Deck 5: Primate Diversity and Ecology

Question 1

In primate dentition, the left side of a jaw is identical to the right side. This is called

A) bilateral symmetry.
B) homologous dentition.
C) positive correlation.
D) pleiotrophy.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What makes primates useful models for understanding human evolution?

A) Primate evolution is more complex than the evolution of lower animals.
B) We share many of the same adaptations as other primates.
C) We share an interest in evolution with other primates.
D) Modern primates represent the primitive condition of our common ancestor.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Most primates rely more on visual stimuli and less on olfactory stimuli than do other mammals. Which of the following is one line of evidence for this?

A) Primates have more complex eyes than do other mammals.
B) Primate olfactory apparatuses are highly specialized, especially in diurnal primates.
C) Primates have more olfactory nerves than do other mammals.
D) The primate visual sense is highly developed while the olfactory apparatus is reduced, especially in diurnal primates.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

New World monkeys are

A) all arboreal and diurnal.
B) all arboreal and some have prehensile tails.
C) almost exclusively terrestrial.
D) generally all the same small body size.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a homologous trait among humans and other primates?

A) large brain in relation to body compared with other mammals
B) well-developed vision
C) grasping hands
D) almost no sexual dimorphism in body size

Question 6

Members of the order Primates are very diverse in behavior and morphology. Much of this diversity may be understood as adaptations to particular environments. Using the study of this diversity to gain insight into human behavior and morphology is an example of reasoning by

A) analogy.
B) homology.
C) convergence.
D) divergence.

Question 7

Primates are found mainly in tropical regions. Which of the following is true of tropical environments?

A) Daily temperature fluctuations are greater than annual fluctuations.
B) Seasonal changes are virtually nonexistent.
C) Primate foods are affected more by seasonal changes due to rainfall than by changes due to temperature.
D) Primate foods are affected more by temperature than by rainfall.

Question 8

Which of the following statements about Charles Darwin is true?

A) He advocated placing humans in the primate order.
B) He agreed that humans should be placed in their own order based on our distinctive mental abilities and upright posture.
C) He did not comment in writing on the relationship of humans to other organisms.
D) He did not think that humans should be classified with any other organisms.

Question 9

The diversity seen in behavior among closely related species is most likely due to ecological pressures. Similar behaviors seen in distantly related species is likely due to convergence. Which of the following research approaches utilizes these concepts as its foundation?

A) comparative method
B) blind study
C) double-blind study
D) observation and testing

Question 10

Humans and nonhuman primates share a suite of traits, including grasping hands and binocular vision, so their last common ancestor must have also shared this suite of traits. These traits in humans and nonhuman primates is therefore an example of

A) balancing selection.
B) analogy.
C) recombination.
D) homology.

Question 11

Pair-bonded groups and active defense of territories are typical of the

A) great apes.
B) Old World monkeys.
C) lesser apes.
D) lorises.

Question 12

Compared with the haplorrhines, which of the following is true of the strepsirrhines?

A) They retain many ancestral characters.
B) They are typically quite large in body size.
C) They have evolved numerous adaptations that suit their diurnal lifestyle.
D) They have more fully developed traits related to increased complexity of behavior.

Question 13

Hind-limb dominance refers to

A) a tendency in primates toward bipedal locomotion.
B) opposable toes and thumbs.
C) the fact that hind limbs do most of the locomotor work.
D) vertical clinging and leaping.

Question 14

Derived characteristics that define the order Primates include

A) bipedalism.
B) increased dependence on complex behavior, learning, and behavioral flexibility.
C) specialized molars, up to six incisors, and a lack of premolars.
D) highly developed olfaction (sense of smell).

Question 15

A feature that distinguishes primates from other mammals is

A) longer pregnancies.
B) arboreal lives.
C) shorter periods of dependence on parents.
D) living in social groups.

Question 16

A high degree of sexual dimorphism observed in a fossil primate species could indicate that this species had social groups with a single male and multiple females. This would be an example of

A) convergent evolution.
B) reasoning from homology.
C) reasoning from analogy.
D) direct observation.

