Mating behavior Knowledge-Based Download PDF

Questions

1. 1.

   According to the handicap principle in sexual selection, why do females in many animal species exhibit a strong preference for males with elaborate and energetically costly physical ornaments?

   • A) They demonstrate the male's direct capacity to provide parental care and defend the nest site from predators.
   • B) They allow males to deceive rivals into avoiding aggressive physical encounters during territory defense.
   • C) They act as honest signals of genetic quality because only high-fitness individuals can bear the survival costs of producing them.
   • D) They minimize intrasexual competition by physically disabling rival males during elaborate courtship displays.
2. 2.

   Which of the following describes a defining feature of a lek mating system in animal populations?

   • A) Males defend valuable feeding or nesting territories that females require for offspring rearing.
   • B) Males aggregate in a communal display arena where they defend small territories containing no essential resources.
   • C) A single male pairs exclusively with one female to provide shared parental care throughout the breeding season.
   • D) Females defend territories containing multiple subordinate males that assist exclusively with incubation and brood care.
3. 3.

   In species where females frequently mate with multiple partners, males often exhibit specialized behavioral strategies to ensure their paternity. Which of the following behaviors functions primarily as an adaptation to reduce the risk of sperm competition?

   • A) Prolonged mate-guarding following copulation
   • B) Defending an exclusive display territory within a communal lek
   • C) Performing elaborate ritualized dances prior to insemination
   • D) Dispersing immediately after mating to locate additional receptive females
4. 4.

   Which condition is most likely to favor the evolution of a monogamous mating system in an animal population?

   • A) Offspring require extensive care from both parents to successfully survive to independence.
   • B) Critical food resources are clumped and can be easily monopolized by a single dominant male.
   • C) Receptive females aggregate in large, synchronized groups that are readily defended by one individual.
   • D) Males have very low confidence of paternity due to broadcast spawning in aquatic habitats.
5. 5.

   In many animal species, females invest substantially more metabolic energy into producing gametes and nurturing offspring than males do. According to sexual selection theory, what mating behavior is most directly predicted by this asymmetry in parental investment?

   • A) Males become the choosier sex during courtship, while females evolve conspicuous displays to compete for partners.
   • B) Females act as the choosier sex during mate selection, while males compete intensely for mating opportunities.
   • C) Both sexes invest equally in elaborate courtship displays and routinely form lifelong monogamous pair bonds.
   • D) Males completely abandon territorial defense because intrasexual competition reduces their overall reproductive success.