BIO 446 - EXAM 2 QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT ANSWERS
Define evolution ✅change is allele frequencies in a population over time
What are the 4 requirements for natural selection? ✅- Phenotypic variation in the
population
- Variation to be heritable
- More individuals are born than can survive to reproductive age
- Agent of selection operates on behavioral trait (or on individual exhibiting behavioral
phenotype)
Behaviorally define sleep ✅when an organism exhibits a specific posture for a period
of time where they are ...
- immobile
- internally controlled
- raised response threshold
- reversible
How would you test sleep? ✅Make the waggle dancer loose sleep through flashing
light on it.
To test the need/implications of sleep - measure if any follower or dancer behaviors
change (that negatively impact the waggle dance and foraging/nesting abilities)
How would you test sleep? ✅To study if there are any functional aspects:
to test if you say you need neurons in order to sleep - poriferas (sponges) don't sleep
Why would you test sleep? ✅To study if there are any functional aspects
(bring in different species to go further into analysis)
Define eusociality ✅- "True sociality"
- A social system of parental care of young, overlap of generations, and reproductive
division of labor
What are the 4 traits of eusocial societies? ✅1) Group living
2) Overlap of 2 or more generations
3) Cooperative care of young
4) Reproductive division of labor (only some reproduce)
Why aren't human considered eusocial? ✅because they don't have reproductive
division of labor
, What is an example of a eusocial society? ✅Bees:
- A group lives in a hive
- Overlap of generations
- Cooperative care of offspring
- Reproductive division of labor -- only queen reproduces
What are some advantages of being social? ✅- Group defense and alarm
- Care of young
- Food gathering
- Learning
- Increased productivity
- Pass on alleles
What are some disadvantages of being social? ✅- Found by predators
- Survival can depend on others
- Less genetic diversity (mutation)
- Spread of disease
- Parasitism
- Parasitism
What are some advantages of solitary? ✅- Hide from predators
- Live in small spaces
- Exploit small food resources
- Limit conspecific competition
What are some disadvantages of solitary? ✅- Lack of social benefits
- Defense
What is inclusive fitness? ✅(own contribution + genetic contribution of others) /
average contribution of population
Define altruism ✅beneficial act at cost to oneself
How can altruism exist? ✅Hamilton's Rule & Inclusive Fitness:
natural selection favors altruism when
rb > c
What is Hamilton's Rule? ✅rb > c
r = relatedness
b = benefit gained by the recipient of altruist act
c = reproductive cost of performing the act
How does eusociality evolve? ✅When b (in fitness) > c (lost reproductive opportunity)
OR -- without haplodiploidy ---
CORRECT ANSWERS
Define evolution ✅change is allele frequencies in a population over time
What are the 4 requirements for natural selection? ✅- Phenotypic variation in the
population
- Variation to be heritable
- More individuals are born than can survive to reproductive age
- Agent of selection operates on behavioral trait (or on individual exhibiting behavioral
phenotype)
Behaviorally define sleep ✅when an organism exhibits a specific posture for a period
of time where they are ...
- immobile
- internally controlled
- raised response threshold
- reversible
How would you test sleep? ✅Make the waggle dancer loose sleep through flashing
light on it.
To test the need/implications of sleep - measure if any follower or dancer behaviors
change (that negatively impact the waggle dance and foraging/nesting abilities)
How would you test sleep? ✅To study if there are any functional aspects:
to test if you say you need neurons in order to sleep - poriferas (sponges) don't sleep
Why would you test sleep? ✅To study if there are any functional aspects
(bring in different species to go further into analysis)
Define eusociality ✅- "True sociality"
- A social system of parental care of young, overlap of generations, and reproductive
division of labor
What are the 4 traits of eusocial societies? ✅1) Group living
2) Overlap of 2 or more generations
3) Cooperative care of young
4) Reproductive division of labor (only some reproduce)
Why aren't human considered eusocial? ✅because they don't have reproductive
division of labor
, What is an example of a eusocial society? ✅Bees:
- A group lives in a hive
- Overlap of generations
- Cooperative care of offspring
- Reproductive division of labor -- only queen reproduces
What are some advantages of being social? ✅- Group defense and alarm
- Care of young
- Food gathering
- Learning
- Increased productivity
- Pass on alleles
What are some disadvantages of being social? ✅- Found by predators
- Survival can depend on others
- Less genetic diversity (mutation)
- Spread of disease
- Parasitism
- Parasitism
What are some advantages of solitary? ✅- Hide from predators
- Live in small spaces
- Exploit small food resources
- Limit conspecific competition
What are some disadvantages of solitary? ✅- Lack of social benefits
- Defense
What is inclusive fitness? ✅(own contribution + genetic contribution of others) /
average contribution of population
Define altruism ✅beneficial act at cost to oneself
How can altruism exist? ✅Hamilton's Rule & Inclusive Fitness:
natural selection favors altruism when
rb > c
What is Hamilton's Rule? ✅rb > c
r = relatedness
b = benefit gained by the recipient of altruist act
c = reproductive cost of performing the act
How does eusociality evolve? ✅When b (in fitness) > c (lost reproductive opportunity)
OR -- without haplodiploidy ---
