial" behavior leads to reciprocity, and an overall fitness increase for that individual.

The Belding's ground squirrel giving off an alarm signal in the picture above would most commonly be:

an older female in the colony in which she was born.

Incest avoidance evolved in humans:

because breeding among close relatives leads to a higher proportion of offspring with genetic defects and, consequently, reduced fitness.

Among Natterjack toads in northern Europe, males produce booming calls to attract females. Females desire large males and the size of the male determines the volume of the call. Why is the Natterjack's call considered an "honest signal"?

because the call of a large Natterjack male cannot be faked by a smaller Natterjack male

"Turning on the lights and siren on an ambulance" is to "getting to the hospital faster" as _________ is to _________.

behavior, reproductive success

In black widow spider mating, the male ___________________________ and the female ___________________________.

breaks off his sexual organ inside the female ; kills and eats the male

In most mammals, as well as many other species, males generally compete for females. The best explanation for this phenomenon is:

females have a higher parental investment.

This mating pair is in a species whose reproduction includes all of the following EXCEPT: a) high female variance in reproductive success. b) inequality in parental care of the offspring. c) high male variance in reproductive success. d) sexual dimorphism. e) polygyny.

high female variance in reproductive success.

The theory of kin selection holds that an altruistic-appearing individual maximizes its own "inclusive fitness" by helping other individuals with whom it shares genetic material. In which of the following species is such altruistic-appearing behavior most likely to evolve?

honey bees, which live in a hive of mostly sisters from the same mother queen bee.

Assume that you carry an allele, R, that causes you to help individuals to whom you are not related. This help increases their fitness and decreases yours. The frequency of allele R may still increase in the population:

if individuals you help are likely to return the favor and help you at some point in the future.

Although beneficial, group living also has many costs. Which of the follow is NOT a cost to an individual of living in a group?

increased opportunity for reciprocal altruism

Because group selection _____________________________, it very rarely occurs.

decreases the reproductive success of individuals

Behaviors that do not require environmental input for their development are called:

instincts.

In terms of their gametes, sperm and eggs,:

male and female animals are sexually dimorphic.

Which of the following would NOT reduce parental uncertainty? a) males leaving behind their copulatory organ in the female b) males chasing away other suitors after copulation c) males that form a copulatory plug after copulation d) males challenging each other to duels e) males that greatly extend the act of copulation

males challenging each other to duels

Of the approximately 10,000 species of birds, more than 90% appear to be:

monogamous.

Of the approximately 10,000 species of birds, ______________________ appear to be monogamous.

more than 90%

In a polyandrous mating system:

multiple males tend to mate with the same female.

In the graphs above, the x axis represents _________________ and the y axis represents _________________.

number of mates ; number of offspring

Molecules released by an individual into the environment that trigger behavioral responses in other individuals are called:

pheromones.

Tirso de Molina is credited with launching the fictional character Don Juan in a play he wrote called El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra (The Trickster of Seville). Many authors and playwrights, including W. A. Mozart, have written further accounts of this notorious seducer of women. Don Juan's "mating style" can best be characterized as _________ and ________.

polygamous, polygynous

A single breeding male Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) may mate with several females, but each female usually mates with only one male. This type of mating system is known as:

polygyny.

In a species such as elephant seals, in which males are significantly larger than females, the most likely mating system is:

polygyny.

Although, most children don't talk until they are a year old, by the age of three they understand most rules of sentence construction and the average six-year-old native English speaker already has a vocabulary of about 13,000 words. These skills are impressive, particularly in light of the fact that at this age, children are not competent at most activities, from cooking to driving to fine motor coordination. Language acquisition is:

prepared learning.

The graph above shows reproductive output data for male and female fruit flies. According to the graph, which is likely the factor limiting reproductive output of a female fruit fly?

production of eggs

Behavior that involves giving up something of relatively low value in exchange for getting something of great value in the future is best described as:

reciprocal altruism.

Mate guarding is a reproductive tactic that functions to:

reduce paternity uncertainty.

The energy that a parent puts into the growth, feeding, and care of offspring is called:

reproductive investment.

Kin selection is defined as:

selection for a behavior that lowers an individual's own chances of survival or reproduction, but raises those of another individual who may be reciprocally altruistic.

Studies of selection and mate selection in birds have shown that:

sexual characteristics may be maladaptive in some respects.

Polygyny is often positively correlated with:

sexual dimorphism and variation in male reproductive success.

When the sexes of a species differ in size or appearance, it is called:

sexual dimorphism.

