Mate choice copying

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/mate-choice-copying

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the behavioral classification?A form of social learning and non-independent mate choice
2. What is the related fields?Evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, ethology, social psychology, conservation biology
3. Why do animals copy each other's mate choices?Copying helps animals find good partners faster, saving energy and reducing the risk of danger while searching.
4. How does mate choice copying affect the evolution of animals?When many animals copy a trait, that trait becomes more common, which can speed up changes in the population and even help new species form.

Conspecifics: Individuals belonging to the same species.
Sexual Selection: Differential reproductive success resulting from competition for fertilization.
Speciation: The evolutionary process by which new biological species arise.
Assortative Mating: A mating pattern where individuals with similar phenotypes are more likely to mate.