Question 1

Refer to the figure.
  The study that produced this figure was most likely testing the hypothesis that

Accepted Answer

A)  crows choose to forage on different sized whelks depending on their individual fitness and body size. 
B)  crows that choose to forage on optimally-sized whelks maximize their reproductive success. 
C)  choosing to eat the optimally-sized whelk is an adaptive foraging strategy for crows. 
D)  crow foraging strategy is mediated by the landscape of fear and antipredator behavior. 
A)  crows choose to forage on different sized whelks depending on their individual fitness and body size. 
B)  crows that choose to forage on optimally-sized whelks maximize their reproductive success. 
C)  choosing to eat the optimally-sized whelk is an adaptive foraging strategy for crows. 
D)  crow foraging strategy is mediated by the landscape of fear and antipredator behavior. C

Question 2

Refer to the following paragraph.
In the evening, males of a species of bee (Idiomelissodes duplocincta) form sleeping clusters in which dozens or hundreds of bees perch close together overnight. An assassin bug kills bees at these sleeping sites, but usually only one or two bees per night.
(A) The bees do not join forces to fight the bug when one appears, so it may be that a bee joins the cluster to lessen the risk that it will be one of the unlucky ones killed at random.
(B) The same sort of clustering of defenseless prey occurs in spadefoot frog tadpoles; hundreds of tadpoles swim and feed together in pools containing carnivorous water beetles that attack and kill them.
(C) In contrast, males of other bees in the genus Idiomelissodes are larger and more capable of deterring a predator on their own, and they sleep apart.
Which sentence in the paragraph contains an example of convergent evolution?

Accepted Answer

A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  All of the above 
A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  All of the above B

Question 3

Refer to the figure.
  The figure shows a matrix of fitness payoffs for interactions between two behaviorally different types of gulls: those that always fish for themselves and those that sometimes steal fish from others. P stands for the baseline fitness that a gull derives when it fishes for itself. B is the fitness gained by a thief when it steals a fish from a fish-for-self type. C is the fitness cost associated with an attempt to steal a prey.
What causal question is the model designed to answer?

Accepted Answer

A)  How can a hereditary thief phenotype spread in a population of fish-for-self types? 
B)  What are the fitness costs and fitness benefits of fish-for-self versus thief phenotypes? 
C)  When can group selection cause evolutionary change to take place? 
D)  What are the circumstances under which maladaptive traits can take over a population? 
A)  How can a hereditary thief phenotype spread in a population of fish-for-self types? 
B)  What are the fitness costs and fitness benefits of fish-for-self versus thief phenotypes? 
C)  When can group selection cause evolutionary change to take place? 
D)  What are the circumstances under which maladaptive traits can take over a population? A

Question 4

Refer to the figure.
  Northwestern crows fly to 5 meters high (indicated by the arrow) to drop whelks in an effort to open and eat them. Based on the figure, crows should prefer to choose

Accepted Answer

A)  large whelks, because their high caloric benefit outweighs their high cost in handling time. 
B)  large whelks, because they require the lowest handling time for the highest energy benefit. 
C)  medium whelks, because they provide the optimal balance between energy benefit and cost in handling time. 
D)  small whelks, because they are easiest to find and therefore have the lowest cost in search time. 
A)  large whelks, because their high caloric benefit outweighs their high cost in handling time. 
B)  large whelks, because they require the lowest handling time for the highest energy benefit. 
C)  medium whelks, because they provide the optimal balance between energy benefit and cost in handling time. 
D)  small whelks, because they are easiest to find and therefore have the lowest cost in search time.

Question 5

Refer to the following paragraph.
In the evening, males of a species of bee (Idiomelissodes duplocincta) form sleeping clusters in which dozens or hundreds of bees perch close together overnight. An assassin bug kills bees at these sleeping sites, but usually only one or two bees per night.
(A) The bees do not join forces to fight the bug when one appears, so it may be that a bee joins the cluster to lessen the risk that it will be one of the unlucky ones killed at random.
(B) The same sort of clustering of defenseless prey occurs in spadefoot frog tadpoles; hundreds of tadpoles swim and feed together in pools containing carnivorous water beetles that attack and kill them.
(C) In contrast, males of other bees in the genus Idiomelissodes are larger and more capable of deterring a predator on their own, and they sleep apart.
Which sentence in the paragraph contains an example of divergent evolution?