Hamilton's Rule reveals that the more closely related two individuals are:

the more likely they are to act altruistically towards each other.

In the figure above, the animal colored blue in the box represents:

the only low-ranking male elephant seal to produce offspring.

Sexual monomorphism refers to:

the situation in which males and females are physically and behaviorally similar.

Sexual dimorphism refers to:

the situation in which males and females differ physically and/or behaviorally.

Which of the following is NOT a topic in animal behavior? a) communication b) cooperation and sociality c) behavioral control of body temperature d) courtship and mate choice e) All of the above are topics in animal behavior.

All of the above are topics in animal behavior.

What is the ultimate explanation for modern human preference for fatty foods?

Ancestral humans that preferred fatty foods were less likely to starve, leaving more offspring to the next generation.

Upon strolling home one evening, Lord Balmoral turns up the walkway to discover that his family estate is in flames. Assuming that the following relatives are all of the same age and are equally likely to reproduce, whom should Balmoral order his butler to rescue at the highest priority, from a strictly kin-selectionist perspective (that is, according to Hamilton's rule)?

his half-sister Eunice

Which of the following best illustrates an instinctive behavior in cats?

hunting and killing

The main differences between mammals and birds that affect their mating systems are:

in mammals, the fertilized egg develops internally and the female lactates, while in birds, the fertilized egg develops externally and there is no lactation.

The sum of an individual's indirect and direct fitness is called _______.

inclusive fitness

The "total amount of money" earned by a business is to "money earned by regular sales" plus the "extra money earned through increased customers when a business voluntarily performs a community service" as:

inclusive fitness is to the sum of direct and indirect fitness.

The genetic contribution of an individual to subsequent individuals through its own offspring and its influence on the survival of other relatives is referred to as:

inclusive fitness.

Which of the following is NOT typically a form of animal communication? a) posture b) increased heart rate and metabolic rate c) vocalizing d) release of airborne hormones e) baring one's teeth

increased heart rate and metabolic rate

Although beneficial, group living also has many costs. Which of the follow is NOT a cost to an individual of living in a group? a) increased opportunity for reciprocal altruism b) increased competition for mates c) increased risk of infanticide or injury to offspring d) increased risk of disease and parasites e) increased competition for resources

increased opportunity for reciprocal altruism

Although beneficial, group living also has many costs. Which of the follow is NOT a cost to an individual of living in a group? a) increased risk of infanticide or injury to offspring b) increased competition for mates c) increased risk of disease and parasites d) increased competition for resources e) increased opportunity for reciprocal altruism

increased opportunity for reciprocal altruism

An honest signal:

is a signal, given when both the signaler and responder have the same interests, that cannot be faked.

A comparison of the graphs above shows that:

males maximize reproductive success by mating with as many females as possible.

Polygamy and monogamy are two types of:

mating systems.

In a study often referred to as the "casual sex study," randomly selected men and women were asked if they would like to have sex with the experimenter. Men turned out to be more likely to accept this proposal than women. This is most likely because:

men have a lower initial investment than women so they will be less discriminating in choosing a mate.

Male dance flies produce elaborate gifts that they present to females. The evolution of this behavior is best described as due to:

sexual selection.

Song and bright colors make male birds conspicuous to predators. The large, gaudy tail of the peacock may be a hindrance in activities such as feeding and flight. Yet these features evolved because of:

sexual selection.

In the "Ultimatum Game," one player (the proposer) proposes a way to split $100 and the other player (the decider) either accepts it—in which case both players get the amount proposed for them—or rejects it and neither player gets any of the cash. Deciders will nearly always reject offers of $90 for the proposer and $10 for them because:

the evolution of reciprocal altruism has led to human brains being very sensitive to detecting and punishing stingy/selfish people.

If two alleles exist at the same gene locus in a population, one for a selfish behavior and one for a selfless behavior, regardless of the initial frequencies, over time:

the selfish behavior allele will increase its percentage in the population to near fixation.

In polygynous mating systems:

there is usually greater variation in reproductive success among males than among females.

Vampire bats:

will sometimes regurgitate blood into the mouth of an unrelated individual that is close to starving.

Nearly every type of canine, including dogs of both genders, walks in a tight circle before lying down. This circling behavior occurs wherever the dog is, including on a kitchen or concrete floor. How might this behavior have evolved?

Circling in nature may better prepare a "bed" and serve as a check for predators

Human babies quickly and easily develop a fear of snakes. Yet they don't easily develop a fear of guns. Why?

During most of the history of human evolution, snakes were dangerous to humans and guns didn't exist.

