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Ch. 50 - Behavioral Ecology
All textbooksFreeman 8th EditionCh. 50 - Behavioral EcologyProblem 7
Chapter 49, Problem 7

Propose an evolutionary hypothesis to explain the observation that some bird populations do not migrate if people supply food for them in feeders.

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Identify the key observation: Some bird populations do not migrate when humans provide food in feeders.
Consider the role of natural selection: Normally, birds migrate to find food during different seasons. If food is consistently available, the energy and risks associated with migration might not be worth the benefits.
Formulate a hypothesis: Birds that do not migrate when food is provided may have a survival advantage in those conditions, as they avoid the hazards of migration and conserve energy.
Predict evolutionary consequences: Over time, these non-migrating birds might reproduce more successfully in the stable, food-rich environment, leading to an increase in the proportion of non-migrating individuals in the population.
Propose further research: To test this hypothesis, compare the survival and reproduction rates of migrating and non-migrating birds in areas with and without artificial food supplies.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Natural Selection

Natural selection is a fundamental mechanism of evolution where individuals with traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more successfully. In the context of birds relying on feeders, those that do not migrate may have a survival advantage if food is consistently available, leading to a potential increase in their population over time.
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Behavioral Adaptation

Behavioral adaptation refers to changes in behavior that enhance an organism's chances of survival and reproduction. Birds that become accustomed to human-provided food may develop a behavioral adaptation to remain in one location year-round, as migrating becomes unnecessary when food is readily available.
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Ecological Niche

An ecological niche encompasses the role and position a species has in its environment, including its habitat, resource use, and interactions with other organisms. The availability of feeders alters the ecological niche for certain bird populations, allowing them to thrive without migrating, as they can exploit a stable food source provided by humans.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Why does altruism seem paradoxical? a. Sometimes altruistic behavior is actually selfish. b. Altruism does not actually help others. c. Alleles that cause an organism to behave altruistically should be selected against since these alleles should lower the organism's fitness. d. Animals behave altruistically to help the species, but sometimes their behavior harms the species.

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Textbook Question

Is it true that all organisms forage optimally? Why or why not?

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Textbook Question

The male cuttlefish in the chapter-opening photo can rapidly change their skin colors (under nerve control) to flash warning patterns to rivals. Predict the proximate and ultimate causes of this behavior.

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Textbook Question

Hamilton's rule states that an altruistic allele could spread in a population if Br > C, where B represents the fitness benefit to the recipient, r is the coefficient of relatedness between altruist and recipient, and C represents the fitness cost to the altruist. If r=0.5 between the altruist and the recipient, what would the ratio of costs to benefits have to be for the altruistic allele to spread? a. C/B > 0.5 b. C/B > 0 c. C/B < 0.5 d. C/B < 0

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Textbook Question

Evolutionary biologist Hopi Hoekstra and colleagues have hypothesized that the burrow-digging behavior of mice (and the resulting shape of their underground burrows) is heritable—innate and not learned. Design an experiment to test this hypothesis.

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Textbook Question

Mass strandings of whales occur on beaches near military exercises where sonar is used, raising concerns about the effects of human-generated underwater sounds on animal behavior. Scientists are collecting behavioral data on several species of whales to find out how sonar affects them. Whales communicate with one another using sound. What is one benefit and one cost to whales of using sound to communicate underwater?

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