Accepted Answer

A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  None of the above 
A)  A 
B)  B 
C)  C 
D)  None of the above

Question 6

If a population is subject to frequency-dependent selection, then

Accepted Answer

A)  two alternative forms of a trait can persist indefinitely in the population. 
B)  the rarer of two forms of a trait will become somewhat rarer in the next generation. 
C)  the frequency of an adaptation will become greater over time, depending on the extent to which individuals with that trait out-reproduce individuals with the alternative attribute. 
D)  neither form of the trait is considered an adaptation but instead these forms are kept in the species to provide flexibility, should the environment change. 
A)  two alternative forms of a trait can persist indefinitely in the population. 
B)  the rarer of two forms of a trait will become somewhat rarer in the next generation. 
C)  the frequency of an adaptation will become greater over time, depending on the extent to which individuals with that trait out-reproduce individuals with the alternative attribute. 
D)  neither form of the trait is considered an adaptation but instead these forms are kept in the species to provide flexibility, should the environment change.

Question 7

Refer to the following paragraph.
In the evening, males of a species of bee (Idiomelissodes duplocincta) form sleeping clusters in which dozens or hundreds of bees perch close together overnight. An assassin bug kills bees at these sleeping sites, but usually only one or two bees per night.
(A) The bees do not join forces to fight the bug when one appears, so it may be that a bee joins the cluster to lessen the risk that it will be one of the unlucky ones killed at random.
(B) The same sort of clustering of defenseless prey occurs in spadefoot frog tadpoles; hundreds of tadpoles swim and feed together in pools containing carnivorous water beetles that attack and kill them.
(C) In contrast, males of other bees in the genus Idiomelissodes are larger and more capable of deterring a predator on their own, and they sleep apart.
Sentence A most closely describes the

Accepted Answer

A)  confusion effect hypothesis. 
B)  signal deception hypothesis. 
C)  selfish herd hypothesis. 
D)  dilution effect hypothesis. 
A)  confusion effect hypothesis. 
B)  signal deception hypothesis. 
C)  selfish herd hypothesis. 
D)  dilution effect hypothesis.

Question 8

Refer to the following paragraph.
In the evening, males of a species of bee (Idiomelissodes duplocincta) form sleeping clusters in which dozens or hundreds of bees perch close together overnight. An assassin bug kills bees at these sleeping sites, but usually only one or two bees per night.
(A) The bees do not join forces to fight the bug when one appears, so it may be that a bee joins the cluster to lessen the risk that it will be one of the unlucky ones killed at random.
(B) The same sort of clustering of defenseless prey occurs in spadefoot frog tadpoles; hundreds of tadpoles swim and feed together in pools containing carnivorous water beetles that attack and kill them.
(C) In contrast, males of other bees in the genus Idiomelissodes are larger and more capable of deterring a predator on their own, and they sleep apart.
Males of other bees in the genus Idiomelissodes most likely do not also form sleeping clusters because

Accepted Answer

A)  there is a cost to forming such large groups, such as being easier to target by predators. 
B)  they are more highly evolved and no longer need social defense strategies. 
C)  males of Idiomelissodes duplocincta do not admit males of other species into their groups. 
D)  there is minimal benefit derived from residing in such large groups; the males of Idiomelissodes duplocincta are simply making the best of a bad job. 
A)  there is a cost to forming such large groups, such as being easier to target by predators. 
B)  they are more highly evolved and no longer need social defense strategies. 
C)  males of Idiomelissodes duplocincta do not admit males of other species into their groups. 
D)  there is minimal benefit derived from residing in such large groups; the males of Idiomelissodes duplocincta are simply making the best of a bad job.

Question 9

If a foraging tactic is "optimal," this behavior

Accepted Answer

A)  helps to maintain the population at a level likely to promote the long-term survival of the species. 
B)  supplies a fitness benefit to individuals. 
C)  is an efficient way to collect food. 
D)  confers more fitness on individuals than any other alternative trait in the population. 
A)  helps to maintain the population at a level likely to promote the long-term survival of the species. 
B)  supplies a fitness benefit to individuals. 
C)  is an efficient way to collect food. 
D)  confers more fitness on individuals than any other alternative trait in the population.

Question 10

A seed-eating bird forages solitarily. A behavioral biologist who is formulating a hypothesis is likely to consider this an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  game theory. 
B)  optimality theory. 
C)  group selection theory. 
D)  conditional strategy theory. 
A)  game theory. 
B)  optimality theory. 
C)  group selection theory. 
D)  conditional strategy theory.