Question 17

Diversity in closely related organisms living under different ecological conditions can help in the understanding of

A) convergent evolution.
B) homologies.
C) how natural selection shapes behavior and morphology.
D) how behaviors remain the same through time.

Question 18

Mammals share certain traits, such as viviparity and lactation, because the common ancestor of this taxon had these traits. Studying such generalities about living mammals can give insight into particular mammalian species, such as ourselves. This is an example of reasoning by

A) analogy.
B) homology.
C) convergence.
D) divergence.

Question 19

Substantial size differences between males and females are called

A) conspecifics.
B) congenerics.
C) polyandry.
D) sexual dimorphism.

Question 20

Compared with the strepsirrhines, the haplorrhines are

A) more often active during the night.
B) more dependent on smell than on vision.
C) smaller brained.
D) found in larger and more complex social groups.

Question 21

Resource-defense territoriality occurs when

A) resources are distributed over a wide area.
B) resources are abundant and thus worth defending.
C) food is clumped in a space.
D) females are clumped in space.

Question 22

Modern primates are found in the tropical and temperate zones of

A) Madagascar, Africa, and Australia.
B) Africa, Asia, Europe, and Antarctica.
C) Africa, Asia, and the New World.
D) China, Japan, and Australia.

Question 23

Which of the following foods requires specific digestive adaptations in primates?

A) mature leaves
B) young leaves
C) flowers
D) tree sap

Question 24

Secondary compounds are

A) products of complex molecules with health benefits.
B) intermediate between primary and tertiary compounds.
C) protective or defensive toxins found in some plants.
D) chemicals in the digestive tract designed to reduce the effects of plant toxins.

Question 25

In primates, territoriality occurs when

A) females defend food or males defend access to females.
B) females defend access to males or males defend food.
C) males defend access to both food and females.
D) females defend access to both food and males.

Question 26

Which of the following is a key component of primate ecology?

A) the distribution of predator and prey species
B) the distribution of relatives
C) the distribution of offspring
D) the distribution of rivers

Question 27

During reproduction, a female's energetic costs do which of the following?

A) increase, especially during the first half of pregnancy
B) increase, especially during the second half of pregnancy
C) increase, particularly during lactation
D) decrease after she gives birth

Question 28

The social organization and behavior of a species are directly influenced by

A) heritability of a trait.
B) genetic mutation.
C) environmental factors.
D) metabolic rates.

Question 29

Which of the following correctly describes some of the key foods primates eat?

A) Most primate foods, in the wild, supply primates with all the water they will need, thus reducing the number of dangerous trips to the watering hole.
B) Plant foods rich in secondary compounds are preferred by most primates.
C) Fats and oils provide about twice the energy of carbohydrates.
D) Fats and oils provide only a fraction of the energy supplied by carbohydrates.

Question 30

A smaller animal is more likely to be a(n)

A) insectivore than a frugivore, because it cannot outcompete larger animals.
B) insectivore than a frugivore, because it requires higher-quality food than larger animals.
C) frugivore than an insectivore, because it cannot outcompete larger animals.
D) frugivore than an insectivore, because it requires a lower quantity of food than larger animals.

Question 31

Across primate species, there is a relationship between body size and diet. Going from smaller to larger species, diets tend to consist of

A) leaves, fruit and insects, and meat.
B) gum, fruit and insects, fruit and leaves, and mainly leaves.
C) meat, fruit and insects, and leaves.
D) Smaller primates almost never eat animals; larger primates eat some animals.

Question 32

Which of the following is an adaptation to nocturnality?

A) color vision
B) large eyes
C) immobile ears
D) large body size

Question 33

Together, modern and extinct primates have lived in the tropical and temperate zones of

A) Madagascar, Africa, and Australia.
B) Africa, Asia, Europe, and the New World.
C) Africa, Asia, and the New World.
D) China, Japan, and Australia.

Question 34

Basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy required for

A) evolutionarily important activities of an animal.
B) maintenance of body processes at rest.
C) reproduction.
D) feeding.

Question 35

In the phylogeny of evolutionary relationships among the primates, which of the following is true of tarsiers?

