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Behavioral Ecology
IB 146
Spring 2004


Instructions:
Pick an example of a behavior that is not clearly adaptive, such as the ones described in section. (Some possible examples are siblicide, adoption). Use this example to answer the questions below. Hand this paper in before you leave section (10 points).

1. Give an example of a behavior that is not clearly adaptive.

2. How would you test if it is an adaptation according to the Reeve and Sherman definition?

3. Give a possible non-adaptive explanation for this behavior.

4. How would you test if this behavior is an adaptation or an exaptation?

5. What is an advantage of adaptive explanations? What is a disadvantage? How could you avoid adaptive storytelling?