Flashcards on NATURAL SELECTION/MOTIVATION

• -Because resources are limited, organisms must necessarily battle for survival
• -Certain organisms possess favorable characteristics in the environment are “fitter” and will reproduce more
• -Characteristics that are favorable in an environment will proliferate, whereas those that are unfavorable will decrease
• Trends in natural selection constitute evolution by natural selection
• The differential reproductive success of individualswithin a population because of hereditary differencesamong them

Variability -there must be variability in genes and traits among t in population so there can be differences in structure behavior Selection pressuresTraits that work well w/ your environment enable you to survive. must be pressure for one kind of trait to be beneficial. Inheritance mechanismPassed down through heredity over the yearsMust give positive trait to children. Lamarckism(Darwin believed) creatures will grow to be more complex over time. Lamarckism (use-inheritance)- Darwin and considered Genetics laterEvolution by natural selection is random with no internal momentum; creates organisms suited only to current environment, not “more perfect” creatures

• Existence of useless vestigial structures supports Darwin, and doesn’t support the argument for perfect design
• Darwin said evolution by natural selection requires no grand design or designer
• (ie- pelvic bones in whales and snakes, wings in flightless birds, finger bones in penguin’s flipper, eyes in blind fish and salamanders, humans have dive and swim reflexes, appendix, and crowded dentition)

• we retain the child form throughout life because we grow a lot slower than animals.
• Neoteny is the preference humans have to infant-like features
• Inherited pattern of behavior
• Behaviorally people act like children all life (still play games)
• Skull like baby chimp; baby human little change to adult (chimp baby vs. adult very different)

• Personal- direct reproductive prowess
• Inclusive- assistance of kin’s reproduction, leads to cooperative behavior, “altruism”= genetic self interest (cooperative predation, mating, defense, parenting)

• Proto-language; like language
• Universal communication to warn each other of danger or to summon help
• Call can indicate when there is a snake or eagle; go in or under trees

type of inherited pattern of behavior. movement toward of against a simple stimulus (inherited pattern of behavior)

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• -Phototaxis- tendency to go toward light; chemotaxis, geotaxis
• -Escape reflex in the cockroach (most successful reflex)
• Olfactory imprinting- smell when baby is born; humans form bonds over a long period of time (isn’t immediate like other animals)

• subroutines in a program – a behavior sequence that is coded. A stereotype ritualized behavior that once started will go all the way to the end.
• FAPs are triggered by releasers, more flexible than once thought, and are now oftentimes called modal action patterns
• Ex- mother bird scoops egg all the way to nest and doesnt notice when it is gone. humans yawning

• narrow window of time that is opened up around birth and you latch on to the first thing you see (mama). Most developed in birds.
• have a limited window to learn things when you are born
• Critical period- first few weeks/months; learning that occurs and you become what you will be

rat maze experiement. Those who did well in the maze were interbred. After a few generations, the two groups (those that did well and those that didn’t) were very divided traits we magnified. Even within a few generations, a complex behavior can be bred for or against and magnified. Can be applied to human intelligence debate BUT it is debatable if this exp. tests intelligence. Maze bright rats tend to be a lot more anxious and cautious and neurosis more likely to be alcoholics. People who are artists and creative people are more likely to have substance abuse and mental disorders.
royalty interbreeding: people had hemophelia and mental retardation.

Do humans imprint?
NO human babies don’t have a rigid imprinting period. But we do absorb a lot of culture and habits when we are young.

• Monogamy- pair-bonding
• Polygamy- one animal has many mates
• Polyandry- one female w/ many males
• Polygyny (harem)- one male w/ many females
• Promiscuity- no bonding arrangement; every male and female for himself
• Jealousy and violence and female sexual mutilation (in males too)

• Hedge against environmental change
• no current reason for humans (Phylogenetic inertia) or protection against pathogens (Red Queen hypothesis)

• increased genetic variation in offspring which increases the likelihood of at least one offspring surviving and passing on your genes
• -if we had asexual reproduction there would be no genetic variety.
• -protection against pathogens (red queen hypothesis) shuffleing the genome, every new offspring might have a chance to be fit against certain diseases. -no current reason for humans to have sex. (phylogenic intertia)
  

• females are much bigger than males animals
• exception is in species with proportionally large brains
• In these species, males compete for females with displays of strength and prowess and tend to be bigger and behavioral displays.
• Female chose mates based in part on these displays
• Overt female choice- “I pick you and not you”
• Cryptic female choice- the ova looks for certain sperm and will not take random one