ANTH 311 - Midterm 1 || QUESTIONS WITH A+
GRADED SOLUTIONS!!
Why study primates? correct answers Study of evolutionary & ecological processes //
Implications in conservationism and the biomedical sciences
What are the two main approaches to studying primates? correct answers 1.
ANTHROPOCENTRIC - typical of psychologists and anthropologists; interested in what
primates can tell us about humans in the past and present
2. BIOLOGICAL - interested in how primates help us understand evolutionary/ecological
processes
What are the four different levels of explanation/causation/function in understanding primate
behaviour? correct answers 1. Proximate - concerned with physiological or immediate
explanations for behaviour
2. Ultimate/Evolutionary - concerned with adaptations
3. Ontogenetic - concerned with developmental traits that occur during an individual's
lifetime
4. Phylogenetic - describes the distribution of traits or behaviours across related species
Ethogram correct answers a catalog of behaviours or activities observed in an animal.
Why were baboons so important to early anthropocentric researchers like Washburn and
DeVore? correct answers - their geographical location overlapped with that of the original
fossil trail of humans, and so, were believed to be possible models for human ancestors
The classificatory frameworks that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s organized
primates according to what 5 schemes? correct answers 1. Activity Patterns
2. Diets
3. Habitat Use and Ranging
4. Group Size
5. Social and Reproductive Units.
Name one pro and one con to the classificatory frameworks of the 1960s and 70s. correct
answers Pro: Allowed researchers to identify intra- and inter-specific variations in behaviour
Con: Not biologically meaningful; subject to change in different environments
Activity Patterns correct answers day and/or night active; the time allocated to survival and
reproduction vs. rest
Diurnal correct answers day active
Cathermeral correct answers day and night active; no restrictions
, Crepuscular correct answers active at dawn and dusk (twilight)
Nocturnal correct answers night active
Why do primates activity patterns change/differ, and what effect does this have on groups?
correct answers Affected by:
Climate changes (affecting food availability)
Social conditions
Behavioural/anatomical traits
Alters the species susceptibility to certain predators
Predator Sensitivity correct answers the degree to which animals adjust their behaviour to
reduce their risks as prey
Energy Minimizers correct answers time spent resting > travelling
typically rely on low-energy, hard-to-digest, easy-to-find foods (i.e. leaves)
have anatomical specializations for the digestion of foods
Energy Maximizers correct answers time spent resting < travelling and foraging
typically rely on high calorie, easy-to-digest foods, that are somewhat harder to find (i.e.
fruit)
What do diets tell us about the primate? correct answers anatomy, behaviour, habitat use,
ranging behaviours, and social organizations
Insectivores correct answers insect-eating
Faunivores correct answers consume non-insect invertebrates
Frugivores correct answers fruit-eaters
Folivores correct answers consume non-reproductive plant parts
Nutrient Balancing correct answers how primates meet their nutrient & energy needs when
the availability of food varies
How is habitat use and ranging measured? correct answers the distance travelled each day
(day ranges/daily path lengths)
the total area utilized (home ranges)
What factors affect habitat use and ranging? correct answers food distribution
locomotor abilities (speed and efficiency)
nutritional quality of foods
Arboreal correct answers tree-dwelling
Semi-terrestrial correct answers live on and off the ground
Terrestrial correct answers live on the ground
GRADED SOLUTIONS!!
Why study primates? correct answers Study of evolutionary & ecological processes //
Implications in conservationism and the biomedical sciences
What are the two main approaches to studying primates? correct answers 1.
ANTHROPOCENTRIC - typical of psychologists and anthropologists; interested in what
primates can tell us about humans in the past and present
2. BIOLOGICAL - interested in how primates help us understand evolutionary/ecological
processes
What are the four different levels of explanation/causation/function in understanding primate
behaviour? correct answers 1. Proximate - concerned with physiological or immediate
explanations for behaviour
2. Ultimate/Evolutionary - concerned with adaptations
3. Ontogenetic - concerned with developmental traits that occur during an individual's
lifetime
4. Phylogenetic - describes the distribution of traits or behaviours across related species
Ethogram correct answers a catalog of behaviours or activities observed in an animal.
Why were baboons so important to early anthropocentric researchers like Washburn and
DeVore? correct answers - their geographical location overlapped with that of the original
fossil trail of humans, and so, were believed to be possible models for human ancestors
The classificatory frameworks that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s organized
primates according to what 5 schemes? correct answers 1. Activity Patterns
2. Diets
3. Habitat Use and Ranging
4. Group Size
5. Social and Reproductive Units.
Name one pro and one con to the classificatory frameworks of the 1960s and 70s. correct
answers Pro: Allowed researchers to identify intra- and inter-specific variations in behaviour
Con: Not biologically meaningful; subject to change in different environments
Activity Patterns correct answers day and/or night active; the time allocated to survival and
reproduction vs. rest
Diurnal correct answers day active
Cathermeral correct answers day and night active; no restrictions
, Crepuscular correct answers active at dawn and dusk (twilight)
Nocturnal correct answers night active
Why do primates activity patterns change/differ, and what effect does this have on groups?
correct answers Affected by:
Climate changes (affecting food availability)
Social conditions
Behavioural/anatomical traits
Alters the species susceptibility to certain predators
Predator Sensitivity correct answers the degree to which animals adjust their behaviour to
reduce their risks as prey
Energy Minimizers correct answers time spent resting > travelling
typically rely on low-energy, hard-to-digest, easy-to-find foods (i.e. leaves)
have anatomical specializations for the digestion of foods
Energy Maximizers correct answers time spent resting < travelling and foraging
typically rely on high calorie, easy-to-digest foods, that are somewhat harder to find (i.e.
fruit)
What do diets tell us about the primate? correct answers anatomy, behaviour, habitat use,
ranging behaviours, and social organizations
Insectivores correct answers insect-eating
Faunivores correct answers consume non-insect invertebrates
Frugivores correct answers fruit-eaters
Folivores correct answers consume non-reproductive plant parts
Nutrient Balancing correct answers how primates meet their nutrient & energy needs when
the availability of food varies
How is habitat use and ranging measured? correct answers the distance travelled each day
(day ranges/daily path lengths)
the total area utilized (home ranges)
What factors affect habitat use and ranging? correct answers food distribution
locomotor abilities (speed and efficiency)
nutritional quality of foods
Arboreal correct answers tree-dwelling
Semi-terrestrial correct answers live on and off the ground
Terrestrial correct answers live on the ground
