Deck 3: Sexual Selection

Question 1

The Red Queen theory of sex predicts that:

A) Sex will be more common when the environment is stable
B) Sex will be more common when the environment is unstable
C) Sex will be more common when parasitism is low
D) Sex will be more common in invertebrates

Answer 1

Sex will be more common when the environment is stable

Question 2

At the beginning of the breeding season red deer stags begin to compete for:

A) Single females
B) Pairs of females
C) Harem territories
D) Resource defence harems

Answer 2

Harem territories

Question 3

In 2010 the Neanderthal Genome Project reported that modern humans living outside of sub-Saharan Africa typically have between __ and __% of Neanderthal genes:

A) 1 and 4
B) 2 and 6
C) 3 and 9
D) 4 and 10

Answer 3

1 and 4

Question 4

Three biotic components of an organism's environment are:

A) Temperature, rain and conspecifics
B) Heat, rain and food
C) Parasites, heat and vegetation
D) Parasites, predators and conspecifics

Question 5

The notion that sex is maintained in populations by a host parasite arms race that become known as the Red Queen theory was first proposed in 1973 by:

A) Zahavi
B) Fisher
C) Dawkins
D) Van Valen

Question 6

The handicap hypothesis of male ornamentation was proposed by:

A) Zahavi
B) Van Valen
C) Hamilton & Zuk
D) Maynard-Smith

Question 7

Runaway selection is associated with:

A) Wilson
B) Fisher
C) Williams
D) Hamilton

Question 8

Parental investment theory was introduced by:

A) Darwin
B) Williams
C) Hamilton
D) Trivers

Question 9

A topminnow is a species of:

A) Nematode
B) Fish
C) Insect
D) Lizard

Question 10

Neanderthals first appeared in the fossil record around:

A) 13,000 YBP
B) 130,000 YBP
C) 1,300,000 YBP
D) 13,000,000 YBP

Question 11

A polygynous species is one where there is:

A) One female to several males
B) One female to one male
C) One male to several females
D) A 'free-for-all'

Question 12

Bull elephant seals are approximately:

A) 3 times the size of cows
B) 10 times the size of cows
C) 6 times the size of cows
D) 4 times the size of cows

Question 13

Both Fisher's and Muller's arguments look at the evolution of sex from the viewpoint of the ______ or ______:

A) Group or population
B) Individuals or population
C) Population or species
D) Genes or individuals

Question 14

The parasite theory of female choice was proposed by:

A) Zahavi
B) Fisher
C) Hamilton & Zuk
D) Van Valen

Question 15

The raffle analogy of Williams is based on:

A) Individual selection
B) The abiotic environment
C) Both a and b
D) Neither a or b

Question 16

According to a study by Cox and Le Boeuf (1973) 4% of male elephant seals are responsible for what percentage of mating during the breeding season:

A) 55%
B) 85%
C) 65%
D) 95%

Question 17

Typically a Red Deer stag will warn off challengers by producing some _____loud roars each day:

A) 1,000
B) 2,000
C) 3,000
D) 4,000

Question 18

Three costs associated with sexual reproduction are:

A) Lactation, production of males and courtship
B) Meiosis, mitosis and courtship
C) Mitosis, production of males and courtship
D) Meiosis, production of males and courtship

Question 19

Matt Ridely refers to the male ornamentation debate as:

A) 'Fisherians v. good-geners'
B) 'Sexy-sons v. healthy offspring
C) 'Healthy-offspring v. 'good geners'
D) 'Sexy-sons v. 'sexy-genes'

Question 20

Intra-sexual selection leads to:

A) Sexy females
B) Sexy males
C) Competitive males
D) All of the above