Sexual Selection and Kinship Dynamics

These flashcards cover the key terms and concepts related to sexual selection, mating strategies, kinship dynamics, and cultural transmission as discussed in the lecture notes.

Sexual Selection

A natural selection process in which individuals with certain traits are more likely to obtain mates.

R Strategy

A reproductive strategy characterized by producing a large number of offspring with lower parental investment.

K Strategy

A reproductive strategy characterized by fewer offspring but higher parental investment.

Intersexual Selection

Selection that occurs between the sexes, where typically females choose mates based on particular traits.

Polygyny

A mating system in which one male mates with multiple females.

Polyandry

A mating system in which one female mates with multiple males.

Promiscuity

A mating system where both polyandry and polygyny occur.

Sexual Imprinting

A form of learning where young animals learn mate preferences based on the characteristics of adults.

Inclusive Fitness

An individual's genetic success is believed to be derived from cooperation and altruistic behavior, contributing to the fitness of relatives.

Hamilton's Rule

The principle stating that altruistic behavior is favored by natural selection when the cost to the actor is less than the benefit to the recipient multiplied by the degree of relatedness.

Agonistic Behavior

Behavior involved in conflict or competition among conspecifics, often related to mating or resource acquisition.

Nuptial Gifts

Resources provided by males to females during courtship, influencing female mating decisions.

Good Genes Hypothesis

The concept that females select mates based on traits that signal the genetic quality of potential offspring.

Cultural Transmission

The transfer of information, behaviors, or traits from one generation to another through teaching or social learning.

Mate-choice Copying

A phenomenon where the mate preferences of one individual are influenced by the choices of others.

Kin Recognition

The ability of individuals to identify their relatives and respond to them preferentially.

Sperm Competition

A form of post-copulation competition between the sperm of different males to fertilize an egg.

Cryptic Mate Choice

A form of selection in which females exert choice after copulation, influencing the fertilization success of sperm from different males.

Vertical Cultural Transmission

Cultural learning that occurs from parents to offspring.

Horizontal Cultural Transmission

Cultural learning that occurs within a generation, such as among peers.