Social Behavior and Animal Intelligence

These flashcards cover key concepts related to social behavior, animal intelligence, altruism, kin selection, eusociality, and the definitions of species for an evolutionary biology context.

What is a major test of animal intelligence demonstrated by Alex with the bird nicknamed 007?

The bird successfully completed an eight-stage puzzle to access food.

What are the two types of explanations for altruistic behaviors in animals?

Kin selection and reciprocal altruism.

What is Hamilton's rule in relation to altruism?

Altruistic alleles can spread if the benefits to the recipient multiplied by the relatedness (rB) is greater than the cost (C) to the actor.

What does inclusive fitness refer to?

An organism's total fitness comes from direct reproductive output and indirect fitness through helping related individuals.

What behavior do female ground squirrels exhibit when it comes to alarm calling?

Females call more often than males, especially when warning their close kin.

What is the coefficient of relatedness between full siblings?

0.5 or 50%.

How does the ecological environment influence eusociality?

Challenging resources make it harder to reproduce alone, favoring cooperative behaviors.

What sex determination system promotes high relatedness among female Hymenoptera?

Haplodiploidy, where fertilized eggs become females and unfertilized eggs become males.

What is reciprocal altruism?

A system where individuals exchange help with the expectation of receiving help in return.

What emotion might help regulate cooperative behavior among primates?

Feelings of fairness, sympathy, and outrage.

Which species concept focuses on morphological traits to define species?

The morphological species concept.

What issue arises with the biological species concept?

It cannot be applied across all populations, especially in case of asexual or fossil taxa.

What do phylogenetic species concepts rely on for classification?

Monophyletic grouping based on evolutionary trees.

How does speciation occur over time?

Through the accumulation of differences that lead to reproductive isolation.

What are isolating barriers in the context of speciation?

Factors that reduce gene flow between groups, preventing interbreeding.

What types of isolating barriers exist?

Geographical barriers (allopatry) and internal reproductive barriers.

Why is social intelligence hypothesized to drive the evolution of intelligence in some species?

The demands of navigating complex social structures may favor cognitive development.

What is altruism?

Behaviors that benefit others at a cost to oneself.

What is a major test of animal intelligence demonstrated by Alex with the bird nicknamed 007?

The bird successfully completed an eight-stage puzzle to access food.

What are the two types of explanations for altruistic behaviors in animals?

Kin selection and reciprocal altruism.

What is Hamilton's rule in relation to altruism?

Altruistic alleles can spread if the benefits to the recipient multiplied by the relatedness (rB) is greater than the cost (C) to the actor.

What does inclusive fitness refer to?

An organism's total fitness comes from direct reproductive output and indirect fitness through helping related individuals.

What behavior do female ground squirrels exhibit when it comes to alarm calling?

Females call more often than males, especially when warning their close kin.

What is the coefficient of relatedness between full siblings?

0.5 or 50%.

How does the ecological environment influence eusociality?

Challenging resources make it harder to reproduce alone, favoring cooperative behaviors.

What sex determination system promotes high relatedness among female Hymenoptera?

Haplodiploidy, where fertilized eggs become females and unfertilized eggs become males.

What is reciprocal altruism?

A system where individuals exchange help with the expectation of receiving help in return.

What emotion might help regulate cooperative behavior among primates?

Feelings of fairness, sympathy, and outrage.

Which species concept focuses on morphological traits to define species?

The morphological species concept.

What issue arises with the biological species concept?

It cannot be applied across all populations, especially in case of asexual or fossil taxa.

What do phylogenetic species concepts rely on for classification?

Monophyletic grouping based on evolutionary trees.

How does speciation occur over time?

Through the accumulation of differences that lead to reproductive isolation.

What are isolating barriers in the context of speciation?

Factors that reduce gene flow between groups, preventing interbreeding.

What types of isolating barriers exist?

Geographical barriers (allopatry) and internal reproductive barriers.

What are the two main categories of internal reproductive barriers?

Pre-zygotic barriers and Post-zygotic barriers.

Can you list examples of pre-zygotic isolating barriers?

Habitat isolation, temporal isolation, behavioral isolation, mechanical isolation, and gametic isolation.

Can you list examples of post-zygotic isolating barriers?

Reduced hybrid viability, reduced hybrid fertility, and hybrid breakdown.

Why is social intelligence hypothesized to drive the evolution of intelligence in some species?

The demands of navigating complex social