ANT211H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Ontogeny, Population Genetics, Heredity
Document Summary
Natural selection allows us to answer to why questions of human behavior. 4 explanations to answer why in biology: proximate causation. Concerns the direct mechanisms that bring something about. Structural explanation of why something happens/ physiological changes i. e. why do male birds sing in the spring? o: male birds sing in the spring to attract female birds increase reproductive success, ultimate causation. Reproduce and offspring reach sexual maturity and are able to reproduce: ontogeny. Development behaviour i. e. why do male birds sing in the spring? o: male birds sing in the spring because the learn it from their father, phylogeny. Evolutionary progression by which the behavior has been formed out of the pre-existing organization. Evolutionary theory back through evolutionary time to find the origin o i. e. why do male birds sing in the spring: male birds sing in the spring because it was developed from a warning call. Survival is relevant only in the service of reproduction.
