BI310 Animal Behaviour & Comparative Physiology Lecture – Evolution

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on evolution within the context of animal behavior and comparative physiology.

Evolution

Change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.

Natural Selection

The process where individuals with traits better suited to their environment produce more offspring, leading to those traits becoming more common in the population.

Cultural Evolution

behaviors learned rather than genetic changes, seen in species like humans, and tools used by chimps

Behaviour can occur when there is what in a population?

There is cultural evolution (some species )and natural selection (all species)

Altruism

Behavior that benefits another individual at a cost to oneself, often explained through kin selection.

Kin Selection

The process by which characteristics that benefit close relatives' survival and reproduction are favored.

Hamilton's Rule

Altruistic behavior will spread when the benefits of helping (rb) outweigh the costs (c), expressed as rb - c > 0.

Fix Action Patterns (FAPs)

Innate, stereotyped behaviors in animals that are triggered by specific stimuli.

Cultural Transmission

The way certain behaviors, such as dialects in birds or tool use in primates, are passed down through generations.

Sexual Selection

A form of natural selection where certain traits increase an individual's chances of attracting mates or competing for them.