Squirrel cameo

“My Brother’s Keeper” by Kari Benson

Part VI—Other Squirrels

There is another species of ground squirrel (Spermophilus tereticaudus) whose males behave differently (Dunford 1977). In this species, males are likely to alarm-call before they leave their natal site, but they remain silent after they disperse.

Questions

  1. Do these data support your current hypotheses about calling?
  2. What predictions would you make if females dispersed and males remained in natal groups?
  3. What predictions would you make if neither sex dispersed?
  4. Why is it that one sex disperses from each of these groups?

Go to Part VII—“Economics of Kin Selection”


Originally published at http://www.sciencecases.org/kin_selection/kin_selection6.asp

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