Deck 5: Primate Diversity and Ecology

Question 1

New World monkeys are

A) all arboreal and diurnal.
B) all arboreal and some have prehensile tails.
C) almost exclusively terrestrial.
D) generally all the same small body size.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What makes primates useful models for understanding human evolution?

A) Primate evolution is more complex than the evolution of lower animals.
B) We share many of the same adaptations as other primates.
C) We share an interest in evolution with other primates.
D) Modern primates represent the primitive condition of our common ancestor.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

One adaptation to nocturnality is

A) color vision.
B) large eyes.
C) immobile ears.
D) large body size.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Diversity in closely related organisms living under different ecological conditions can help in the understanding of

A) convergent evolution.
B) homologies.
C) how natural selection shapes behavior and morphology.
D) how behaviors remain the same through time.

Question 5

A feature that distinguishes primates from other mammals is

A) longer pregnancies.
B) arboreal lives.
C) shorter periods of dependence on parents.
D) living in social groups.

Question 6

Mammals share certain traits, such as viviparity and lactation. Studying generalities about many living mammals can give insight into particular mammalian species, such as ourselves. This is an example of

A) reasoning by analogy.
B) reasoning by homology.
C) reasoning by convergence.
D) reasoning by divergence.

Question 7

The diversity seen in behavior among closely related species is most likely due to ecological pressures. Similar behaviors seen in distantly related species is likely due to convergence. Which of the following research methods utilizes these concepts as its foundation?

A) Comparative
B) Blind
C) Double blind
D) Observation

Question 8

Primates are found mainly in tropical regions. In tropical environments,

A) daily temperatures fluctuate dramatically.
B) seasonal changes are virtually nonexistent.
C) primate foods are affected more by seasonal changes due to rainfall than by those due to temperature.
D) primate foods are affected more by temperature than by rainfall.

Question 9

Compared with the haplorrhines, the strepsirrhines

A) retain many ancestral characters.
B) are typically quite large in body size.
C) have evolved numerous adaptations that suit their diurnal lifestyle.
D) have more fully developed traits related to increased complexity of behavior.

Question 10

Compared with the strepsirrhines, the haplorrhines are

A) More often active during the night.
B) more dependent on smell than on vision.
C) smaller brained.
D) found in larger and more complex social groups.

Question 11

Members of the order Primate are very diverse in behavior and morphology. Much of this diversity may be understood as adaptations to particular environments. Using this knowledge to gain insight into human behavior and morphology is an example of

A) reasoning by analogy.
B) reasoning by homology.
C) reasoning by convergence.
D) reasoning by divergence.

Question 12

Derived characteristics that define the order Primate include

A) bipedalism.
B) increased dependence on complex behavior, learning, and behavioral flexibility.
C) specialized molars, up to six incisors, and a lack of premolars.
D) highly developed olfaction (sense of smell).

Question 13

Which of the following is not a homologous trait among humans and other primates?

A) Large brain in relation to body compared with other mammals.
B) Well-developed vision.
C) Grasping hands.
D) Almost no sexual dimorphism in body size.

Question 14

Charles Darwin

A) advocated placing humans in the primate order.
B) agreed that humans should be placed in their own order based on our distinctive mental abilities and upright posture.
C) did not comment in writing on the relationship of humans to other organisms.
D) did not think that humans should be classified with any other organisms.

Question 15

Pair-bonded groups and active defense of territories are typical of the

A) great apes.
B) monkeys.
C) lesser apes.
D) lorises.

Question 16

Substantial size differences between males and females is called

A) conspecifics.
B) congenerics.
C) polyandry.
D) sexual dimorphism.

Question 17

Most primates rely more on visual stimuli and less on olfactory stimuli than do other mammals. Which of the following is one line of evidence for this?

A) Primates have more complex eyes than do other mammals.
B) Primate olfactory apparatuses are highly specialized, especially in diurnal primates.
C) Primates have more optic nerves than do other mammals.
D) The primate visual sense is highly developed while the olfactory apparatus is reduced, especially in diurnal primates.

