Question 1

Because behavioral strategies are thought to be the product of natural selection, they should increase
A) reproductive success.
B) the cost-to-benefit ratio.
C) adaptations.
D) trade-offs.

Accepted Answer

Behavioral strategies that increase reproductive success are more likely to be passed down through generations due to natural selection, as reproductive success is a key factor in passing on genes. Therefore, choice A is the correct answer as increasing reproductive success is the most important factor in the success of a behavioral strategy. The other answer choices are not directly related to the success of the behavior in terms of natural selection.

Question 2

The reproductive success of primate females is constrained mainly by
A) the energetic costs of pregnancy and lactation.
B) the availability of males.
C) a female's genetic makeup.
D) a female's ability to attract mates.

Accepted Answer

The energetic costs of pregnancy and lactation can be significant for primates, and can limit a female's ability to reproduce frequently or produce large offspring. Factors such as male availability, genetic makeup, and mate attraction can also play a role, but are generally not as limiting as the energy requirements of reproduction.

Question 3

To better understand primate societies, we need to investigate the way primates find mates and care for their offspring. This is known as their
A) social organization.
B) social system.
C) mating system.
D) reproductive strategy.

Accepted Answer

The way primates find mates and care for their offspring is known as their mating system. Option A (social organization) and B (social system) are broader terms that include other aspects of primate societies, such as patterns of communication, hierarchy, and cooperation. Option D (reproductive strategy) is also related to mating but focuses more on the specific behaviors and adaptations that primates use to pass on their genes to the next generation. Therefore, the most accurate and specific choice is C (mating system).

Question 4

For most primates reproductive success of a primate female depends largely on
A) group size and composition.
B) her ability to acquire nutritive resources.
C) her ability to coerce males into investing in offspring.
D) male protection.

Accepted Answer

The ability to acquire nutritive resources is crucial for reproductive success in primates as it allows females to invest in their own growth and health, and in turn, produce healthy offspring. This includes the ability to forage for food and access high-quality food sources within the group's territory. Group size and composition, coercing males into investing in offspring, and male protection may also impact reproductive success to some degree but are not consistently the primary factors.

Question 5

Primate females always invest in their young because
A) primate males do not have the appropriate neurological foundation.
B) they are committed to parental investment by their physiology.
C) they produce large, nutrient-rich gametes.
D) parenting effort is equal to mating effort.

Accepted Answer

Female primates are committed to parental investment due to their physiology. This means that they have developed the ability to bear offspring and produce milk to nourish them. Additionally, females usually have a higher investment in each offspring compared to males because they carry the pregnancy and lactate after birth, which requires significant time and energy. In contrast, males can mate without investing much in parenting effort, which is why they often have a lower level of investment in offspring compared to females. Therefore, option B is the best choice because it accurately describes why primates invest in their young.

Question 6

Which of the following best describes a particular primate mating system and reproductive behavior?
A) In baboons females compete with other females for mating opportunities with prime males, whereas males rarely compete with each other.
B) Male preference can influence female reproductive success in groups where there are multiple males.
C) In most pair-bonded species, both males and females care for offspring.
D) In polyandrous species, both males and females have equal opportunities to mate.

Accepted Answer

In most pair-bonded species, the monogamous nature of the relationship often leads to both males and females sharing responsibilities in caring for their offspring, which is a common behavior observed in such mating systems.

Question 7

If animal A outranks animals B and C, and B outranks C, then the dominance relationships are
A) unlikely to produce sexual selection.
B) unstable.
C) transitive.
D) explained by intersexual competition.

Accepted Answer

Transitive dominance relationships mean that if animal A outranks animal B, and animal B outranks animal C, then animal A also outranks animal C. This is a stable hierarchy that can lead to sexual selection and is often seen in social animals that live in groups. The dominance relationships being explained by intersexual competition is not necessarily relevant in determining if the hierarchy is transitive or not.

Question 8

Primiparous females
A) reproduce at faster rates than multiparous females.
B) give birth to only one infant in their lifetime.
C) experience greater infant mortality than multiparous females.
D) have shorter interbirth intervals than multiparous females.

Accepted Answer

Primiparous females, or females giving birth for the first time, often experience greater infant mortality due to lack of experience and physiological factors compared to multiparous females, who have given birth multiple times.

Question 9

Because primates are mammals, what can you predict about their reproductive strategy?
A) Resource competition forces pair-bonding.
B) Alpha males sire almost all of the offspring.
C) Males assist in rearing offspring in most cases.
D) Females are obligated to invest heavily in their offspring through pregnancy and lactation.

Accepted Answer

As mammals, primates have internal fertilization and females carry and nurse their offspring with milk produced by their mammary glands. This results in a high investment of time and energy for females, obligating them to invest heavily in their offspring through pregnancy and lactation. This is typically seen in primate societies where females are the primary caregivers of their young.

Question 10

Primates have longer gestation periods than other mammals relative to body size because
A) they produce smaller offspring relative to body size than other mammals.
B) they have larger brains, relative to body size, than other mammals.
C) they have access to more nutritive resources than other mammals.
D) they do not possess the morphology for external gestation.

Accepted Answer

Primates have larger brains, relative to body size, than other mammals. This requires a longer gestation period to allow for brain development.

Question 11

In the language of adaptive explanations, what is meant by the term "strategy"?
A) A mechanism that leads to particular behaviors in particular contexts
B) A conscious decision to make adaptive behavioral choices
C) A conscious decision to make adaptive or nonadaptive behavioral choices
D) A behavior of higher animals, such as mammals

Accepted Answer

In the language of adaptive explanations, the term "strategy" refers to a mechanism that leads to particular behaviors in particular contexts. It is not necessarily a conscious decision, and it may or may not result in adaptive outcomes.

