Question 1

How do altruistic behaviours arise through natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A) By his/her actions, the altruist increases the likelihood that some of its genes will be passed on to the next generation. 
B) The altruist is appreciated by other members of the population because their survivability has been enhanced by virtue of his/her risky behaviour. 
C) Animals that perform altruistic acts are allowed by their population to breed more, thereby passing on their behaviour genes to future generations. 
D) Altruistic behaviours lower stress in populations, which increases the survivability of all the members of the population. 
E) All of the options are correct. 
A) By his/her actions, the altruist increases the likelihood that some of its genes will be passed on to the next generation. 
B) The altruist is appreciated by other members of the population because their survivability has been enhanced by virtue of his/her risky behaviour. 
C) Animals that perform altruistic acts are allowed by their population to breed more, thereby passing on their behaviour genes to future generations. 
D) Altruistic behaviours lower stress in populations, which increases the survivability of all the members of the population. 
E) All of the options are correct. A

Question 2

Which of the following is true about imprinting?

Accepted Answer

A) It may be triggered by visual or chemical stimuli. 
B) It happens to many adult animals, but not to their young. 
C) It is a type of learning that does not involve innate behaviour. 
D) It occurs only in birds. 
E) It causes behaviours that last for only a short time (the sensitive period). 
A) It may be triggered by visual or chemical stimuli. 
B) It happens to many adult animals, but not to their young. 
C) It is a type of learning that does not involve innate behaviour. 
D) It occurs only in birds. 
E) It causes behaviours that last for only a short time (the sensitive period). A

Question 3

After eating a brightly coloured frog for the first time and subsequently vomiting, a bird learns not to eat brightly coloured frogs. This avoidance is due to

Accepted Answer

A) associative learning. 
B) cognitive learning. 
C) spatial learning. 
D) imprinting. 
E) social learning. 
A) associative learning. 
B) cognitive learning. 
C) spatial learning. 
D) imprinting. 
E) social learning. A

Question 4

One way to understand how early environment influences differing behaviours in similar species is through the "cross-fostering" experimental technique. Suppose that the curly-whiskered mud rat differs from the bald mud rat in several ways, including being much more aggressive. How would you set up a cross-fostering experiment to determine if environment plays a role in the curly-whiskered mud rats' aggression?

Accepted Answer

A) You would cross curly-whiskered mud rats and bald mud rats and hand-rear the offspring to see if any grew up to be aggressive. 
B) You would place newborn curly-whiskered mud rats with bald mud rat parents, place newborn bald mud rats with curly-whiskered mud rat parents, and let some mud rats of both species be raised by their own species. Then you would compare the outcomes. 
C) You would remove the offspring of curly-whiskered mud rats and bald mud rats from their parents, raise them in the same environment, and then compare the outcomes. 
D) You would see if curly-whiskered mud rats bred true for aggression. 
E) You would replace normal newborn mud rats with deformed newborn mud rats to see if it triggered an altruistic response. 
A) You would cross curly-whiskered mud rats and bald mud rats and hand-rear the offspring to see if any grew up to be aggressive. 
B) You would place newborn curly-whiskered mud rats with bald mud rat parents, place newborn bald mud rats with curly-whiskered mud rat parents, and let some mud rats of both species be raised by their own species. Then you would compare the outcomes. 
C) You would remove the offspring of curly-whiskered mud rats and bald mud rats from their parents, raise them in the same environment, and then compare the outcomes. 
D) You would see if curly-whiskered mud rats bred true for aggression. 
E) You would replace normal newborn mud rats with deformed newborn mud rats to see if it triggered an altruistic response.

Question 5

Which of the following statements about evolution of behaviour is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) Natural selection will favour behaviour that enhances survival and reproduction. 
B) An animal may show behaviour that minimizes reproductive fitness. 
C) If a behaviour is less than optimal, it will eventually become optimal through natural selection. 
D) Innate behaviours can never be altered by natural selection. 
E) All of the statements are correct. 
A) Natural selection will favour behaviour that enhances survival and reproduction. 
B) An animal may show behaviour that minimizes reproductive fitness. 
C) If a behaviour is less than optimal, it will eventually become optimal through natural selection. 
D) Innate behaviours can never be altered by natural selection. 
E) All of the statements are correct.

