Question 1

Who conducted the famous "imprinting" experiment on geese?

Accepted Answer

A) Mendel 
B) Russel 
C) Lorenz 
D) Darwin 
A) Mendel 
B) Russel 
C) Lorenz 
D) Darwin

Question 2

As an animal matures, it forms attachments to other individuals and develops preferences.This process is called

Accepted Answer

A) instinct. 
B) imprinting. 
C) associational learning. 
D) habituation. 
A) instinct. 
B) imprinting. 
C) associational learning. 
D) habituation.

Question 3

What is the flash pattern used by female fireflies to attract males of their species an example of?

Accepted Answer

A) a sign stimulus 
B) an innate releasing mechanism 
C) a supernormal stimulus 
D) sexual imprinting Clarify question: 
A) a sign stimulus 
B) an innate releasing mechanism 
C) a supernormal stimulus 
D) sexual imprinting Clarify question:

Question 4

If a behavior has evolved by natural selection, it must have ______________.

Accepted Answer

A) benefits for both males and females 
B) reduced the predation rate on the animal 
C) evolved the same way in each species 
D) a genetic basis 
A) benefits for both males and females 
B) reduced the predation rate on the animal 
C) evolved the same way in each species 
D) a genetic basis

Question 5

Animals that acquire energy efficiently during foraging will increase their fitness by having more energy available for _______________.

Accepted Answer

A) competition 
B) defenses 
C) respiration 
D) reproduction 
A) competition 
B) defenses 
C) respiration 
D) reproduction

Question 6

One spring, your friend living in Minnesota eagerly sets up her new hummingbird feeders, and is thrilled to watch hummingbirds feeding on the nectar.However, she is disappointed when after just a week or two the hummingbirds disappear.What advice would you give her?

Accepted Answer

A) Set up a bell (conditioned stimulus) near the feeders so the hummingbirds make an association with the food. 
B) Set up flashing red lights that mimic the male neck feathers -- that should attract more males to the area. 
C) Set up the feeders again in the fall.The hummingbirds may have briefly traveled through during their annual spring migration. 
D) Wait till next year -- hummingbirds are a high-metabolism, semelparous species and have already reproduced and died. Clarify question: 
A) Set up a bell (conditioned stimulus) near the feeders so the hummingbirds make an association with the food. 
B) Set up flashing red lights that mimic the male neck feathers -- that should attract more males to the area. 
C) Set up the feeders again in the fall.The hummingbirds may have briefly traveled through during their annual spring migration. 
D) Wait till next year -- hummingbirds are a high-metabolism, semelparous species and have already reproduced and died. Clarify question:

Question 7

Your study buddy asks, "would you please explain the difference between home range and territory?" What is the best response?

Accepted Answer

A) Territory is the entire area that an animal can utilize for its resources, such as shelter, food, and mates.Home range is near its nest or den. 
B) Territory is the area that an animal can utilize for its resources, such as shelter, food and mates and will defend against other members of its species.Home range is near its nest or den. 
C) Territory is the area that an animal can utilize for its resources, such as shelter, food and mates, and will defend against other members of its species.Home range is the area that an animal may roam over on a daily basis. 
D) Territory is the area that an animal can utilize for its resources, such as shelter, food and mates, and will defend against others members of its species.Home range is a smaller area within the territory that the animal is found in when it is resting or hiding from predators. 
A) Territory is the entire area that an animal can utilize for its resources, such as shelter, food, and mates.Home range is near its nest or den. 
B) Territory is the area that an animal can utilize for its resources, such as shelter, food and mates and will defend against other members of its species.Home range is near its nest or den. 
C) Territory is the area that an animal can utilize for its resources, such as shelter, food and mates, and will defend against other members of its species.Home range is the area that an animal may roam over on a daily basis. 
D) Territory is the area that an animal can utilize for its resources, such as shelter, food and mates, and will defend against others members of its species.Home range is a smaller area within the territory that the animal is found in when it is resting or hiding from predators.

