Chapter 49, Problem 4
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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Many insects, birds, and other animals are attracted to artificial lights, a side effect of their innate navigational strategies. For example, many birds fly off-course toward bright urban areas during their fall and spring migrations, causing bird mortality due to window strikes and exhaustion. Pose one solution that could reduce impacts on animals and also benefit humans.
What do ultimate explanations of behavior focus on?
A behavior is considered adaptive if it increases an individual's fitness. How is fitness measured? Select True or False for each statement. T/F strength T/F body size T/F speed T/F number of viable offspring
Is it true that all organisms forage optimally? Why or why not?
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.
Propose an evolutionary hypothesis to explain the observation that some bird populations do not migrate if people supply food for them in feeders.