3.9 Exercise: Using Tinbergen
Humans evolved to eat meat. It is an important part of how our brains became so much bigger than other primates. However, if we asked the question “why does Shelly eat salmon?” the answer is more complex than “humans evolved to eat meat.” That is only one possible explanation (phylogeny).
Proximate Questions |
Ontogeny(Development/Culture) What learning or developmental history shapes the way this behavior is expressed by an individual organism? |
Mechanism(Biology) What biological triggers or changes bring about this behavior in an individual organism? |
Ultimate Questions |
Phylogeny(Evolutionary History) Is this behavior new to the target species or is it shared with others who share a common ancestry? |
Adaptive Value(Function/Survival Purpose) Why does this behavior persist in the species? How did it help the species succeed? |
Use the table of Tinbergen’s Four Questions above to answer the following questions.
- Which of Tinbergen’s Questions would explain why Lucy grabbed an apple when she became dizzy and her stomach started to grumble? Click here for answer.
- Which of Tinbergen’s Questions would explain why Jeremy prefers salmon to beef? Click here for answer.
- Which of Tinbergen’s Questions would explain why humans eat meat but gorillas do not? Click here for answer.
- Which of Tinbergen’s Questions would explain the importance of food sharing to the evolution of cooperation? Click here for answer.
Mechanism - these are biological signs of hunger.
Ontogeny - it is our culture and upbringing that teach us what is food and what is taboo.
Phylogeny - a comparison with other apes tells us in which species of ape meat eating evolved.
Adaptive Value - as we will learn in future chapters, food sharing likely shaped cooperation in our species, a key trait to our success.
