Term
| What three traditions are united in BioNB 2210? |
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Definition
| Ethology (the study of behavior under natural conditions), Evolutionary Biology (the study of history of life and adaptation), and Ecological Genetics (the study of the genes responsible for traits promoting behaviors that enhance reproduction) |
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Term
| What four ideas constitute Darwin's reasoning? |
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Definition
| 1) living organisms multiply geometrically 2) variations exist among individuals in every species 3) Many variations can be transmitted from parents to offspring 4)variations that lead to greater genetic traits & reproduction increase in frequency and will survive longer |
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Term
| What is natural selection by definition? |
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Definition
| Natural selection is differential reproduction |
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Term
| What is evolution by definition? What is it not? |
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Definition
| Evolution is not natural selection. Evolution is gene frequency change. |
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Term
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Definition
| Mutation, migration, genetic drift, and natural selection. |
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Term
| What is natural selection by definition? What does it lead to? |
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Definition
| Natural selection is differential reproduction (which is measured by fitness. Natural selection is the only evolutionary force that leads to adaptation, the "fit" between organisms and environment. |
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Term
| Implications of natural selection? |
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Definition
| 1-individuals can't avoid natural selection. 2-individuals ought always to be striving to reproduce 3-lifetimes are sequences of (unconscious) cost/benefit decisions about how to maximize reproduction. |
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Term
| What is not natural selection? |
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Definition
| Natural selection is not survival of the fittest, the theory of biological perfection, or the guide to living life or solving societal problems. |
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Term
| In testing to why lemmings commit mass suicide, what did G.C. Williams find? What does this finding mean in terms of animal behavior? |
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Definition
| The lemmings do not really show manifestations of suicidal intent. When they do reach waters they detour or they may attempt to swim across. They may drown in doing so, but they may also find safety and less crowded conditions on another shore. In terms of animal behavior, this shows that animals in nature behave to protect themselves, rather than behaving to protect their species. |
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Term
| What did David Lack discover when he tested the variation of clutch sizes on birds and what does this show about animal behavior? |
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Definition
| He found that 1) when there's increase in the number of offspring, there's a decrease in the weight of the individual chicks and 2)when the number of offspring increases, the chance of survival of the adult decreases. This study is significant because it shows that the most successful clutch size is the usual clutch. |
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Term
| When bats in a cresh (common nursery) were studied, what did scientists find out about maternal behaviors? |
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Definition
| When the mothers returned, rather than feed the hungriest baby, they do try to find their own baby. This shows that the feeding behavior is not random and there are very few mistakes made. |
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Term
| What do we learn about animal behavior by studying infanticide by male lions? |
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Definition
| When the father is replaced, all cubs in the litter die 90% of the time. When the father is not replaced, this percentage decreases to 40%. When the father is replaced there is only a 10% chance that at least one cub survives, versus 60% when the father is not replaced. From this we learn that only the male receives genetic/reproductive benefit. |
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Term
| What do we learn about the behavior of animals in nature in terms of natural selection? |
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Definition
| Natural selection favors organisms that are reproductively selfish. Because of this, individuals behave in ways that enhance the spread of their own genetic material, even if such behavior is detrimental to the survival of their own population or species. |
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Term
| What does the selfish gene view of behavioral evolution say? What does this imply? |
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Definition
| Evolution is a gene frequency change, and individuals behave in ways that enhance the spread of their own genetic materials (Paul Sherman. This implies that we need to shift our views from reproductive success to genetic success. |
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Term
| What are some examples of how reproductive success is not necessarily the basis of life? |
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Definition
| 1) fruit flies and their Xrs chromosomes 2) sterile workers in honeybees help their parents produce more offspring by providing resources and protection 3)suicidal behavior in meadow ants maximizes the genetic success of the brain worm trematode that uses the ant as host |
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Term
| What are two ways to achieve genetic success? |
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Definition
| 1) produce own offspring (direct genetic benefits) 2) Help a relative produce offspring (indirect genetic benefits) |
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Term
| What are the two general types of questions? |
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Definition
1) proximate (immediate cause-how does a behavior occur)
- mechanistic (how does it work physiologically? how does it work cognitively?)
- ontogenetic (how does it develop during an individual's lifetime?)
2) ultimate (long term cause - why does a behavior occur)
- fitness effects (why is it maintained by selection?)
- origination (what were its evolutionary antecedent behaviors? when did it first appear in evolutionary time?)