A) They may be more closely related to anthropoids than to lemurs and lorises.
B) They are small bodied like most anthropoids.
C) They may be more closely related to strepsirrhines because they are nocturnal.
D) They are considered arboreal quadrupeds like most New World monkeys.

Question 36

Compounds found in foods that are essential in regulating many of the body's metabolic functions are

A) proteins.
B) fats and oils.
C) vitamins, minerals, and trace amounts of certain elements.
D) carbohydrates.

Question 37

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Diurnal primates are generally solitary.
B) Foraging and resting times are affected by ecological conditions.
C) Nocturnal primates are large in body size.
D) Foraging and resting times in diurnal primates are dictated by the distribution of nocturnal primates.

Question 38

Which statement about the platyrrhine primates is correct?

A) They are found in Madagascar.
B) They have no tails.
C) They have a dental formula of 2:1:2:3.
D) They are also called the New World monkeys.

Question 39

What are territories?

A) fixed areas defended by members of a group against conspecifics
B) fixed areas defended by members of a group against other species
C) areas where members of a group are often found
D) areas where groups come together in areas where their ranges overlap

Question 40

You are given a jawbone of an unknown primate, and you notice that the anterior and posterior cusps of the lower molars form two parallel ridges. What might you conclude from this observation?

A) This is the mandible of a frugivore.
B) This is the mandible of a folivore.
C) This is the mandible of a cercopithecine.
D) This is the mandible of an ape.

Question 41

Primates have been observed to make calls in the presence of various other species. For example, vervets call when they detect baboons, unfamiliar humans, snakes, or leopards. This is because they

A) want to attract the other species so they can hunt them.
B) want to demonstrate their ability to recognize other species and, in this manner, attract mates.
C) are highly territorial and are defending their resources.
D) are selected to warn other members of their own group of the presence of these potentially dangerous animals.

Question 42

Among primates, a social organization consisting of multiple adult males with one adult female is

A) found only among lemurs.
B) found in the callitrichids and the orangutans.
C) found only among the marmosets and tarmains.
D) not known for any living primate species.

Question 43

Which of the following contributes to the endangerment of primates?

A) habitat destruction
B) infanticide
C) selective foresting
D) resource competition with conspecifics

Question 44

How is the comparative method used in the study of primate behavior and ecology? Explain how it might help researchers understand the evolution of behavior and morphology.

Question 45

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Estimated predation rates vary from less than 1% to 15% of the population per year in primate populations.
B) Estimated predation rates per month are from 1% to 15% in primate populations.
C) Adults are 10% more susceptible to predation than are subadults.
D) Arboreal species are more susceptible to predation than are terrestrial species.

Question 46

The size and composition of primate social groups are a compromise between

A) competition for mates and competition for food.
B) body size and home range size.
C) costs and benefits of sociality.
D) competition for food and benefits of sociality.

Question 47

Which of the following statements describes a typical day in the life of a primate?

A) It changes significantly day to day.
B) It is consumed by socializing with group members.
C) It is unaffected by seasonal changes in environment.
D) It includes two long feeding bouts, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon.

Question 48

A detailed study of predation on the Tai Forest primates, buy Susanne Shultz, revealed which of the following facts?

A) There is one species of cat predator (leopard); no primate was observed to hunt and eat another primate species.
B) Leopards, chimps, and birds choose their prey randomly.
C) Mangabeys and pottos are heavily preyed upon by leopards, and chimpanzees prefer black and white colobus monkeys.
D) Mangabeys and pottos are heavily preyed upon by eagles, and chimpanzees prefer red colobus monkeys.

Question 49

The United States

A) has increased the number of imported primates in recent decades.
B) has decreased the number of imported primates in recent decades.
C) has not changed the number of imported primates in recent decades.
D) allows only the importation of certain primates.

Question 50

Which of the following is true of solitary primate social organization?

A) Solitary social systems are found almost entirely among the Haplorrhine primates.
B) Females establish small territories they share with their young; males establish large territories in which there may be several females.
C) Solitary groupings are found only among orangutans and the lesser apes (gibbons).
D) Males establish small territories they share with their mates, while the offspring run free and move between adult territories.

