Deck 7: Female Strategies

Question 1

Scramble competition occurs when:

A) Resources are evenly distributed in time and space
B) Individuals or groups can exclude others from patches by fighting
C) Between group competition is stronger than within group competition
D) Males play important roles in reconciling female conflicts

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In the absence of strong within-group feeding competition:

A) Day range length increases with increases in group size
B) Females remain in their natal groups
C) There are no advantages to maintaining hierarchical relationships
D) Females reconcile frequently to maintain peace

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following primates does not live in matrilocal societies?

A) Olive baboons
B) Japanese macaques
C) Brown capuchin monkeys
D) Hamadryas baboons

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Understanding genealogical relationships among primates:

A) Is difficult because individuals treat kin and nonkin similarly
B) Requires long-term studies or genetic data
C) Is impossible because primates rarely associate with kin
D) Is limited to species that exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism

Question 5

At low population densities and in unprovisioned study groups, female Japanese macaques:

A) Feed in closer proximity than at high densities
B) Compete over food more often than at high densities
C) Are more likely to maintain rigid dominance hierarchies
D) Have more relaxed "rules" of youngest rank ascendancy

Question 6

Cracking the code of kinship in primate groups:

A) Is difficult because individuals have unique temperaments
B) Requires long-term studies or genetic data
C) Is impossible because primates rarely associate with kin
D) Is limited to species that exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism

Question 7

The benefits of high rank in female vervet monkeys are:

A) Offset by the costs of maintaining their rank
B) Clear-cut in all hierarchical societies
C) Most apparent when critical resources are severely limited
D) Dependent on the number of males in their groups

Question 8

Dependent rank in Japanese macaques refers to:

A) The ability of adult females to assert their ranks
B) The period during which mothers help their daughters' attain their inherited rank
C) The drop in rank that occurs as females pass their prime reproductive years
D) The tendency of young females to challenge their mothers' ranks

Question 9

Reconciliation among female primates:

A) Is initiated by subordinate victims in consistent ways
B) Reduces postconflict anxiety and repairs social relationships
C) Has only been observed in nonfemale bonded societies
D) Involves affiliative interactions that are never used in other contexts

Question 10

In the multi-level societies of gelada baboons:

A) Female support is necessary for males to gain group membership
B) Females disperse from their natal groups
C) Alliances among unrelated females keep philopatric males in line
D) Males and females are sexually monomorphic in body size

Question 11

When female rank is age-related:

A) Females avoid males as much as possible
B) Females past their reproductive primes become dominant
C) Affiliative bonds among females are weak
D) Hierarchical relationships are stable throughout females' lives

Question 12

Mountain baboons and mountain gorillas are similar in:

A) The strong affiliative relationships among males
B) The strong affiliative relationships among females
C) The strong affiliative relationships males maintain with the dominant female
D) The strong affiliative relationships females maintain with the dominant male

Question 13

Which of the following statements about dispersal by female primates is true?

A) All female lemurs leave their natal communities before they begin their reproductive careers
B) Female muriquis fight their way to the top of the dominance hierarchy in the groups they join
C) Habitat fragmentation and population density can affect the dispersal options of female chimpanzees
D) Female howler monkeys typically disperse from their natal groups when they are sexually receptive, as indicated by their sexual swellings

Question 14

Spider monkey females:

A) Resemble capuchin monkeys in their dispersal patterns
B) Resemble chimpanzees in their grouping patterns
C) Resemble bonobos in the strength of their social relationships
D) Resemble gorillas in their dependence on males for protection

Question 15

Female mandrills prefer to mate with males that:

A) Defend food resources for them
B) Carry their infants
C) Are members of their own natal groups
D) Exhibit the secondary sexual characteristics associated with high rank and competitive ability

Question 16

Female-defense polygyny occurs when:

A) Males compete directly for females
B) Males compete indirectly for resources that attract females
C) Females disperse
D) Females are philopatric

Question 17

According to the Local Resource Enhancement Hypothesis:

A) Mothers should be selected to produce more daughters
B) Mothers should be selected to bias the sex of their infants in favor of sons
C) Mothers should bias the sex of their infants in favor of the dispersing sex
D) Mothers should bias the sex of their infants in favor of the philopatric sex

Question 18

List three of the ways in which being a high ranking female can result in higher reproductive success compared to low ranking females.

Question 19

Explain the two main ecological conditions that select for the occurrence of female-bonded primate groups.

Question 20

In some baboon and macaque societies, subordinate females may give birth to more sons than daughters. Explain this tendency using your knowledge of evolutionary and ecological theories.

Question 21

Describe the relationship between maternal rank and infant sex in spider monkeys and why it might differ from that found in cercopithecines.

Question 22

Describe the major differences observed in the social relationships of female chimpanzees and female bonobos, and explain the effects of these relationships on their male counterparts.

Question 23

Discuss two ways in which habitat fragmentation can affect female behavior patterns, using specific examples.

Question 24

Consider the ways in which changing ecological conditions might alter the ways in which female primates interact with one another, and ultimately their social organizations.