Question 11

Following the cognitive buffer hypothesis, we can predict that

Accepted Answer

A)  species with larger relative brain size are more likely to occur in regions with higher environmental variation. 
B)  species that engage in food caching are more likely to occur in predictable environments. 
C)  better cognitive ability is a tradeoff with reproductive success 
D)  species found in harsh, unpredictable environments are more likely to be impacted by landscapes of fear, at the expense of efficient foraging. 
A)  species with larger relative brain size are more likely to occur in regions with higher environmental variation. 
B)  species that engage in food caching are more likely to occur in predictable environments. 
C)  better cognitive ability is a tradeoff with reproductive success 
D)  species found in harsh, unpredictable environments are more likely to be impacted by landscapes of fear, at the expense of efficient foraging.

Question 12

In the "Finding Food" episode of his series Trials of Life, Sir David Attenborough features a hummingbird species that feeds almost exclusively on the nectar of the Heliconia flower. He explains that each hummingbird has a circuit that takes it from one plant to another, with the bird arriving regularly at a given flower after a set period. It could take 30 minutes, more or less, to complete the round trip. The hummingbird does not immediately insert its beak into many Heliconia flowers but hesitates before approaching the flowers more closely. How might this hesitation still be consistent with at least one optimal foraging hypothesis? (Consider the different factors that might contribute to true optimality.)

Accepted Answer

If optimality involves a consideration o

Question 13

You read that a foraging tactic is "optimal" only if it is the most efficient way of acquiring calories from the environment. This is _______ because _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  true; this will enable the species to grow and avoid extinction 
B)  true; selection favors traits that have large benefits 
C)  false; species that collect food too efficiently run the risk of destroying the resource base needed for that species 
D)  false; sometimes animals gain more fitness by sacrificing some foraging efficiency in order to better avoid predators 
A)  true; this will enable the species to grow and avoid extinction 
B)  true; selection favors traits that have large benefits 
C)  false; species that collect food too efficiently run the risk of destroying the resource base needed for that species 
D)  false; sometimes animals gain more fitness by sacrificing some foraging efficiency in order to better avoid predators

Question 14

In the "Finding Food" episode of his series Trials of Life, Sir David Attenborough features a hummingbird species that feeds almost exclusively on the nectar of the Heliconia flower. He explains that each hummingbird has a circuit that takes it from one plant to another, with the bird arriving regularly at a given flower after a set period. It could take 30 minutes, more or less, to complete the round trip. In one sentence, explain why the following statement could be wrong: "The bird is behaving optimally because it is getting enough energy to continue making its foraging circuit."

Accepted Answer

Because an optimal forager maximizes its

Question 15

In order to test the selfish herd hypothesis, this researcher should determine if

Accepted Answer

A)  the assassin bug's efficiency decreases as the bee group size increases. 
B)  bees that are painted to cover their stripes are more likely to be attacked by the assassin bug. 
C)  bees near the periphery of the sleeping cluster are more likely to be targeted by the assassin bug than those near the center. 
D)  bees that are not attacked are more closely related to one another than those that are targeted. 
A)  the assassin bug's efficiency decreases as the bee group size increases. 
B)  bees that are painted to cover their stripes are more likely to be attacked by the assassin bug. 
C)  bees near the periphery of the sleeping cluster are more likely to be targeted by the assassin bug than those near the center. 
D)  bees that are not attacked are more closely related to one another than those that are targeted.

Question 16

Observation: You observe "shaky leaf walking" in a video of a Madagascaran mantid (one of about 1,800 species, a member of one of dozens of genera of mantids, which constitute one of eight families of mantids).
Hypothesis: The behavior is effective as camouflage because it makes the mantid look like a dried leaf blown about on the leaf litter of the forest floor or a trembling leaf on a low-lying shrub.
State a prediction from this hypothesis that could be tested via additional observation.

Accepted Answer

(Answers will vary.)

Question 17

A conditional strategy is unquestionably an adaptation when individuals able to switch tactics

Accepted Answer

A)  leave some surviving descendants to carry their genes into the next generation. 
B)  leave more surviving offspring than individuals with any other available strategy. 
C)  are better able to adjust to changing conditions than other members of their species. 
D)  experience a net gain in fitness from their behavioral flexibility. 
A)  leave some surviving descendants to carry their genes into the next generation. 
B)  leave more surviving offspring than individuals with any other available strategy. 
C)  are better able to adjust to changing conditions than other members of their species. 
D)  experience a net gain in fitness from their behavioral flexibility.

Question 18

Several hundred male bees will sometimes gather in the evening to sleep on the dried stems of a shrub. A predatory assassin bug sometimes visits the bees and kills some as they are settling down. Present three hypotheses on the possible adaptive, antipredator value of these sleeping aggregations. For each hypothesis, present a piece of evidence that would enable you to reject the hypothesis.