Question 51

Which of the following statements is true about home ranges and territories among primates?

A) For a given species, several home ranges will be found within a territory.
B) In primates, the terms territory and home range can be used interchangeably.
C) In highly territorial primates, there are several overlapping territories within a given home range.
D) In highly territorial primates, the territory and the home range are the same.

Question 52

Evidence that predation is important in primates includes

A) its frequent observance.
B) the observation that many primate species have antipredator defenses.
C) the fact that predators are in the same areas as primates.
D) the observation that primates are an easy prey species because of their size.

Question 53

In the study of primates, a "time budget" is

A) the amount of time that passes for each major developmental phase (infant, juvenile, and adult periods) in the life cycle of a primate.
B) the amount of time a primate can spend on a given activity before it needs to feed again.
C) the amount of time spent directly observing each primate during the course of field research.
D) an accounting of how much time the members of a given species tend to spend on each of several key activities.

Question 54

Which of the following has the smallest effect on the health of wild primate populations?

A) infanticide by other primates
B) palm oil production
C) forest cutting for lumber
D) large-scale agricultural projects

Question 55

The mating system polygynandry is most likely to be found among primates with which social organization?

A) one male, multiple females
B) pair bonded
C) solitary
D) multiple males, multiple females

Question 56

Which of the following is true of primate social organization?

A) It is diverse, with groups ranging from solitary to multimale, multifemale.
B) It consists of groups of females and their young, with males roaming the periphery in search of mates.
C) It is organized within strict territories between which individuals almost never move.
D) It is determined by body size, with the largest primates being solitary and the smallest primates living in large groups or herds.

Question 57

Sociality is costly to primates because

A) there is greater competition for resources.
B) it is harder to carry out infanticide.
C) there is increased vulnerability to attacks from conspecifics.
D) they have to share home ranges with other primates.

Question 58

Which of the following statements is true of most primate species?

A) They live in social groups.
B) They live solitary lives.
C) They live in social groups only during the breeding season.
D) They are only social when predator activity is high.

Question 59

Which of the following statements is true of cercopithecines?

A) They typically live in small one-male groups.
B) They typically live in groups where all the females are related.
C) They typically live in groups where all the males are related.
D) They are typically monogamous.

Question 60

Primates have been observed to make different calls in the presence of various other species. This is because

A) they are trying to attract some species, but repel others.
B) each call is designed to scare each kind of predator away most effectively.
C) different species that may attack the primates have different abilities to hear the primate calls.
D) they want to warn members of their groups of specific kinds of predators, in order to elicit a correct response.

Question 61

Discuss the main factors contributing to the endangerment and extinction of primates.

Question 62

Imagine you discover a new species of primate. It has a large body size (about 35 kilograms), is sexually dimorphic, appears to spend at least some of its time in the trees, lives in dense tropical forest, and has longer arms than legs. Based on this information only, what can you hypothesize about this new species' behavior and ecology?

Question 63

Compare and contrast how primates differ from other mammals in each of the following categories and give a specific example for each one: (a) limbs and locomotion, (b) teeth and diet, (c) the senses, (d) the brain and intelligence, and (e) behavior.

Question 64

Using the information from the chapter on how ecology shapes behavior, create a model showing how certain ecological pressures might have favored sociality in primates.

Question 65

What adaptations do some plants have to make themselves less palatable to animals that might otherwise eat them? Explain the primate counteradaptations that allow them to eat such plants.

Question 66

Compare and contrast five differences in morphology and behavior between the strepsirrhine primates and the haplorrhine primates. Make a distinction between ancestral and derived traits in your discussion.

Question 67

Explain how reasoning from homology and reasoning from analogy can help us to understand our own species better.

Question 68

Explain the taxonomic problems associated with members of Tarsiiformes. How would an evolutionary taxonomist classify these organisms within the order Primates? How would a cladist classify these organisms within the primates?

Question 69

How do active metabolism, growth rate, and reproductive effort affect basal metabolism?

Question 70

Summarize the changes in manual dexterity and sensory reorganization that accompanied the evolution of primates.