Cooperation and altruism Knowledge-Based Practice

Questions

1. 1.

   Which of the following sets of criteria is required to classify an animal society as truly eusocial?

   • A) Obligate haplodiploidy, synchronized collective foraging, and active punishment of non-relatives
   • B) Monogamous lifetime mating, communal nest construction, and equal sharing of reproductive output among adult females
   • C) Cooperative care of young, overlapping generations of adults, and a reproductive division of labor into castes
   • D) High population density, delayed juvenile dispersal, and reciprocal food exchange among unrelated individuals
2. 2.

   In haplodiploid eusocial Hymenoptera such as honeybees, how does the coefficient of relatedness between full sisters compare to that between a female worker and her own potential offspring?

   • A) Full sisters share a relatedness of 0.50, which is equal to the relatedness of a worker to her own offspring.
   • B) Full sisters share a relatedness of 0.75, which is higher than the relatedness of a worker to her own offspring of 0.50.
   • C) Full sisters share a relatedness of 0.25, which is lower than the relatedness of a worker to her own offspring of 0.50.
   • D) Full sisters share a relatedness of 1.00, because male fathers produce identical diploid sperm via meiosis.
3. 3.

   In behavioral ecology, how do direct fitness and indirect fitness differ within the framework of inclusive fitness?

   • A) Direct fitness accounts for energy saved during social foraging, whereas indirect fitness refers to survival advantages gained during cooperative territory defense.
   • B) Direct fitness is gained through reciprocal food exchanges with unrelated individuals, whereas indirect fitness is derived from achieving high dominance rank.
   • C) Direct fitness measures the survival rate of an entire social group, whereas indirect fitness measures the total reproductive capacity of the broader population.
   • D) Direct fitness is achieved through an organism's own reproductive output, whereas indirect fitness is gained by aiding the reproduction of non-descendant genetic relatives.
4. 4.

   Which of the following conditions is essential for reciprocal altruism to evolve and remain evolutionary stable among unrelated individuals in a population?

   • A) High coefficient of relatedness between interacting individuals in every encounter
   • B) Solitary lifestyles where individuals interact only once during their lifetimes
   • C) A fitness cost to the donor that permanently exceeds the benefit gained by the recipient
   • D) Repeated interactions over time and the ability to recognize and withhold aid from cheaters
5. 5.

   According to Hamilton's rule, an altruistic behavior is favored by natural selection under which of the following conditions?

   • A) When the reproductive cost to the altruist exceeds the product of the benefit to the recipient and their coefficient of relatedness.
   • B) When the behavior provides equal direct fitness benefits to both interacting individuals regardless of relatedness.
   • C) When the product of the genetic relatedness and the benefit to the recipient is greater than the reproductive cost to the actor.
   • D) When the coefficient of relatedness between the actor and recipient is zero, thereby maximizing overall group survival.

Answers and step-by-step solutions appear after you finish the test.