Exam 3: The Developmental and Molecular Bases of Behavior

Young and colleagues studied the genetic mechanisms underlying the differences in social behavior in monogamous prairie voles and polygynous montane voles. Which constitutes a hypothesis?

Young and colleagues studied the genetic mechanisms underlying the differences in social behavior in monogamous prairie voles and polygynous montane voles. Which constitutes a prediction?

Refer to the figure. DNA methylation, an epigenetic modification which alters DNA accessibility and impacts gene expression, influences the morphological and behavioral development of growing honeybee larvae. Explain how the data shown, which compare caste development in honeybees injected with a control (left) versus an enzyme that controls DNA methylation (right), support or refute this hypothesis.

Could social and solitary phenotypes ever occur in the same species strictly because of environmental differences that affected the development of the two phenotypes?

Homeobox genes, which are critical for the developmental organization of bodies, are found in species as diverse as humans and fruit flies. This shared set of genes indicates that

In dung beetles, males utilize two distinct mating approaches. Large males produce horns that are used in male-male competition for resources and access to females. Small males, however, lack horns and instead try to sneak by the large males to reach females. Adult body size, horn length, and mating approach are influenced by the nutritional conditions that larvae experience. Statement: Nutritional conditions during development influence expression of the insulin receptor gene, which impacts horn growth and mating approach in males. What is this statement called? Explain.

Explain how regulatory regions are critical for modulating behavioral differences. Provide an example of a study species, describing how variation in a specific gene leads to behavioral differences in that species.

Is an adaptation a "genetically determined" phenotype? Why or why not?

In dung beetles, males utilize two distinct mating approaches. Large males produce horns that are used in male-male competition for resources and access to females. Small males, however, lack horns and instead try to sneak by the large males to reach females. Adult body size, horn length, and mating approach are influenced by the nutritional conditions that larvae experience. Statement: Based on what we know about polyphenisms, it is likely that these phenotypes evolved in discrete, nonoverlapping environmental conditions. Is this an accurate statement? Explain.

When someone says that there is a gene for a behavior, they most likely mean that

Immature blackcap warblers that have never migrated exhibit migratory restlessness in the fall. Isolated young birds whose parents orient due west also orient west, while isolated young birds whose parents orient to the south also orient south. This provides evidence that

Young and colleagues studied the genetic mechanisms underlying the differences in social behavior in monogamous prairie voles and polygynous montane voles. Which demonstrates the crucial role that genetic regulatory regions play in the evolution of behavior?

Refer to the graph. Based on the results in the graph, describe an experiment to test for a genetic basis, specifically the role of vasopressin and the avpr1a gene, on the monogamous mating system of prairie voles.

In dung beetles, males utilize two distinct mating approaches. Large males produce horns that are used in male-male competition for resources and access to females. Small males, however, lack horns and instead try to sneak by the large males to reach females. Adult body size, horn length, and mating approach are influenced by the nutritional conditions that larvae experience. Is this an example of behavioral polyphenism or behavioral polymorphism? Explain.

Over the course of its lifetime, worker honey bees change behavioral states multiple times, from a young adult that cleans cells to a nurse bee to a forager. What causes a worker honey bee to go through these different behavioral stages?