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Scientists studying scrub jays found that helpers often
Chapter 51, Problem 51.25(choose chapter or problem)
Scientists studying scrub jays found that “helpers” often assist mated pairs of birds in raising their young. The helpers lack territories and mates of their own. Instead, they help the territory owners gather food for their offspring. Propose a hypothesis to explain what advantage there might be for the helpers to engage in this behavior instead of seeking their own territories and mates. How would you test your hypothesis? If it is correct, what results would you expect your tests to yield?
Questions & Answers
QUESTION:
Scientists studying scrub jays found that “helpers” often assist mated pairs of birds in raising their young. The helpers lack territories and mates of their own. Instead, they help the territory owners gather food for their offspring. Propose a hypothesis to explain what advantage there might be for the helpers to engage in this behavior instead of seeking their own territories and mates. How would you test your hypothesis? If it is correct, what results would you expect your tests to yield?
ANSWER:Step 1 of 4
As seen in the case of scrub jay birds, the role of "helpers" in a population of species to aid the mated pair is very common in biological environments. Alloparenting is when "helpers" sacrifice their reproduction to help the mated pair obtain food and raise their offspring. A form of co-breeding frequently occurs in bird species where individuals other than the parents help raise the young. That might be the suggested explanation for this unusual phenomenon. Failures in alloparenting can have serious, even fatal, effects on young children and infants at risk.