Vert Assigned Readings

Front 1

What is a Species?

What are the two primary problems with defining species based on the biological species concept?

Back 1

1. does not give any indication of how reproductively isolated a species has to be to qualify as a species
   
2. does not provide support for asexual species

Front 2

What is a Species?

Explain the statement that the phylogenetic species concept updates the Linnaean system in the light of evolution

Back 2

through the analysis of common inherited traits from ancestors, scientists can “zoom in” closer to analyze the evolutionary relationships

Front 3

What is a Species?

Briefly describe the unified approach that has been used to classify species, such as bdelloid rotifers, that do not fit the biological species concept.

Back 3

scientists sequenced DNA to construct evolutionary trees to determine whether these rotifers belonged to species-like groups

Front 4

Modern Darwins

Describe one example given in the article that demonstrates how natural selection functions to adapt a species to its unique environmental circumstances.

Back 4

• off the Gulf Coast of Florida, beach mice have paler coats than mice living on the mainland, which camouflages them better on pale sand
  
• genes responsible for beak shapes in finches

Front 5

Modern Darwins

From an evolutionary perspective, why would a female preferentially mate with a male with more elaborate ornamentation?

Back 5

• males with more ornamentation are often seen as more “biologically” fit than others and would therefore be eligible to pass on better genes
• i.e. in peacocks, tails are exhausting and dangerous to grow and can only be done well by the healthiest males, so bright plumage constitutes what evolutionary biologists call an “honest indicator of fitness”
  

Front 6

Modern Darwins

Explain why the evolution of limbs was not a radical evolutionary event as was previously thought.

Back 6

the evolution of limbs in fish was not a result of new genes being created and a series of developmental processes as was previously thought…instead, the “genetic machinery” needed to make limbs was already present in the fish’s fins and the process just involved the “redeployment of old genetic recipes in new ways”

Front 7

Something Fishy in the Nest

Briefly describe the reproductive strategy of “cuckolder” bluegill.

Back 7

• in first phase of their sexual lives, referred to as "sneakers"...after locating a spawning colony, they lurk behind rocks or debris near a nest until a female enters the nest depression; just as she releases her eggs, the sneaker darts into the nest, discharges his sperm, and then leaves quickly before the parental male can catch him
• as a sneaker ages, he morphs into a look-alike of a female bluegill...at this point, he’s grown too large to hide out so instead he mimics a female (including her behavior once he is let in) and is thus allowed to enter the parental’s nest in “drag”; the deceit is effective…parental males cannot distinguish between the true female and the look-alike

Front 8

Something Fishy in the Nest

How do “parental” bluegill males combat “cuckolders?”

Back 8

evolved 2 distinct ways—one visual, one olfactory—to “judge” the kinship of the eggs and fry in their care

1. visual: keep track of how many sneaker males they see loitering near their nests during spawning time and on the basis of that info, they decide how much care to give the young
2. olfactory: a chemical cue may be emitted from the urine of newly hatched fry, which lets male parents know that it is in fact their offspring
   

Front 9

Something Fishy in the Nest

What is the basic tenet of the “armpit effect” and how does it relate to bluegill reproductive strategies described in this article?

Back 9

• an individual animal learns some salient aspect of its own phenotype like appearance or odor
• then on the basis of that characteristic, they form a template of what its kin should look or smell like
• potential kin are compared with the template, and if they match closely enough, they are accepted
  

Front 10

Sociable Killers

Describe the two strategies under the optimal foraging theory model.

Back 10

1. predators seek to maximize energy
   - selectively eat only high-calorie prey
   - search costs are high, but so is energy payoff
   per meal
2. predators seek to maximize numbers
   - eat whatever kind of prey is most abundant
   - ignore energy content, thereby keeping per
   meal search costs low
   

Front 11

Sociable Killers

In the context of optimal foraging theory, why are newly weaned seals “optimal” prey for white sharks?

Back 11

• thick layer of blubber

• limited diving and fighting skills

• naïveté about dangers lurking below

• weight about 60 pounds, a good meal by anyone’s standards

Front 12

Sociable Killers

What is the advantage of white sharks exhibiting social structure?

Back 12

• the establishment of social rank and other communicative characteristics results in boundaries of whose prey belongs to who
• similar to a wolf pack