ANTH 311 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Behavioral Ecology, Mating System, Sociobiology
6 Nov 2018
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Individuals vary in ways that affect their ability to survive and reproduce: some of this variation is heritable, heritability of behaviour, twin studies (individual differences) Notes for quiz 2: males vs. females (sex differences, breeding studies (population differences, species differences, example: aggressiveness. The selection of silver foxes for tameness resulted in. Whimpering to attract attention, sniffing and licking. If a behaviour has a genetic basis and affects fitness, it may be subject to natural selection. Behavioural ecology (and sociobiology) try to understand how natural (and sexual) selection acts on behaviour. Asking how behaviours affect survival and reproduction. 40% of differences between individuals are due to genetics: behavioural strategies, behaviours that occur in a specific functional context are often called. Does not imply conscious intent or planning: behavioural strategies are evaluated based on fitness. Best: reproductive success (rs) = number of offspring that survive to reproductive age. Good hypotheses are testable, falsifiable, and replicable.
