Friday, August 31, 2007

SHW - Pg. 4

5. Explain the difference b/t proximate and ultimate causes.
- Proximate causes deal with the animals behavioral response in accordance to a imminent situation.
- Ultimate causes deal with the animals behavioral response in accordance to an over-time situation.

6. In the PowerPoint presentation, why do you think the birds are spaced that particular distance apart?
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7. List an advantage and a disadvantage of defending a territory.
- adv. : resources, shelter, habitat adaptation, dominance on mates and resources.
-D-adv.: incapability to adapt to another habitat after losing resources, shelter, and mates.

8. What are pheromone and how do they help in communication?
- A small, volatile chemical signal that functions in communication b/t animals and acts much like a hormone in influencing physiology and behavior. They help in communication through reproduction and by releasing hormones to warn other animal in case of danger

9. What are circadian rhythms and how are they of adaptive value?
- A physiological cycle of about 24 hours, present in all eukaryotic organisms. These help an organism adapt to it’s environment; for example behaviors such as sleep help ensure adaptation.

10. Explain the evolutionary adaptation of kin selection.
- Kin selection is the mechanism of inclusive fitness, where individuals help relatives raise young. This shows that an animal’s inclusive fitness is essentially the same as its individual fitness- its fitness based solely on the production of its own offspring.

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