Behavioral Ecology

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and concepts related to behavioral ecology, including definitions, hypotheses, and theories about animal behavior, reproduction, and social structures.

Altruism

A behavior that benefits another individual at a cost to oneself.

Kin selection

A form of natural selection that increases the reproduction of relatives, even at a cost to one's own survival.

Haplo-diploidy

A sex determination system in which males are haploid (one set of chromosomes) and females are diploid (two sets of chromosomes).

Group selection

Natural selection that acts at the level of groups rather than individuals.

Red Queen Hypothesis

The evolutionary hypothesis that organisms must constantly adapt to survive against ever-evolving opposing organisms.

Intrasexual selection

Competition between individuals of the same sex for mates.

Intersexual selection

Selector of mating individuals where one sex chooses mates based on certain traits.

Mating behavior

The strategies and patterns of behavior that organisms use to attract mates.

Sexual reproduction

A reproductive process that involves the combination of genetic material from two parents, resulting in genetically diverse offspring.

Asexual reproduction

A reproductive process that involves a single organism producing offspring that are genetically identical to itself.

Optimal Foraging Theory

The idea that animals maximize their energy intake per unit of foraging time.

Marginal Value Theorem

A principle stating that as an organism spends more time in a patch, the net rewards will diminish.

Eusociality

A form of social organization where individuals live in cooperative groups and have specialized roles, typically with one reproductive female.

Inclusive Fitness

The total effect an individual has on proliferating its genes, including the effect on relatives.

Sociobiology

The study of the biological basis of social behavior.

Trade-off

The balance of the positives and negatives presented by an evolutionarily advantageous trait.

Sexual dimorphism

The differences in appearance between male and female members of the same species.

Territoriality

The defense of a bounded physical space against encroachment by other individuals.