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Animal Behavior Exam 1

Terms in this set (60)

Artificial Selection
A process like natural selection, but humans control the reproductive success of alternative types within the population.
ex. teacup dogs
Natural Selection
Process when individuals differ in their traits and these traits correlate to their reproductive success. Leads to evolutionary change when these differences are inherited.
Evolution
Any change in the characteristics of organisms over many generations.
Any change in the gene frequencies of a population of organisms over time.
Adaptation
Characteristic that has high inclusive fitness to individuals than alternative characteristics that other individuals have. Trait has spread or is being spread or is being maintained in population due to natural selection or indirect kin selection.
Adaptationist
A behavioral biologist who develops and tests hypotheses on the possible adaptive value of a particular trait.
Darwinian Puzzle
A trait that appears to reduce the fitness of individuals that possess it. Traits of this sort attract the attention of evolutionary biologists.
Scientific Method
A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions.
Broad explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is substantiated by a large body of evidence.
Hypothesis
A statement constructed to explain a particular phenomenon within a theoretical construct
Prediction
An expected pattern that is deduced from a hypothesis
Test Evidence
An empirical (or sometimes logical) analysis designed to determine whether a prediction holds true
Conclusion
...
Deductive Reasoning
reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.)
Inductive Reasoning
A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations.
Proximate Explanation
An immediate, underlying cause based on the operation of internal mechanisms possessed by an individual.
Ultimate Explanation
The evolutionary, ultimate reason why something is the way it is.
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