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Term
| What are the many reasons male Belding's ground squirrels disperse? |
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Definition
| Mechanisms- organizational effects of testosterone; juvenile males are less fearful than juvenile females. Ontogeny- weight gain to 125 grams, increased locomotion and exploration. Fitness effects- avoid incest. Evolutionary Origins - Male dispersal is ancient' locomotion to escape predators or enter nest holes are likely to be antecedent behaviors. |
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Term
| What are the parts of Laupala mating behavior? |
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Definition
| Long range singing, phonotaxis -> antennal contact (chemical cues) -> close range singing -> male pumping -> male-female circling -> facing -> microspermatophore production -> copulation -> mate guarding -> pair separation -> female consumes spermatophore |
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Term
| Definition of Behavior? How is it made? |
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Definition
| any observable action or response of an organism. Made out of the gene + environment |
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Term
| Evolution will occur if what four things are true? |
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Definition
| 1) individuals within the population vary. 2) the variations among individuals are passed on from parents to offspring. 3) in every generation, some individuals are more successful at surviving and reproducing than others 4) the survival and reproduction of individuals are not random but instead tied to the variation among individuals |
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Term
| What is the definition of phenotype? P=?? |
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Definition
| any observable (& measurable) characteristic of an organism (e.g. a behavior)P=E+G |
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Term
| What's the formula for Total Phenotypic Variance? What is variance? |
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Definition
| Vp=Vg+Ve (Total Phenotypic Variance = Genotypic Variance + Environmental Variance. Variance describes the individuals around the mean. |
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Term
| What is Broad Sense Heritability? What is Narrow Sense Heritability? |
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Definition
| Broad Sense Heritability: h2=Vg/Vp Narrow Sense Heritability: h2=Va/Vp |
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Term
| How does phenotypic variance divide? |
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Definition
| Phenotypic Variance is equal to Genotypic Variance + Environmental Variance. Genotypic Variance is equal to additive effects of genes + dominance effect of genes. Vp=Vg+Ve ->> Vp=Va+Vd+Ve |
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Term
| y studying crickets in Hawaii, what did we learn about evolution over time? |
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Definition
| In 1 species, longer/faster songs resulted in higher mating success. In another species, longer/faster songs resulted in higher parasitism rates. In a period of 5-10 years, mutation caused larger percentage of males to be flatwing (morphological differences caused behavioral differences). Flatwing males have lower rates of parasitism. |
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Term
| What are the take home messages about evolution? |
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Definition
| Evolution is more than natural selection. Evolutionary forces interact. |
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Term
| What is the relationship between evolution and new variant, as well as what effects they produce? |
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Definition
| Mutation and Gene flow cause new variants, creating a large pool of genetic possibilities. These possibilities are then narrowed down into a slimmer pool by means of EVOLUTION. Genetic drift and selection cause evolution changes, and these effects create an unequal representation of variants in the next generation. |
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Term
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Definition
| a permanent change to the genomic sequence (DNA) of a gene |
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Term
| What do we know about the mutation-selection balance? |
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Definition
| Mutation can oppose selection. Selection acts to remove deleterious mutations, but mutation puts them back. |
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Term
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Definition
| The movement of alleles from one population to another population by movement of individuals or gamates |
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Term
| What is Random Genetic Drift? What are examples of chance effects? |
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Definition
| the change in gene frequencies due to chance events or sampling process. Chance effects include mortality/predation/disease, failure to mate, differences in offspring #, altered allele frequencies in gametes or zygotes. Random genetic drift occurs when unequal contribution to the next generation is unrelated to genotype. |
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Term
| How do small population sizes magnify opportunities for genetic drift? |
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Definition
1. bottle neck - a large scale but short-term reduction in population size followed by an increase in population sizes
2. Founder event - the establishment of a new population by small number of individuals |
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Term
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Definition
| phylogenies are composed of lineages, which are composed of the individuals of a species through time |
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Term
| What is a character? A character-state? |
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Definition
| A character is a general category category for which species manifest different states. |
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Term
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Definition
1. loss of character
2. change in form
3. change in motivation
4. change in frequency or duration
5. evolution of a novel character
6. change in context |
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Term
| Define homology? Analogy? |
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Definition
| Homology-a trait that is possessed by 2 or more species that is derived, with or without modification from their common ancestor. Analogy - traits that are similar in function (often "look" alike) but have independent evolutionary origins. |
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Term
| Define communication. What are the components involved? |
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Definition
| The process in which a sender uses a specially evolved signal to modify the behavior of the receiver. Signals are stimuli produced intentionally to influence a receiver. In this instance, the sender benefits. Cues are also a component. Cues are stimuli produced without the intention of influencing the receiver. In this instance, the sender may not benefit. |
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Term
| What are the two types of honesty? What is an example of a signal that is costly to fake? |
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Definition
| Unforced and Forced. In unforced, the genetic interests of both parties are aligned. In forced, the genetic interests of the two parties are divergent. The courtship signal of a male northern cardinal is dark red feathering, which is costly to make. |
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Term
| What do we know about the dance language of honeybees? |
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Definition
| It is an especially sophisticated form of animal communication, totally unforced signaling, necessary to decide message to take in meaning. |
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Term
| How do we interpret the waggle dance? |
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Definition
| The waggle dance reveals the direction of the target relative to the sun as well as the distance of the target relative to the length of the waggle run. |
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Term
| Who discovered the waggle dance and what did we learn from this discovery? |
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Definition
| Karl von Frisch discovered the waggle dance around 1823. At first he thought that the bee danced indicated food type, not food location. The message of the waggle dance actually says "alert! desirable food is available at a certain angle relative to the suns='s direction, and at a certain distance from the hive. |
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Term
| How does democracy work in a honey bee hive? |
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Definition
| In a honey bee colony, the supreme power is vested in the workers and exercised by them directly. |
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Term
| How are new hives started? |
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Definition
| 1 Queen (a mature, older queen) leaves with about 10,000 worker bees in search of finding a new home site. These bees swarm while a search committee of about 300-500 scout bees search for and select 1 home site. Selection process is similar to a political election |
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Term
| What is consciousness? What are the two levels of consciousness? |
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Definition
| Consciousness is thinking about objects and events. There is perceptual consciousness (being aware of events and objects) and reflective consciousness (being aware of one's thoughts and feelings.) |
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Term
| What did we learn about what animal intelligence was not from studies conducted to understand animal intelligence? |
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Definition
Clever Hans Effect-unintentional cuing
Lady Luck Effect-no statistical success
Innate rules- problem is merely instinctual.
Trial and Error- Try to reason through the problem |
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Term
| What are the four basic methods of orientation? |
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Definition
1. beacon orientation- bees memorize beacons/nearby landmarks and use them as markers to find their way home
2. piloting-use familiar landmarks along the way, a form of navigation when far from goal
3. dead reckoning- another way of orientating when far from the goal. use sun compass, optical flow odometer, path integration.
4. true navigation- there is none. |
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Term
| What is a map cue? What are the two types of map cues? What evidence supports them? |
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Definition
| "Map" is a position. Two types of map cues are odor and magnetic. |
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