Question 8

By evaluating and selecting mates with superior qualities, an animal can increase its

Accepted Answer

A) reproductive success. 
B) learning. 
C) competitive strategies. 
D) foraging efficiency. 
A) reproductive success. 
B) learning. 
C) competitive strategies. 
D) foraging efficiency.

Question 9

Due to reproductive isolation, a new species of weaver bird is evolving.Is it likely to use a social or solitary nesting strategy?

Accepted Answer

A) It depends on whether it lives in the forest or the open savanna. 
B) It depends on whether it lives in near water or near the desert. 
C) It depends on how many similar species it is competing with. 
D) It depends on how many eggs it lays. African weaver birds, which construct nests from vegetation, provide an excellent example of the relationship between ecology and social organization.Their roughly 90 species can be divided according to the type of social group they form.One group of species lives in the forest and builds camouflaged, solitary nests.Males and females are monogamous; they forage for insects to feed their young.The second group of species nests in colonies in trees on the savanna.They are polygynous and feed in flocks on seeds.The feeding and nesting habits of these two groups of species are correlated with their mating systems.In the forest, insects are hard to find, and both parents must cooperate in feeding the young.The camouflaged nests do not call the attention of predators to their brood.On the open savanna, building a hidden nest is not an option.Rather, savanna-dwelling weaver birds protect their young from predators by nesting in trees, which are not very abundant.This shortage of safe nest sites means that birds must nest together in colonies.Because seeds occur abundantly, a female can acquire all the food needed to rear young without a male's help.The male, free from the duties of parenting, spends his time courting many females-a polygynous mating system. 
A) It depends on whether it lives in the forest or the open savanna. 
B) It depends on whether it lives in near water or near the desert. 
C) It depends on how many similar species it is competing with. 
D) It depends on how many eggs it lays. African weaver birds, which construct nests from vegetation, provide an excellent example of the relationship between ecology and social organization.Their roughly 90 species can be divided according to the type of social group they form.One group of species lives in the forest and builds camouflaged, solitary nests.Males and females are monogamous; they forage for insects to feed their young.The second group of species nests in colonies in trees on the savanna.They are polygynous and feed in flocks on seeds.The feeding and nesting habits of these two groups of species are correlated with their mating systems.In the forest, insects are hard to find, and both parents must cooperate in feeding the young.The camouflaged nests do not call the attention of predators to their brood.On the open savanna, building a hidden nest is not an option.Rather, savanna-dwelling weaver birds protect their young from predators by nesting in trees, which are not very abundant.This shortage of safe nest sites means that birds must nest together in colonies.Because seeds occur abundantly, a female can acquire all the food needed to rear young without a male's help.The male, free from the duties of parenting, spends his time courting many females-a polygynous mating system.

Question 10

A study finds a positive correlation between the number of spots on the tail of male peacocks and their mating success.What would be the best followup experiment?

Accepted Answer

A) Count the number of spots on female tails and measure mating success. 
B) Remove spots or add artificial spots to male tails and determine female responses. 
C) Measure the sperm count of males and compare to spot count. 
D) Inject testosterone and observe changes in spot count. Clarify question: 
A) Count the number of spots on female tails and measure mating success. 
B) Remove spots or add artificial spots to male tails and determine female responses. 
C) Measure the sperm count of males and compare to spot count. 
D) Inject testosterone and observe changes in spot count. Clarify question:

Question 11

In many animals, ______ guides learning by determining what type of information can be learned, meaning that what an animal can learn is often biologically influenced.

Accepted Answer

A) instinct 
B) free will 
C) consciousness 
D) operance 
A) instinct 
B) free will 
C) consciousness 
D) operance

Question 12

If an unrelated stimulus, such as the ringing of a bell, was presented at the same time as the meat powder, over repeated trials, a dog would salivate in response to the sound of the bell alone.This kind of response is called

Accepted Answer

A) behavioral learning. 
B) classical conditioning. 
C) deviant behavior. 
D) operant conditioning. 
A) behavioral learning. 
B) classical conditioning. 
C) deviant behavior. 
D) operant conditioning.