Babies in the U.S. quickly and easily develop a fear of snakes. Yet they don't easily develop a fear of guns. Why?

Evolution can be slow in producing populations that are adapted to their environments.

The graph above shows reproductive output data for male and female fruit flies. Why is there no increase in the number of offspring produced by females that have access to additional males beyond the first?

If a single male produces more sperm than the number of eggs produced by the female, access to more sperm does not result in more offspring.

Which of the following is an example of kin selection?

In the Australian social spider, shortly after giving birth to about fifty spiderlings, the mother's body slowly liquifies into a nutritious fluid that the newborns consume.

__________ selection is the type of natural selection that acts on characteristics that determine reproductive success.

Sexual

Why is this goose rolling a beer can back to her nest?

She's exhibiting a fixed action pattern that directs her to retrieve any item that even vaguely resembles an egg.

James Joyce once wrote: "Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world, a mother's love is not." Why is he wrong?

Since a mother and her child are related by 0.5, not the 1.0 of an individual with himself/herself, their genetic interests are highly—but not completely—aligned.

Suppose a mutation of an allele occurred in a few members of an isolated group of early humans that resulted in a distaste for foods that were rich in fat. Which of the following would most likely result from this mutation?

The allele frequency would decrease.

When scientists displace an adult female Belding's ground squirrel to a new group for an experiment, she still risks her life alarm-calling although she is not saving any of her kin. Why does this behavior still persist now that it is harmful to her fitness?

The ground squirrel is acting on instinct and still calls because she possesses no instincts suited to this evolutionarily novel situation.

In an experiment, it was observed that a group of mainland animals increased their vigilance and decreased foraging in response to novel predators. What is the best prediction we can make about a group of the same species of animal found on a predator-free island?

When exposed to the novel predators, the island animals will not respond because they have lost costly antipredator behaviors in the absence of all predators

When a goose spots an egg outside of its nest, the goose gets out of the nest and rolls the egg back. Once started, a goose continues the egg-retrieval movement all the way back to the nest, even if the egg is taken away during the process. This is called:

a fixed action pattern.

All of the following are necessary conditions for reciprocal altruism to evolve in a species EXCEPT: a) at least one of the sexes must not disperse, so that some individuals live near their kin. b) the ability to punish cheaters who do not reciprocate. c) repeated interactions with the same individuals. d) the ability to recognize different individuals. e) All of the above are necessary for the evolution of reciprocal altruism.

at least one of the sexes must not disperse, so that some individuals live near their kin.

All of the following are necessary conditions for reciprocal altruism to evolve in a species EXCEPT: a) the ability to recognize different individuals. b) at least one of the sexes must not disperse, so that some individuals live near their kin. c) repeated interactions with the same individuals. d) the ability to punish cheaters who do not reciprocate. e) All of the above are necessary for the evolution of reciprocal altruism.

at least one of the sexes must not disperse, so that some individuals live near their kin.

Selfishness should be seen more often between unrelated individuals unless 1) there are repeated opportunities to be a donor or recipient, 2) the cost to be a donor is relatively low, and 3):

cheaters are recognizable and punished for cheating.

Kin selection theory would lead us to predict that:

children in step-families are injured more frequently than those living with their biological families.

Which of the following have had strong effects on the evolution of mating systems in animals? a) a male's certainty of paternity b) the amount of care required by the young c) the size of the population d) Only a) and b) have had strong effects on the evolution of mating systems in animals. e) Only a) and c) have had strong effects on the evolution of mating systems in animals.

e) Only a) and c) have had strong effects on the evolution of mating systems in animals.

In mammals, as well as many other species, males generally compete for females. The best explanation for this phenomenon is:

females have higher parental investment.

Which of the following are correct statements about fixed action patterns?

All of the above are correct statements about fixed action patterns.

Which of the following is NOT an example of evolved reciprocal altruism?

All of the above are examples of evolved reciprocal altruism.

Which of the following is NOT a topic in animal behavior? a) altruism and sociality b) communication c) behavioral control of body temperature d) courtship and mate choice e) All of the above are topics in animal behavior.

All of the above are topics in animal behavior.

Which of the following is NOT likely to be an innate behavior? a) All African peach-faced lovebirds carry nesting materials to the nesting site by tucking them in their feathers. b) Salamanders raised in the absence of water can still swim just as well as salamanders raised near water. c) Birds avoid eating distinctively-colored monarch butterflies because they taste bad. d) The red color of other male stickleback fish triggers aggressive behavior in males. e) Newborn birds cringe in their nests if the shadow of a predator bird passes over them.

