Deck 8: Male Strategies

Question 1

Evolutionary theory predicts that competition among male primates should be greater than competition among females because:

A) Males cannot benefit their inclusive fitness by cooperating with one another
B) Males are primarily concerned with between-group competition
C) The costs of aggression outweigh the benefits for females, but not males
D) Fertilizations cannot be shared the way that some foods can be shared

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In nearly all primates:

A) Mortality rates among sexually mature males exceed those of females
B) Males are dominant over females, and can therefore override the effects of female choice
C) Affiliations among males are stronger than those between males and females
D) Males can be confident of their paternity

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following variables affects males in the same way that the spatial distribution of food affects females?

A) Female reproductive seasonality
B) Female grouping patterns
C) Female reproductive rates
D) Female mate choices

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following statements best describes the difference between male affiliations versus male associations?

A) Grooming frequencies
B) Proximity
C) Kinship
D) Support in agonistic contexts

Question 5

Which of the following is not an explanation for the occurrence of male infant carrying during an agonistic conflict with another male?

A) The male is a possible father protecting his infant
B) The male is a recent immigrant using the infant to buffer himself from another male's aggression
C) Philopatric males carry infants into combat more often than males who disperse from their natal groups
D) In the absence of paternity data, researchers rely on how males treat infants and the responses of infants and their mothers toward the males involved

Question 6

Dispersal by males:

A) Sometimes results in male kin ending up in the same groups
B) Precludes related males from ending up in the same groups
C) Is ubiquitous across primates
D) Occurs only once in a lifetime for most males

Question 7

Pronounced reproductive seasonality:

A) Correlates with peaceful, tolerant relationships among males throughout the year
B) Leads to the formation of pairbonds
C) Reduces competition among males at other times of the year
D) Prevents males from dispersing in search of groups with more sexually receptive females

Question 8

All-male bachelor bands have been observed in:

A) Chimpanzees and spider monkeys
B) Hanuman langurs and mountain gorillas
C) Gibbons and marmosets
D) Costa Rican and Peruvian squirrel monkeys

Question 9

Male chimpanzees:

A) Share access to ovulating females in their communities with males from other communities
B) Depend upon their mothers to help them establish their ranks in the male hierarchy
C) Disperse from their natal communities
D) Nearly always sire offspring with females from their own communities nearly all of the time

Question 10

Which of the following statements about the effects of male age is false?

A) Young adult male Hamadryas baboons sometimes stay in their natal clans as subordinate followers to an older, dominant male
B) Adult female mountain gorillas form stronger associations with young blackback males than with the older silverbacks in their groups
C) Young tamarin males may remain in their natal groups and help their fathers carry younger siblings
D) Coalitions are more common among male savanna baboons that are close to one another in age than disparate in age

Question 11

Nonaggressive intergroup encounters, such as those observed in capuchin monkeys:

A) Indicate the absence of competition between males from different groups
B) Never occur; intergroup encounters are always aggressive
C) Provide opportunities for subordinate males to test their future prospects should they transfer into neighboring groups
D) Reflect the absence of hierarchical relationships among males in those species in which such encounters occur

Question 12

Sex-biased dispersal and copulations between group females and extra-group males can increase:

A) Gene flow between groups
B) The effects of genetic drift
C) The risks of inbreeding
D) The degree of genetic relatedness among group members

Question 13

High population densities:

A) Are associated with female dominance over males
B) Favor reproductive seasonality
C) Lead to high levels of sexual dimorphism
D) Result in high rates of inter-group conflicts

Question 14

Low population densities can:

A) Limit dispersal opportunities
B) Result in high rates of inter-group conflicts
C) Favor reproductive seasonality
D) Increase female opportunities to express their mate choices

Question 15

Which of the following types of groups have not been observed in mountain gorillas:

A) Multi-male, multi-female groups
B) One-male, multi-female groups
C) All male groups
D) Monogamous pairbonds

Question 16

Which of the following statements about chimpanzees and bonobos is false?

A) In both species, high ranking males tend to have higher paternity success than low ranking males.
B) In both species, females tend to disperse while males remain in their natal groups.
C) In both species, sons inherit their fathers' ranks.
D) In both species, infants are highly dependent on their mothers.

Question 17

Describe two alternatives to aggressive competition employed by male primates and briefly explain the conditions under which nonaggressive competition may evolve.

Question 18

Long-term studies of recognized individuals indicate that males engage in different reproductive strategies at different times in their lives. Some researchers emphasize the "friendships" that young males establish with females in the groups the males are trying to join. Others emphasize the value of heterosexual friendships to older, more mature males. Briefly evaluate each of these explanations, considering how similar behavioral interactions might reflect the different competitive abilities of young versus mature males.

Question 19

Explain two difficulties with using male mating success as an indicator of male reproductive success.

Question 20

Demographic conditions can explain why different males in the same populations follow strikingly different social pathways. Select one primate, and describe the demographic conditions associated with alternative male strategies.

Question 21

Compare the social strategies of a male chimpanzee and a male bonobo.

Question 22

Explain why in some primates, males initiate grooming interactions with females whereas in other primates, females invest more in their relationships with males. Provide examples for each case.

Question 23

Explain why secondary dispersal is more common for males than for females.

Question 24

List three factors that can affect levels of paternal care by male primates.