Primate Behavior Exam Review

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Flashcards for Lectures 1-26 (Foundations, Ecology, Sociality, Cooperation, Cognition)

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50 Terms

1
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What is the Jarman-Bell Principle?

Larger-bodied animals need more food but can survive on lower-quality diets; smaller-bodied animals need high-quality food.

2
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What are the 4 levels of behavioral explanation?

Functional, Phylogenetic, Proximate, Ontogenetic.

3
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What does Kleiber’s Law state?

BMR = kW^0.75, showing that metabolism increases slower than body mass.

4
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What are the three primary food classes in primate diets?

Fruits (carbs), leaves (fiber/protein), prey (protein).

5
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What is folivory?

A dietary strategy where the diet is leaf-dominated.

6
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Why are young leaves better than mature ones?

More nutritious and less chemically defended.

7
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What are tannins and alkaloids?

Plant chemical defenses: tannins inhibit digestion; alkaloids are toxic.

8
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What is a sacculated stomach?

A multi-chambered gut found in colobines for digesting leaves.

9
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Define ecological pyramids.

Energy flow from producers (plants) to consumers (herbivores, predators).

10
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What determines variation in primate diet?

Body size, activity level, digestive anatomy, and local food availability.

11
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What is genetic drift?

Random changes in allele frequency, especially in small populations.

12
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What is the Founder Effect?

Genetic drift due to a small subset of individuals founding a population.

13
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What is heritability?

Proportion of trait variation due to genetic variation (typically ~0.5 in behavior).

14
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What is cecotrophy?

Reingesting feces to extract more nutrients (e.g., in sportive lemurs).

15
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How does body size affect metabolic efficiency?

Larger primates have lower MSMR and are more energy efficient.

16
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What are the main predation responses in primates?

Evasion, alarm calling, and rare active defense.

17
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What kind of social group do lemurs often form?

Female-dominant or solitary/seasonal groups with little facial expression.

18
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What is the Resource Defense Hypothesis?

Primates form groups to cooperatively defend limited food resources.

19
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Why do primates live in groups despite costs?

Benefits like predator avoidance and resource defense outweigh costs.

20
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What’s the difference between a proximate and ultimate explanation?

Proximate: immediate mechanism; Ultimate: evolutionary function.

21
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What role do fallback foods play in social bonding?

Allow groups to stay cohesive when preferred foods are scarce.

22
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What’s the difference between Strepsirrhines and Haplorhines?

Strepsirrhines have better olfaction and are nocturnal; Haplorhines are diurnal with better vision.

23
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What primate is known for its middle finger adaptation?

Aye-aye (used for extracting insect larvae).

24
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What are some anatomical food-harvesting adaptations?

Long incisors (marmosets), robust jaws (capuchins), dexterous hands (baboons).

25
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What is multi-gene behavioral influence?

Many genes with small effects contribute to complex behavior, influenced also by environment.

26
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What does dominance rank affect in primates?

Access to mates/resources, stress levels, and health.

27
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What is Hamilton’s Rule?

Altruism evolves when rB > C (relatedness × benefit > cost).

28
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What is reciprocal altruism?

Helping non-kin with the expectation of future return.

29
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What is a biological market?

System where primates trade social services like grooming or alliance.

30
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Why are long-term bonds beneficial?

Increase reproductive success and reduce stress.

31
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What hormone is associated with bonding?

Oxytocin.

32
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What is tactical deception?

Use of misleading signals (e.g., false alarms) for personal gain.

33
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What is the Machiavellian Intelligence Hypothesis?

Intelligence evolved to navigate complex social relationships.

34
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What distinguishes mutualism from reciprocal altruism?

Mutualism benefits all parties immediately; reciprocal altruism involves delayed benefit.

35
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How do primates reconcile after conflict?

Reconciliation (affiliative behavior), consolation, redirection.

36
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What is redirected aggression?

Aggression toward a bystander after a conflict.

37
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How is empathy shown in primates?

Consolation, distress mirroring, emotional regulation.

38
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What are referential alarm calls?

Specific calls that indicate particular predator types (e.g., vervet monkey calls).

39
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What is Theory of Mind?

The ability to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and knowledge.

40
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What experiment shows social learning in vervets?

Corn color preference experiment (conformity in migrants).

41
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What defines animal culture?

Group-specific behaviors passed socially, not genetically.

42
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Do apes teach?

Limited evidence; most transmission is observational, not active teaching.

43
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What is social tradition in primates?

Long-term, socially learned behavior within a group (e.g., grooming styles).

44
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What is the difference between tradition and culture?

Culture involves multiple traditions and broader group norms.

45
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What do playback experiments test?

Whether animals respond differently to specific vocalizations.

46
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Why is cumulative culture debated in primates?

Evidence for complex, layered knowledge transmission is limited.

47
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What are examples of primate cognition?

Tool use, mirror recognition, planning, problem-solving.

48
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Why do females sometimes prefer low-ranking males?

For genetic diversity or better social support.

49
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What is an example of intentional communication in apes?

Use of gestures like pointing or requesting help.

50
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How does group living affect information flow?

Enables faster transmission of knowledge but increases conflict.