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Why do we care about fat?

Scenario: Americans live in a culture often obsessed with fat, for two main reasons ­ our health and appearance. We explore the evolutionary role that fat plays in animal physiology and examine how that role has been distorted in humans as our intake of dietary fat has increased. Physical attractiveness also plays a role in our human perception of the value of fat. We will explore the topic of sexual selection in animal reproductive success and discuss how it impacts our understanding of human behavior.

Concepts Taught:

Icon Key:

activity

animation

diagram

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text explanation

• Feedback Loop
• Homeostasis
• Hypothalmus function
• Hormone
• Endocrine System
• Metabolism of Brown Fat
• Sexual Selection
• Fitness
• Mating Strategy

Concept Map:

Overview Questions Leptin modes of action Leptin feedback loops Leptin Experiments Conducted on Mice

Concepts Reviewed:

• Mitochondria function
• Thermogenesis
• Dominant/Recessive Genes
• Receptor
• Adaptation
• Metabolism
• Surface-to-volume ratio
• Kreb's Cycle
• Natural Selection

Examples of In-Class Discussion Questions: 

• Why do we care about fat? What do your friends think about it?
• How would you choose to control/alter your weight if you felt it necessary to do so?
• If excess fat is so bad for us, why does it appear to be so easy for us to gain weight?
• What is the adaptive value of body fat?
• How has the modern American lifestyle altered the adaptive value of fat?
• What are fats and what role do they play in metabolism?
• We are now into a description of sexual selection, an example of natural selection, which you may recall
  should maximize fitness. What is fitness?
• What are some mating systems in animals and in what animals or groups of animals do they
  predominate (or under what environmental conditions)?
• Why should organisms choose mates and which sex, if either, should be more particular about its mate
  choices?
• On what bases should mate choices be made?
  

Major Terms Introduced:

Related Laboratory Experiments and Tutorials:

Lab 14: How do guppies select mates?

Text Readings:

Click here for Textbook Readings!

Corresponding Essential Study Partner (ESP online) Segments:

The Essential Study Partner is part of the McGraw-Hill Web Site. To access it go here. Then follow these relevant paths below:

• Animals > Digestion > Nutrition

Many of these are figures and accompanying text, but some are video clips that should help you see the process in action.

Tutorials:

Which person do you think is more attractive? Take the Sarah Survey

View the Pygmey Sunfish Courtship (example of sneaky male).

The site for your textbook Life by Ricki Lewis

source	Dietary guidelines for Americans Contains seven simple dietary guidelines, established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to help individuals meet nutrient requirements, promote health, support active lives, and reduce chronic disease risks.
source	Top health frauds Compiled by the FDA, this information provides a general summary of several forms of health fraud that occur within the United States.
source	Leptin, the fat hormone Contains a description of Leptin, while explaining its role within the body, and providing an overview of Leptin-related research.
source	Beauty and evolutionary biology Discusses the topics of Darwinian aesthetics, human beauty and interactions between strangers; EXPLORE THE LINKS (beware, some of the project links contain nudity)...A very interesting site!
source	Female Choice Discusses female choice with respect to male resources, nuptial gifts, male appearance, and courtship displays.
source	From Episode 5:Sex on the PBS evolution site you can Explore the question Is Love in our DNA? Learn about Sex and the Single Guppy. Play The Mating Game. Or ponder The Advantage of Sex
source	Influences of Fluctuating Asymmetry on Mating Behavior in Insects discuses how females select males possessing nearly symmetrical forewings, rejecting those with higher fluctuating asymmetries.
source	Mate Selection and Sexual Dimorphism in Nothobranchius This article explains how color in both females and males effects mate selection.
source	Monogamy may be in the genes Prairie voles are loving partners and parents. Is this because of their genes or true love?
source	Sexual Selection can be a difficult idea to understand, so check out this site. It defines it and gives many good examples.
source	For those of you who want to look deeper into sexual selection here are some references.
source	This site explains the difference between natural selection and sexual selection, going more indepth about sexual selection.
source	Evolution of courtship rituals involve more than just the initial geting-to-know-you phase of the relationship for some species.
source	Can't find a mate to suit you? Choosing a Mate is difficult for fish too.
source	Why humans are sensitive to mirror symmetry? What make us beautiful?
source	Brain asymmetry and facial attractiveness: Facial beauty is not simply in the eye of the beholder.
source	Here is an indepth site on Mate Choice
	This site has really good ideas on how to setup your guppy lab.

Textbook Flashcards:

The website for your textbook has flashcards organised by chapters. You are only responsible for topics discussed in class. For this scenario, flashcards with the Major Terms Introduced can be found in:

Chapter 33: The Endocrine System
Chapter 41: Animal Behavior