Question 18

Hind-limb dominance refers to

A) a tendency in primates toward bipedal locomotion.
B) opposable toes and thumbs.
C) the fact that hind limbs do most of the locomotor work.
D) vertical clinging and leaping.

Question 19

Humans and nonhuman primates share a suite of traits, including grasping hands and binocular vision, so their last common ancestor must have also shared this suite of traits. These traits in humans and nonhuman primates is therefore an example of

A) balancing selection.
B) analogy.
C) recombination.
D) homology.

Question 20

In primate dentition, the left side of a jaw is identical to the right side. This is called

A) bilateral symmetry.
B) homologous dentition.
C) positive correlation.
D) pleiotrophy.

Question 21

A smaller animal is more likely to be

A) an insectivore than a frugivore, because it cannot outcompete larger animals.
B) an insectivore than a frugivore, because it requires higher-quality food than larger animals.
C) a frugivore than an insectivore, because it cannot outcompete larger animals.
D) a frugivore than an insectivore, because it requires a lower quantity of food than larger animals.

Question 22

Which of the following foods requires specific digestive adaptations in primates?

A) Mature leaves
B) Young leaves
C) Flowers
D) Tree sap

Question 23

Resource-defense territoriality occurs when

A) resources are distributed over a wide area.
B) resources are abundant and thus worth defending.
C) food is clumped in a space.
D) females are clumped in space.

Question 24

Territories are

A) fixed areas defended by members of a group against conspecifics.
B) fixed areas defended by members of a group against other species.
C) areas where members of a group are often found.
D) areas where groups come together in areas where their ranges overlap.

Question 25

Modern primates are found in the tropical and temperate zones of

A) Madagascar, Africa, and Australia.
B) Africa, Asia, Europe, and Antarctica.
C) Africa, Asia, and the New World.
D) China, Japan, and Australia.

Question 26

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Estimated predation rates vary from less than 1% to 15% of the population per year in primate populations.
B) Estimated predation rates per month are from 1% to 15% in primate populations.
C) Adults are 10% more susceptible to predation than are subadults.
D) Arboreal species are more susceptible to predation than are terrestrial species.

Question 27

Sociality is costly to primates because

A) there is greater competition for resources.
B) there is increased vulnerability to disease.
C) there is increased vulnerability to attacks from conspecifics.
D) they have to share home ranges with other primates.

Question 28

You are given a jawbone of an unknown primate, and you notice that the anterior and posterior cusps of the lower molars form two parallel ridges. What might you conclude from this observation?

A) This is the mandible of a frugivore.
B) This is the mandible of a folivore.
C) This is the mandible of a cercopithecine.
D) This is the mandible of an ape.

Question 29

Basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy required for

A) evolutionarily important activities of an animal.
B) maintenance of body processes at rest.
C) reproduction.
D) feeding.

Question 30

The platyrrhine primates

A) are found in Madagascar.
B) have no tails.
C) have a dental formula of 2:1:2:3.
D) are also called the New World monkeys.

Question 31

Secondary compounds are

A) products of complex molecules with health benefits.
B) intermediate between primary and tertiary compounds.
C) protective or defensive toxins found in some plants.
D) chemicals in the digestive tract designed to reduce the effects of plant toxins.

Question 32

Compounds found in foods that are essential in regulating many of the body's metabolic functions are

A) proteins.
B) fats and oils.
C) vitamins, minerals, and trace amounts of certain elements.
D) carbohydrates.

Question 33

During reproduction a female's energetic costs

A) increase, especially during the first half of pregnancy.
B) increase, especially during the second half of pregnancy.
C) increase, particularly during lactation.
D) decrease after she gives birth.

Question 34

In the phylogeny of evolutionary relationships among the primates, tarsiers

A) may be more closely related to anthropoids than to lemurs and lorises.
B) are small-bodied like most anthropoids.
C) may be more closely related to strepsirrhines because they are nocturnal.
D) are considered arboreal quadrupeds like most New World monkeys.

Question 35

Which of the following is a key component of primate ecology?