Birds avoid eating distinctively-colored monarch butterflies because they taste bad.

Assume you hear males of a particular species of bird calling in their natural environment and question why they call. You design the follow experiment to try to answer your question. You cage one male individual and record his calling rate in response to four treatments. You vary the sex and species of the birds that your male subject could see. Your treatments are: no birds of the same species; 10 male birds of the same species; 10 female birds of the same species; 5 male and 5 female birds of the same species. The results of the experiment show that the rate at which the male subject called is the same across all four treatments. Which one of the following might represent a null hypothesis that this experimental design could reject?

Males of your species call at a rate that is independent of the sex composition of the audience.

If you find a species of fish in which males are much more brightly colored and larger than females, what might you infer about their mating system?

They are polygynous.

Maternal diabetes is thought to be the consequence of:

conflict between the mother and fetus with respect to how much food the fetus should be given, since a mother is equally related to the fetus and all future offspring of hers while the fetus is more related to itself than to subsequent siblings.

Which of the following is an example of feeding behavior that has a high energy intake to effort ratio?

crabs eating mussels that are intermediate in size

At conception, the mother's energetic contribution to the offspring _______________ the father's.

exceeds

When evolution leads to behaviors that are good for a species or population but detrimental to the individual exhibiting the behavior, this process is called:

group selection.

This Belding's ground squirrel:

has just seen a hawk.

Because it is possible for a female to mate with multiple males, any of whom could be the father, male mammals and birds will always:

have some degree of paternity uncertainty.

When a male fish defends his nest:

he increases the percentage of eggs in the nest that he will fertilize.

In a polygynous mating system:

variance in male reproductive success is greater than variance in female reproductive success.

Female Belding's ground squirrels have evolved to follow a simple rule that translates into:

"if I am an older female, I should behave as if I have many close relatives around me."

Which of the following is NOT likely to be an innate behavior? a) Salamanders raised in the absence of water can still swim just as well as salamanders raised near water. b) Birds avoid eating distinctively-colored monarch butterflies because they taste bad. c) All African peach-faced lovebirds carry nesting materials to the nesting site by tucking them in their feathers. d) Newborn birds cringe in their nests if the shadow of a predator bird passes over them. e) The red color of other male stickleback fish triggers aggressive behavior in males.

Birds avoid eating distinctively-colored monarch butterflies because they taste bad.

Which of the following conditions must be met for reciprocal altruism to evolve? a) The benefits to the recipient must be significantly greater than the costs to the donor. b) The interacting parties must be related to each other. c) There must be the ability to recognize and punish cheaters. d) Both a) and b) are correct. e) Both a) and c) are correct.

Both a) and c) are correct.

Why is it so much easier for an infant to learn a complex language than for a college student to learn biology? a) Language involves memorization only, without the need for understanding rules, while biology involves both. b) Language is a feature with great evolutionary relevance for humans. c) Learning biology was not a behavior with evolutionary relevance for humans. d) Biology involves much more vocabulary than learning a complex language. e) Both b) and c) are true.

Both b) and c) are true.

Relative to birds, more mammalian species are: a) monogamous. b) polygynous. c) polyandrous. d) sexually dimorphic. e) Both b) and d) are correct.

Both b) and d) are correct.

In a situation in which males guard eggs and care for the young without help from the female, which of the following statements is most likely TRUE? a) Females are more brightly colored than males and court males aggressively. b) Males are large and more brightly colored in order to attract the very best females. c) A single male controls a harem of females to which he has exclusive reproductive access. d) Males and females are equally brightly colored but males court females aggressively. e) The population is monogamous with no sexual dimorphism.

Females are more brightly colored than males and court males aggressively.

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways that females manifest their choosiness in mating? a) Females will mate with males that contribute a large parental investment up front. b) Females will mate with males after subjecting them to courtship rituals. c) Females will mate with males that have valuable physical attributes. d) Females will mate with males that control valuable resources. e) Females will mate with males that engage in reciprocal altruism.

Females will mate with males that engage in reciprocal altruism.

Which of the following is NOT a correct statement about fixed action patterns? a) Fixed action patterns can be triggered by an inappropriate stimulus. b) Fixed action patterns are highly stereotyped, instinctive behaviors. c) Once begun, fixed action patterns are continued to completion. d) Fixed action patterns are developed over a long period of time through observations of the parents actions. e) Fixed action patterns are triggered by stimuli in the environment.

Fixed action patterns are developed over a long period of time through observations of the parents actions.