Exam 4: The Neural Basis of Behavior

A simple network of three clusters of neurons in the plainfin midshipman's hindbrain and spinal cord generate the signals that control the muscle contractions for humming. This is an example of

Refer to the figure. If the data collected for the graph were not gathered simply to describe the hearing abilities of the fly, then (for the biologists who did the research) the graph constitutes a

Refer to the figure. Based on the information in the graph, what would you predict is the sound frequency (kHz) of ultrasonic bat calls?

Mike May studied the relationship between cricket behavior and the ultrasonic cries of bats. Which statement constitutes a prediction?

Mike May studied the relationship between cricket behavior and the ultrasonic cries of bats. Which statement constitutes a hypothesis?

Tinbergen found that when young herring gull chicks are exposed to a painted stick with a red dot on the end, they give a pecking response. The chick's pecking response is an example of

Why is the change in sensitivity of female midshipman fish to the "songs" produced by males of their species a proximate example of stimulus filtering?

Refer to the figure. The reaction of the female fly to sounds of _______ kHz best illustrates the concept of stimulus filtering.

The brain's somatosensory cortex does not consist of neurons that relay information equally from all parts of the animal's body. Describe an example of this by identifying a focal animal and the body parts that are disproportionately high in neuron input to the somatosensory cortex.

Refer to the figure. Crickets can most easily hear sound frequencies when the intensity threshold is low. When crickets hear a low frequency sound, they turn toward the source of the sound. When they hear a high-frequency sound, they turn away. The "intensity threshold" on the graph refers to the

Refer to the figure. Which sound frequency (kHz) are the male flies most sensitive to?

Refer to the figure. How would you alter this experiment to test the hypothesis that butterflies rely on UV light to orient correctly while migrating?

Why would some bird chicks, such as those from estrildid finch species, have elaborate markings inside their throats? Explain the proximate and ultimate cause of the markings.

When int-1, the interneurons located on each side of a cricket's body, are experimentally inactivated, the flying cricket does not alter its body orientation in response to ultrasonic stimulation. This finding

The complex, specialized hearing system that noctuid moths use to detect and evade bats is an example of an evolutionary arms race between moths and bats. Describe an example of how natural selection has shaped the evolution of a specialized proximate mechanisms in another moth species in their arms race with bats.

Refer to the figure. How would you alter this experiment to test the hypothesis that butterfly's light-sensitive clock mechanism is located in their antennae?

When an incubating graylag goose sees a nearby egg-shaped object, a neural network is triggered, causing the bird to go through an egg-retrieval routine consisting of stretching out its neck, tucking the egg under its bill, and rolling the egg carefully back to the nest. In this example, identify the sign stimulus, the fixed action pattern, and the innate releasing mechanism.

Refer to the figure. Based on the information in the graph, what would you predict is the sound frequency (kHz) of male cricket calls?

Refer to the figure. In this experiment, monarch butterflies tethered in a flight cage received three treatments impacting the angle of polarized light reaching them from the sky: no filter (top), a vertical filter that did not interfere with the pattern of polarized light (middle), and a horizontal filter that shifted the angle of polarized light (bottom). Based on the data, what hypothesis does this support?

Despite the lack of brain-controlled neural circuitry, a male praying mantis that has suffered decapitation by a female rotates his body in a circular pattern until encountering the female's body and then aligns himself with her body to commence copulation. What is the selective advantage of this?