A) The distribution of predator and prey species
B) The distribution of relatives
C) The distribution of offspring
D) The distribution of rivers

Question 36

Evidence that predation is important in primates includes

A) its frequent observance.
B) the observation that many primate species have antipredator defenses.
C) the fact that predators are in the same areas as primates.
D) primates are an easy prey species because of their size.

Question 37

The social organization and behavior of a species are directly influenced by

A) heritability of a trait.
B) genetic mutation.
C) environmental factors.
D) metabolic rates.

Question 38

In primates, territoriality occurs when

A) females defend food or males defend access to females.
B) females defend access to males or males defend food.
C) males defend access to both food and females.
D) females defend access to both food and males.

Question 39

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Diurnal primates are generally solitary.
B) Foraging and resting times are affected by ecological conditions.
C) Nocturnal primates are large in body size.
D) Foraging and resting times are dictated by diet.

Question 40

Most primate species

A) live in social groups.
B) live solitary lives.
C) live in social groups only during the breeding season.
D) are only social when predator activity is high.

Question 41

Discuss the main factors contributing to the endangerment and extinction of primates.

Question 42

Explain the taxonomic problems associated with members of Tarsiiformes. How would an evolutionary taxonomist classify these organisms within the order Primate? How would a cladist classify these organisms within the primates?

Question 43

A typical day in the life of a primate

A) changes significantly day to day.
B) is consumed by socializing with group members.
C) is unaffected by seasonal changes in environment.
D) includes two long feeding bouts, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon.

Question 44

Cercopithecines

A) typically live in small one-male groups.
B) typically live in groups where all the females are related.
C) typically live in groups where all the males are related.
D) are typically monogamous.

Question 45

Compare and contrast five differences in morphology and behavior between the strepsirrhine primates and the haplorrhine primates. Make a distinction between ancestral and derived traits in your discussion.

Question 46

Which of the following contributes to the endangerment of primates?

A) Habitat destruction
B) Infanticide
C) Selective foresting
D) Resource competition with conspecifics

Question 47

Explain how reasoning from homology and reasoning from analogy can help us to understand our own species better.

Question 48

How is the comparative method used in the study of primate behavior and ecology? Explain how it might help researchers understand the evolution of behavior and morphology.

Question 49

Using the information from the chapter on how ecology shapes behavior, create a model showing how certain ecological pressures might have favored sociality in primates.

Question 50

How do active metabolism, growth rate, and reproductive effort affect basal metabolism?

Question 51

Imagine you discover a new species of primate. It has a large body size (about 35 lbs.), is sexually dimorphic, appears to spend much of its time in the trees, lives in dense tropical forest, and has longer arms than legs. Based on this information only, what can you hypothesize about this new species' behavior and ecology?

Question 52

The size and composition of primate social groups are a compromise between

A) competition for mates and competition for food.
B) body size and home range size.
C) costs and benefits of sociality.
D) competition for food and benefits of sociality.

Question 53

Which of the following contributes to the endangerment of primates?

A) Infanticide
B) Subsistence foraging
C) Biomedical research
D) Small-scale agricultural projects

Question 54

If primates make different calls when they detect other species nearby, then one could predict

A) they want to attract the other species so they can find them.
B) they want to define their territory.
C) those calls are to defend their resources.
D) those are specific alarm calls to avoid predation.

Question 55

Summarize the changes in manual dexterity and sensory reorganization that accompanied the evolution of primates.

Question 56

The United States has

A) increased the number of imported primates in recent decades.
B) decreased the number of imported primates in recent decades.
C) not changed the number of imported primates in recent decades.
D) allows only the importation of certain primates.

Question 57

Compare and contrast how primates differ from other mammals in each of the following categories and give a specific example for each one: (a) limbs and locomotion, (b) teeth and diet, (c) the senses, (d) the brain and intelligence, and (e) behavior.

Question 58

What adaptations do some plants have to make themselves less palatable to animals that might otherwise eat them? Explain the primate counteradaptations that allow them to eat such plants.