Download Study questions for predator prey evolution

Study questions for Predator and Prey evolution
1. What is the Red Queen hypothesis? What does this hypothesis predict about the
evolutionary dynamics between predators and prey?
2. What is crypsis? What evidence from experiments on blue jays suggests that crypsis
is an adaptation for avoiding predation?
3. What is a search image? What experimental evidence suggests that predators may
have a search image? How could search images lead to the maintenance of multiple
color morphs in prey species? What is the experimental evidence for this? What kind of
selection would maintain these color morphs?
4. What are four different ways to be cryptic? What kinds of coloration do each predict
to evolve?
5. What is the difference between background matching and masquerade?
6. Why do insects often have brightly colored hindwings or eye spots?
7. How can a small increase in crypsis lead to large effects in predation risk? What
experimental evidence supports this?
8. What is aposematic coloration? What kind of signal is it? Who benefits from the
signal? How is it an example of convergent evolution? Give some examples of
convergent evolution of aposematic coloration. How do you know that they are
convergent?
9. What experimental evidence suggest that being conspicuous and distasteful can lead to
lower predation?
10. What is a difficulty in evolving aposematic coloration? What was Fisher’s solution
to this dilemma? What evidence supports Fisher’s solution? What evidence does not
support Fisher’s hypothesis? What does this contrary evidence suggest about how
aposematism might evolve?
11. What is Batesian mimicry? What are the players that are involved? What kind of
signals are involved? What selection acts on the mimic? What selection acts on the
model? How does this affect subsequent evolution in the system?
12. Describe the experiments that showed that yellow-eyed Ensatina (E. e. xanthoptica)
are Batesian mimics. Describe all of the species involved and how they relate to the
mimicry.
13. What is Mullerian mimicry? Who are the players and what is the selection involved?
What kinds of signals are involved? How is Mullerian mimicry an example of
convergent evolution?
14. How is Mullerian mimicry different than Batesian mimicry? How is signal evolution
different between the two kinds of mimicry? Address how signals may change over time
due to interactions among the players. Give a biological example of each type of
mimicry.
15. Describe the experiments done on the Great Tit by Alatalo and Mappes that tested
how a bird learns to avoid aposematic signals in evolutionarily novel prey. How were the
predictions of Mullerian mimicry supported? How was Fisher’s hypothesis supported?
What factors did these experiments control for?
16. What kind of warning coloration do pitohuis show? What is the warning? Are most
populations of Pitohui dichrous a Mullerian mimic of Pitohui kirchocephalus? Why or
why not?
17. Describe the evidence that suggests that Dendrobates imitator is a Mullerian mimic.
18. Which forms of mimicry are examples of convergent evolution? Is aposematism an
example of convergent evolution?
19. Describe the coevolution between cuckoos and their hosts. What kind of adaptations
do cuckoos use to exploit their hosts? What kind of adaptations do hosts use to prevent
parasitism?
20. Researchers have observed that how discriminating host is (their egg rejection rate)
is correlated with how closely cuckoo egg matches host species. How does this suggest
that hosts and cuckoos are evolving via Red Queen dynamics? Describe a likely scenario
about how host species and cuckoos evolve together.
21. If hosts can discriminate the size and color of cuckoo eggs, why don’t most hosts
reject cuckoo chicks. What would be a potential cost of rejecting cuckoo chicks? What
kinds of cuckoo traits evolve under the rare circumstances when hosts do reject cuckoo
chicks?
22. What is the likely sequence of evolution of cuckoos and their hosts? How does this
suggest coevolutionary dynamics?