Question 13

Animals tend to feed on prey that maximize their net energy intake.This is called the __________ theory.

Accepted Answer

A) competitive exclusion 
B) maximal consumption 
C) optimal foraging 
D) optimization 
A) competitive exclusion 
B) maximal consumption 
C) optimal foraging 
D) optimization

Question 14

Which of the following genes would most likely play a role in promoting kin selection?

Accepted Answer

A) wingless -- critical for the formation of wings in fruit flies 
B) SRY -- the gene that initiates male sex determination 
C) Major Histocompatibility Complex (MH
C)  genes -- allow mammals to recognize related individuals 
D) the genes important for the development of large antlers in the caribou Clarify question: 
A) wingless -- critical for the formation of wings in fruit flies 
B) SRY -- the gene that initiates male sex determination 
C) Major Histocompatibility Complex (MH
C)  genes -- allow mammals to recognize related individuals 
D) the genes important for the development of large antlers in the caribou Clarify question:

Question 15

At a research conference, you meet a graduate student who studies the hormonal underpinnings of mating behavior in two species of squirrel."It turns out the difference between my two squirrel species is similar to the difference between the prairie and the montane voles," he says.You nod knowingly, and reply...

Accepted Answer

A) "Oh, so the promiscuous species has a lot of vasopressin and oxytocin receptors in the nucleus accumbus, blocking pair bonding, and the monogamous species doesn't?" 
B) "Oh, so the monogamous species has a lot of vasopressin and oxytocin receptors in the nucleus accumbus, promoting pair bonding, and the promiscuous species doesn't?" 
C) "Oh, so the polyandrous species has a lot of serotonin and dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbus, promoting pair bonding, and the promiscuous species doesn't?" 
D) "Oh, so the monogamous species has a lot of serotonin and dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbus, promoting pair bonding, and the promiscuous species doesn't?" Clarify question: 
A) "Oh, so the promiscuous species has a lot of vasopressin and oxytocin receptors in the nucleus accumbus, blocking pair bonding, and the monogamous species doesn't?" 
B) "Oh, so the monogamous species has a lot of vasopressin and oxytocin receptors in the nucleus accumbus, promoting pair bonding, and the promiscuous species doesn't?" 
C) "Oh, so the polyandrous species has a lot of serotonin and dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbus, promoting pair bonding, and the promiscuous species doesn't?" 
D) "Oh, so the monogamous species has a lot of serotonin and dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbus, promoting pair bonding, and the promiscuous species doesn't?" Clarify question:

Question 16

If a scientist is conducting a study of how an animal's senses provide a physiological basis for a particular behavior, what type of causation is she exploring?

Accepted Answer

A) ultimate causation 
B) proximate causation 
C) stereotyped causation 
D) ethnological causation 
A) ultimate causation 
B) proximate causation 
C) stereotyped causation 
D) ethnological causation

Question 17

True or False: Haplodiploidy is necessary for eusociality.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

The modification of behavior as a result of experience is called

Accepted Answer

A) association. 
B) behavior modification. 
C) habituation. 
D) learning. 
A) association. 
B) behavior modification. 
C) habituation. 
D) learning.

Question 19

Male Mormon crickets choose larger females as their mates.Which of the following statements best interprets the graph?

Accepted Answer

A) Larger females live longer and thus produce more eggs. 
B) Larger females are capable of storing sperm. 
C) Larger females reproduce earlier than smaller females. 
D) Larger females lay more eggs. 
A) Larger females live longer and thus produce more eggs. 
B) Larger females are capable of storing sperm. 
C) Larger females reproduce earlier than smaller females. 
D) Larger females lay more eggs.

Question 20

Platys and swordtails are related tropical freshwater fish.In studies, researchers have shown that female platys prefer males with swordtails, even though males of their own species do not have them.This was discovered by attaching artificial swordtails to platys males.What does this suggest about the origin of the swordtail feature?

