Deck 12: Mating Behavior

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT involved in sexual selection?

A) Anisogamy
B) Mate choice
C) Mate competition
D) Intersexual selection
E) Primary sexual characteristics

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Bateman's hypothesis posits which of the following?

A) Different factors limit the reproductive success of males and females.
B) Intersexual selection is stronger than intrasexual selection.
C) Isogamy favors intrasexual selection.
D) Ornamental traits are more important than weapons.
E) Parental investment influences primary sexual characteristics.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Bateman's (1948) experiments with fruit flies suggested which of the following?

A) Males engage in aggressive interactions prior to mating.
B) Females prefer to mate with the largest males in a population.
C) Males experience higher variance in reproductive success than females.
D) Females prefer those males with the largest ornaments.
E) Sexual selection does not occur in this species.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Male dung beetles use their horn-like projections in aggressive interactions over nesting sites. What data suggested that sexual selection has influenced the evolution of these horns in dung beetles?

A) Horn size was correlated with body size.
B) A difference in horn size affected fight outcome.
C) An experimental reduction in horn size reduced breeding success.
D) An experimental increase in horn size enhanced breeding success.
E) Variation in horn size across populations was correlated with breeding success.

Question 5

What research methods did Pomfret and Knell (2006) use to examine the role of sexual selection in dung beetles?

A) An experiment examining female choice of males with different horn sizes
B) An experiment that compared the fighting success of males of different body sizes competing for a female
C) Observations of mating success of males with differently sized horns
D) Observations of female choice of males of different sizes
E) An experiment that compared the fighting success of males with differently sized horns competing for a female

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT true about the peafowl leks studied by Loyau, Saint Jalme, and Sorci (2007)?

A) Females preferred males with the loudest vocalizations.
B) Males with the longest tails were most successful in competing for sites.
C) Large individuals were most successful in competing for sites.
D) A few males obtained most of the copulations.
E) Most, but not all, males in the population defended a display site.

Question 7

How did Rodd and colleagues (2002) evaluate the sensory bias hypothesis in guppies?

A) By examining immune system function of females
B) By examining olfactory receptors of females
C) By comparing photoreceptors of males and females
D) By examining chemoreceptors of males
E) By examining color preferences of males and females

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT true about the sex-role reversed deep-snouted pipefish?

A) Females possess ornaments.
B) Male mate choice occurs.
C) Females care for offspring.
D) Females compete for males.
E) Males become pregnant.

Question 9

Based on sexual selection theory, you can predict that parental care in a species will be lower in the sex that ___________.

A) possesses the greatest anisogamy
B) possesses elaborate ornaments
C) has the higher testosterone level
D) produces the most gametes
E) invests the most in territory defense

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a potential benefit of mate choice for a female?

A) Enhanced immune function for offspring
B) Large nuptial gifts
C) Breeding in a high-quality territory
D) Reduced costs of mate guarding
E) Enhanced reproductive success

Question 11

Which of the following is true about female choice in side-blotched lizards?

A) Females select males that perform the most elaborate displays.
B) Females select the largest males.
C) Females select the brightest males.
D) Females select males based on their territory quality.
E) Females select males with the largest territories.

Question 12

Lande's runaway selection process requires that ___________.

A) genes for a male trait and female preference for the trait are genetically linked
B) fast males and females have a fitness advantage over slower males and females
C) females prefer to mate with males of a particular phenotype
D) males prefer to mate with the most fecund females
E) a phenotypic correlation exist between male traits and female mating preferences

Question 13

Sexual selection predicts that females should base their mating decisions on which of the following?

A) A colorful male trait
B) A common male trait
C) A novel male trait
D) A genetic male trait
E) A costly male trait

Question 14

Jaquiéry and colleagues (2009) observed that some calling male tree frogs were more attractive to females while others were not. What benefit did females obtain by mating with attractive males?

A) Their offspring had high genetic diversity.
B) Their offspring had high growth rates.
C) They reproduced in high-quality territories.
D) They experienced low predation risk.
E) They had a reduced cost of parental care.

Question 15

The Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis predicts which of the following?

A) High parasite loads reduce the expression of secondary sexual traits.
B) Males use primary sexual traits to select mates.
C) The strength of sexual selection will vary over time.
D) Female choice is a stronger force than mate competition in affecting sexual traits.
E) Females can bias the fertilization success of different males.

Question 16

Which of the following is directly affected by cryptic female choice?

A) Runaway selection
B) Bateman's hypothesis
C) Sperm competition
D) Anisogamy
E) Secondary sexual characteristics

Question 17

In what situation can cryptic female choice enhance the fitness of a female?

A) When she mates with one male relative
B) When she mates with males that differ in quality
C) When she mates with a single low-quality male
D) When she mates repeatedly with the same male
E) When she must hide from predators while mating

Question 18

Which of the following would be considered a bourgeois mating tactic?

A) A satellite male
B) A sneaker male
C) A territorial male
D) A conditional male
E) A parasitic male

Question 19

How would you determine whether alternative male reproductive tactics coexist in a population in an ESS?

A) Compare the fitness of each tactic in the population.
B) Quantify the frequency of each tactic in the population.
C) Determine whether individuals use one or more tactics each year.
D) Quantify the number of tactics used by an individual over its lifetime.
E) Compare the tactics used by close relatives.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT true about mate choice copying in guppies?

A) Copiers have lower fitness than noncopiers.
B) Females copy the behavior of other females.
C) Young individuals copy more often than older individuals.
D) Female copying is more common when potential mates are similar in color.
E) Females can change their mate preference based on their observations of others.

Question 21

What hypothesized factor was used to explain nonindependent mate choice in male mosquitofish?

A) Inbreeding depression
B) The dilution effect
C) Mate guarding
D) Density-dependent selection
E) Sperm competition

Question 22

Describe the predictions of Bateman's hypothesis with respect to males and females.

Question 23

Describe the difference between weapons and ornaments. In which sex do these traits most often appear?

Question 24

Define a sex role-reversed species and provide one example. What conditions are required for the evolution of such species?

Question 25

Describe two different kinds of direct benefits females can acquire through mate choice. Describe one example of each.

Question 26

What data provide support for Fisher's runaway process to explain the evolution of exaggerated male traits?

Question 27

Describe one potential benefit of mate choice copying.

Question 28

Calsbeek & Sinervo (2002) showed that female side-blotched lizards appear to select mates based on territory quality rather than the identity of the male defending it. In this system, explain the direct and indirect material benefits females obtain by such mate choice.