lecture 11 - behavioral ecology

define behavior in an ecological context

internally coordinated responses of whole organisms to internal/external stimuli

what makes a behavior adaptive

it increases survival/reproductive success and has heritable basis

list Hamilton’s 4 interaction types

1. cooperation

2. altruism

3. selfishness

4. spite

state Hamilton’s rule

R x B > C; altruism evolves if genetic relatedness x benefit > cost

what is inclusive fitness

personal fitness + fitness gains via aid to relatives weighted by relatedness

give an example of altruism and selfishness

Altruism - alarm calls in squirrels

selfishness - cowbird brood parasitism

define eusociality and give two examples

highly organized social structure with castes

• ants and naked mole rats

what is haplodiploidy and why is it important

females diploid, males haploid

sisters share 75% genes → promotes eusocial behavior