Accepted Answer

A) Female preference for swords may have predated the origin of the feature itself. 
B) Evolution of swords later led to evolution of female preference for swords. 
C) The same gene that causes sword development also causes development of neural circuits for female preference. 
D) Adjacent genes on the same chromosome cause sword development and development of neural circuits for female preference. Clarify question: 
A) Female preference for swords may have predated the origin of the feature itself. 
B) Evolution of swords later led to evolution of female preference for swords. 
C) The same gene that causes sword development also causes development of neural circuits for female preference. 
D) Adjacent genes on the same chromosome cause sword development and development of neural circuits for female preference. Clarify question:

Exam 54: Behavioral Biology

Who conducted the famous "imprinting" experiment on geese?

As an animal matures, it forms attachments to other individuals and develops preferences.This process is called

What is the flash pattern used by female fireflies to attract males of their species an example of?

If a behavior has evolved by natural selection, it must have ______________.

Animals that acquire energy efficiently during foraging will increase their fitness by having more energy available for _______________.

One spring, your friend living in Minnesota eagerly sets up her new hummingbird feeders, and is thrilled to watch hummingbirds feeding on the nectar.However, she is disappointed when after just a week or two the hummingbirds disappear.What advice would you give her?

Your study buddy asks, "would you please explain the difference between home range and territory?" What is the best response?

By evaluating and selecting mates with superior qualities, an animal can increase its

Due to reproductive isolation, a new species of weaver bird is evolving.Is it likely to use a social or solitary nesting strategy?

A study finds a positive correlation between the number of spots on the tail of male peacocks and their mating success.What would be the best followup experiment?

In many animals, ______ guides learning by determining what type of information can be learned, meaning that what an animal can learn is often biologically influenced.

If an unrelated stimulus, such as the ringing of a bell, was presented at the same time as the meat powder, over repeated trials, a dog would salivate in response to the sound of the bell alone.This kind of response is called

Animals tend to feed on prey that maximize their net energy intake.This is called the __________ theory.

Which of the following genes would most likely play a role in promoting kin selection?

If a scientist is conducting a study of how an animal's senses provide a physiological basis for a particular behavior, what type of causation is she exploring?

True or False: Haplodiploidy is necessary for eusociality.

The modification of behavior as a result of experience is called

Male Mormon crickets choose larger females as their mates.Which of the following statements best interprets the graph?

The Science of Biology

The Nature of Molecules and the Properties of Water

The Chemical Building Blocks of Life

Cell Structure

Membranes

Energy and Metabolism

How Cells Harvest Energy

Photosynthesis

Cell Communication

How Cells Divide

Sexual Reproduction and Meiosis

Patterns of Inheritance

Chromosomes, Mapping, and the Meiosis-Inheritance Connection

Dna: the Genetic Material

Genes and How They Work

Control of Gene Expression

Biotechnology

Genomics

Cellular Mechanisms of Development

Genes Within Populations

The Evidence for Evolution

The Origin of Species

Systematics, Phylogenies, and Comparative Biology

Genome Evolution

Evolution of Development

The Origin and Diversity of Life

Viruses

Prokaryotes

Protists

Seedless Plants

Seed Plants

Fungi

Animal Diversity and the Evolution of Body Plans

Protostomes

Deuterostomes

Plant Form

Transport in Plants

Plant Nutrition and Soils

Plant Defense Responses

Sensory Systems in Plants

Plant Reproduction

The Animal Body and Principles of Regulation

The Nervous System

Sensory Systems

The Endocrine System

The Musculoskeletal System

The Digestive System

The Respiratory System

The Circulatory System

Osmotic Regulation and the Urinary System

The Immune System

The Reproductive System

Animal Development

Ecology of Individuals and Populations

Community Ecology

Dynamics of Ecosystems

The Biosphere

Conservation Biology

Filters