Behavioral Ecology and Parental Investment

A set of vocabulary flashcards from a lecture on behavioral ecology, focusing on concepts related to parental investment and natural selection.

Natural Selection

The process by which the traits that confer advantages for survival and reproduction become more common in a population over time.

Parent-Offspring Conflict

A situation where the interests of an offspring in obtaining resources differ from the interests of the parent in providing those resources.

Provisioning Rate

The rate at which a parent provides resources to its offspring.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

A systematic approach to evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives in terms of their costs and benefits.

Fitness

The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment.

Carotenoids

Pigments found in plants that can influence coloration and signaling in offspring in some bird species.

Biparental Care

A parenting system where both male and female caregivers participate in the rearing of offspring.

Genetic Relatedness

The probability that a gene in one individual is also present in another individual due to shared ancestry.

Operational Sex Ratio

The ratio of sexually active males to females in a population, affecting mating opportunities.

Brood Size

The number of offspring produced in a single reproductive event.