Accepted Answer

Hypothesis 1. The improved vigilance hyp

Question 19

Caro (1986) presented several hypotheses for stotting behavior in the Thomson's gazelle:
(A) Alarm signal hypothesis: Gazelles stot to communicate predation risk to conspecifics.
(B) Confusion effect hypothesis: If several gazelles stot simultaneously in a group while fleeing, then the predator may become confused.
(C) Social cohesion hypothesis: Gazelles stot to attract conspecifics to join them.
(d) Attack deterrence hypothesis: Gazelles stot to signal their vigor to potential predators.
Choose one of the above hypotheses, and design an observational study to test this hypothesis against the others. What findings would support this hypothesis over the others? What findings would lead you to reject this hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

Answers will vary. For each hypothesis,

Question 20

A certain fish-eating hawk that lives by large lakes can capture more pounds of fish per unit time if it were to hunt farther from shore instead of staying close to the shoreline. The hawk, however, does stay close to the shoreline. This demonstrates that

Accepted Answer

A)  natural selection theory is probably not applicable in this case. 
B)  optimal foraging theory is probably not applicable in this case. 
C)  an optimal foraging hypothesis based on maximizing caloric intake alone is probably incorrect in this case. 
D)  the fish species found close to the shoreline in large lakes are more nutritious than those in the center. 
A)  natural selection theory is probably not applicable in this case. 
B)  optimal foraging theory is probably not applicable in this case. 
C)  an optimal foraging hypothesis based on maximizing caloric intake alone is probably incorrect in this case. 
D)  the fish species found close to the shoreline in large lakes are more nutritious than those in the center.

Refer to the figure. The study that produced this figure was most likely testing the hypothesis that

Refer to the figure. Northwestern crows fly to 5 meters high (indicated by the arrow) to drop whelks in an effort to open and eat them. Based on the figure, crows should prefer to choose

If a population is subject to frequency-dependent selection, then

If a foraging tactic is "optimal," this behavior

A seed-eating bird forages solitarily. A behavioral biologist who is formulating a hypothesis is likely to consider this an example of

Following the cognitive buffer hypothesis, we can predict that

You read that a foraging tactic is "optimal" only if it is the most efficient way of acquiring calories from the environment. This is _ because _.

In order to test the selfish herd hypothesis, this researcher should determine if

A conditional strategy is unquestionably an adaptation when individuals able to switch tactics

A certain fish-eating hawk that lives by large lakes can capture more pounds of fish per unit time if it were to hunt farther from shore instead of staying close to the shoreline. The hawk, however, does stay close to the shoreline. This demonstrates that

An Introduction to Animal Behavior

The Integrative Study of Behavior

The Developmental and Molecular Bases of Behavior

The Neural Basis of Behavior

The Physiological and Endocrine Basis of Behavior

Territoriality and Movement

Principles of Communication

Reproductive Behavior

Mating Systems

Parental Care

Principles of Social Evolution

Social Behavior and Sociality

Human Behavior

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Exam 6: Avoiding Predators and Finding Food

Refer to the figure. The study that produced this figure was most likely testing the hypothesis that

Refer to the figure. Northwestern crows fly to 5 meters high (indicated by the arrow) to drop whelks in an effort to open and eat them. Based on the figure, crows should prefer to choose

If a population is subject to frequency-dependent selection, then

If a foraging tactic is "optimal," this behavior

A seed-eating bird forages solitarily. A behavioral biologist who is formulating a hypothesis is likely to consider this an example of

Following the cognitive buffer hypothesis, we can predict that

You read that a foraging tactic is "optimal" only if it is the most efficient way of acquiring calories from the environment. This is _______ because _______.

In order to test the selfish herd hypothesis, this researcher should determine if

A conditional strategy is unquestionably an adaptation when individuals able to switch tactics

A certain fish-eating hawk that lives by large lakes can capture more pounds of fish per unit time if it were to hunt farther from shore instead of staying close to the shoreline. The hawk, however, does stay close to the shoreline. This demonstrates that

An Introduction to Animal Behavior

The Integrative Study of Behavior

The Developmental and Molecular Bases of Behavior

The Neural Basis of Behavior

The Physiological and Endocrine Basis of Behavior

Territoriality and Movement

Principles of Communication

Reproductive Behavior

Mating Systems

Parental Care

Principles of Social Evolution

Social Behavior and Sociality

Human Behavior

Filters

You read that a foraging tactic is "optimal" only if it is the most efficient way of acquiring calories from the environment. This is _ because _.