Q: A prairie dog gives an alarm call, increasing its risk of predation but warning its siblings. If the benefit to the siblings is 4 offspring, the cost to the caller is 1 offspring, and the coefficient of relatedness is 0.5, does Hamilton’s rule predict this behavior will be favored?

Yes, because $$4 \times 0.5 = 2 \u003e 1$$

Question 1

Which of the following best distinguishes between proximate and ultimate causes of animal behavior?

Accepted Answer

Proximate causes explain how a behavior occurs, focusing on genetic, neurological, and physiological mechanisms, while ultimate causes explain why a behavior occurs, focusing on evolutionary history and adaptive value.

Question 2

A male redback spider somersaults into the jaws of a female during mating, allowing himself to be eaten. What is the ultimate evolutionary explanation for this behavior?

Accepted Answer

It increases the male's reproductive success by allowing him to transfer more sperm and reduce the chance of other males mating with the female.

Question 3

According to optimal foraging theory, which of the following equations best represents the relationship between fitness, feeding efficiency, and costs?

Accepted Answer

$$Fitness \propto \frac{Benefits}{Costs}$$

Question 4

In the desert gerbil experiment, what did researchers find when both predation risk and extra seeds were present?

Accepted Answer

Gerbils increased their foraging activity to compensate for the risk of predation when extra seeds were available.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of a proximate cause for a bird singing in the spring?

Accepted Answer

Increased daylight triggers hormonal changes that stimulate singing.

Question 6

What is the definition of altruism in behavioral ecology?

Accepted Answer

A behavior that has a fitness cost to the individual performing it and a fitness benefit to the recipient.

Question 7

Hamilton’s rule predicts that altruistic behavior will evolve when which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

$$Br \u003e C$$

Question 8

A prairie dog gives an alarm call, increasing its risk of predation but warning its siblings. If the benefit to the siblings is 4 offspring, the cost to the caller is 1 offspring, and the coefficient of relatedness is 0.5, does Hamilton’s rule predict this behavior will be favored?

Accepted Answer

Yes, because $$4 	imes 0.5 = 2 \u003e 1$$

Question 9

Which of the following best describes inclusive fitness?

Accepted Answer

The sum of an individual’s direct fitness and indirect fitness.

Question 10

Why does true self-sacrificing behavior (where an individual reduces its own fitness to zero for the benefit of others) not persist in nature according to natural selection?

Accepted Answer

Alleles for self-sacrifice would be eliminated by natural selection because individuals with those alleles would leave no offspring.

Question 11

Which of the following is an example of reciprocal altruism?

Accepted Answer

A vampire bat shares blood with a non-relative that has shared food with it in the past.

Question 12

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a fitness trade-off?

Accepted Answer

A bird spends more time foraging for food, but as a result, spends less time guarding its nest from predators.

Question 13

In fruit fly larvae, the 'rover' and 'sitter' behaviors are determined by alleles of the foraging gene. Which statement best describes the evolutionary significance of these behaviors?

Accepted Answer

Different alleles are favored under different population densities, linking proximate genetic causes to ultimate evolutionary outcomes.

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of mutualism?

Accepted Answer

Bees pollinating flowers while collecting nectar.

Question 15

Which of the following best describes kin selection?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection that acts through benefits to relatives, increasing indirect fitness.

Question 16

A bumblebee optimizes its flight path among flowers to minimize the distance traveled while foraging. This behavior is best explained by which theory?

Accepted Answer

Optimal foraging theory

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a prediction of optimal foraging theory?

Accepted Answer

Animals will always forage perfectly, maximizing energy gain in every situation.

Question 18

Which of the following best describes direct fitness?

Accepted Answer

The fitness an individual gains by producing its own offspring.

Question 19

Why is the existence of altruism initially surprising to evolutionary biologists?

Accepted Answer

Altruism appears to decrease an individual's own fitness while increasing the fitness of others, which seems to contradict the principle of natural selection.

Behavioral Ecology: Proximate and Ultimate Causes, Foraging, and Altruism

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