Question 12

The majority of primate species are not pair-bonded. Therefore, we can predict that
A) both sexes will care for offspring equally.
B) neither sex will care for offspring.
C) males will provide more care for offspring than will females.
D) females will provide more care for offspring than will males.

Accepted Answer

In non-pair bonded primate species, the responsibility of caring for offspring typically falls more heavily on the female. Male primates may provide some care, but they are less likely to play a significant role in raising offspring compared to females. Therefore, option D is the most accurate prediction.

Question 13

In the language of adaptive explanations, cost and benefit refer to the impact of behaviors on the animal's
A) overall health.
B) reproductive success.
C) foraging success.
D) social relationships.

Accepted Answer

Cost and benefit refer to the impact of behaviors on an animal's reproductive success. Cost refers to the negative impact or trade-off of engaging in a behavior, while benefit refers to the positive impact on an animal's reproduction. Other factors, such as overall health, foraging success, and social relationships, may indirectly affect reproductive success, but they are not the focus of cost and benefit analysis in the language of adaptive explanations.

Question 14

Which of the following statements about female primate reproductive success is NOT supported by the evidence?
A) The longer a female lives, the more offspring she will likely have.
B) Past a certain age, female primates stop reproducing, so it does not matter how long they live.
C) Younger females have less success with raising offspring because the female is not fully grown and continues to demand energy for her own survival that might otherwise be invested in offspring.
D) Among primates, humans are unusual in that females stop reproducing abruptly when they get older and have a potentially long postreproductive period.

Accepted Answer

Female primates generally continue to reproduce throughout their lives, and longevity can contribute to reproductive success. The statement that past a certain age they stop reproducing and longevity doesn't matter is not supported by evidence.

Question 15

Which of the following statements is true?
A) Dominance rank is not a good predictor of female reproductive success.
B) Young females tend to reproduce more often than older females because they are in better physical condition.
C) Variation in longevity is a major contributor to variation in lifetime fitness among females.
D) Females in multimale groups have more offspring than females in one-male units.

Accepted Answer

Variation in longevity is a significant factor affecting lifetime fitness among females, as it influences the number of reproductive events and the overall reproductive output over an individual's lifetime.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is true?
A) Patterns of courtship, mate choice, and parental care vary greatly within the primate order.
B) The reproductive strategies of living primates are not influenced by their phylogenetic heritage as mammals.
C) Studies of primate reproductive behavior cannot help us understand how evolutionary forces shaped the reproductive strategies of our hominin ancestors.
D) The same factors limit male and female reproductive success.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. The behavior surrounding courtship, mate choice, and parental care varies greatly within the primate order, even between closely related species. For example, gibbons are known for their monogamous pair-bonding, while chimpanzees exhibit a promiscuous mating system.

Question 17

The relative amount of parental care
A) can affect all aspects of social behavior and some aspects of morphology.
B) is virtually the same across the primate order.
C) does not influence reproductive strategies.
D) is determined directly by dominance hierarchy.

Accepted Answer

The relative amount of parental care has been shown to affect various aspects of social behavior, such as the development of social skills and the ability to form strong social bonds. It can also influence some aspects of morphology, such as growth rate and body size.

Answer: B and C are incorrect.
 The relative amount of parental care is not the same across the primate order, as different species have evolved different strategies for raising their offspring. Additionally, parental care can play an important role in determining reproductive strategies such as the timing and number of offspring.

Answer: D is incorrect.
 The relative amount of parental care is not determined directly by dominance hierarchy, although dominant individuals may have greater access to resources and may therefore be able to provide more care to their offspring. Other factors, such as sex and ecological conditions, can also influence the amount of care provided by parents.

Question 18

Female fertility is greatest in
A) young females.
B) middle-age females.
C) older females.
D) primiparous females.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Female fertility is greatest in
A) young females.
B)...

Question 19

Unequal parental investment is favored when
A) resource competition is high for females.
B) the cost of acquiring additional mates is low for males.
C) the cost of acquiring additional mates is high for males.
D) the fitness of offspring raised by two parents is much higher than the fitness of offspring raised by one parent.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Unequal parental investment is favored when
A) resource...

Question 20

Which of the following plays a crucial role in our understanding of primate societies?
A) Metabolism
B) Diet
C) Mating systems
D) Physiology

Accepted Answer

Mating systems play a crucial role in our understanding of primate societies as they determine how individuals interact, compete, and form social relationships, which in turn affects group dynamics and behavior. Factors such as polygamy, monogamy, and promiscuity can impact the distribution and allocation of resources, sexual selection, and parental care, among other aspects of primate behavior. While metabolism, diet, and physiology also influence primate biology and behavior, their role in shaping primate societies is less significant.

Quiz 6: Primate Mating Systems

Because behavioral strategies are thought to be the product of natural selection, they should increase

The reproductive success of primate females is constrained mainly by

To better understand primate societies, we need to investigate the way primates find mates and care for their offspring. This is known as their

For most primates reproductive success of a primate female depends largely on

Primate females always invest in their young because

Which of the following best describes a particular primate mating system and reproductive behavior?

If animal A outranks animals B and C, and B outranks C, then the dominance relationships are

Primiparous females

Because primates are mammals, what can you predict about their reproductive strategy?

Primates have longer gestation periods than other mammals relative to body size because

In the language of adaptive explanations, what is meant by the term "strategy"?

The majority of primate species are not pair-bonded. Therefore, we can predict that

In the language of adaptive explanations, cost and benefit refer to the impact of behaviors on the animal's

Which of the following statements about female primate reproductive success is NOT supported by the evidence?

Which of the following statements is true?

Which of the following statements is true?

The relative amount of parental care

Female fertility is greatest in

Unequal parental investment is favored when

Which of the following plays a crucial role in our understanding of primate societies?