Question 6

Use the following information to answer the next few questions.
Imagine that your house has caught fire. It is only yourself and your full-sibling brother in the house since your parents are gone on vacation. After escaping the house, you cannot find your brother and decide he must still be inside. There is a 25% chance that you will not survive the fire, and you each will produce two offspring each should you survive.
-Hamilton's Rule predicts that

Accepted Answer

A) C = 1. 
B) rB = 2. 
C) the cost of saving your brother outweighs the benefit. 
D) rB = 0.5. 
E) the benefits outweigh the cost and you attempt to save your brother. 
A) C = 1. 
B) rB = 2. 
C) the cost of saving your brother outweighs the benefit. 
D) rB = 0.5. 
E) the benefits outweigh the cost and you attempt to save your brother.

Question 7

Which of the following shows the adaptive significance of cognitive mapping to animals that employ this type of learning?

Accepted Answer

A) It increases the ability to visually recognize landmarks. 
B) Cognitive maps reduce the amount of detail required to remember the location of an object in the animal's environment. 
C) Animals can locate essential locations in their environment, such as nests, hazards, and feeding areas. 
D) Animals can outmanoeuvre predators by planning and memorizing getaway routes. 
E) Animals can determine their position relative to landmarks by a triangulation process. 
A) It increases the ability to visually recognize landmarks. 
B) Cognitive maps reduce the amount of detail required to remember the location of an object in the animal's environment. 
C) Animals can locate essential locations in their environment, such as nests, hazards, and feeding areas. 
D) Animals can outmanoeuvre predators by planning and memorizing getaway routes. 
E) Animals can determine their position relative to landmarks by a triangulation process.

Question 8

Animal communication involves what type of sensory information?

Accepted Answer

A) visual 
B) auditory 
C) olfactory 
D) tactile 
E) visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile 
A) visual 
B) auditory 
C) olfactory 
D) tactile 
E) visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile

Question 9

Fred and Joe, two unrelated, mature male gorillas, encounter one another. Fred is courting a female. Fred grunts as Joe comes near. As Joe continues to advance, Fred begins drumming (pounding his chest)and bares his teeth. Joe then rolls on the ground on his back, gets up, and quickly leaves. This behavioural pattern is repeated several times during the mating season. Choose the most specific behaviour described by this example.

Accepted Answer

A) agonistic behaviour 
B) territorial behaviour 
C) learned behaviour 
D) social behaviour 
E) fixed action pattern 
A) agonistic behaviour 
B) territorial behaviour 
C) learned behaviour 
D) social behaviour 
E) fixed action pattern

Question 10

Listed below are several examples of types of animal behaviour. Match the letter of the correct term (A-E) to each example in the following questions.
A. operant conditioning
B. agonistic behaviour
C innate behaviour
D. imprinting
E. altruistic behaviour
-A mother goat can recognize its own kid by smell.

Accepted Answer

A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
E) E 
A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
E) E

Question 11

The difference between pheromones and alarm signals is that

Accepted Answer

A) alarm signals are secreted. 
B) pheromones elicit a response in conspecifics. 
C) pheromones are secreted. 
D) alarm signals are released into the environment. 
E) alarm signals elicit a response in heterospecifics. 
A) alarm signals are secreted. 
B) pheromones elicit a response in conspecifics. 
C) pheromones are secreted. 
D) alarm signals are released into the environment. 
E) alarm signals elicit a response in heterospecifics.

Question 12

Listed below are several examples of types of animal behaviour. Match the letter of the correct term (A-E) to each example in the following questions.
A. operant conditioning
B. agonistic behaviour
C innate behaviour
D. imprinting
E. altruistic behaviour
-A human baby performs a sucking behaviour perfectly when it is put in the presence of the nipple of its mother's breast.

Accepted Answer

A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
E) E 
A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
E) E

Question 13

Classical conditioning and operant conditioning differ in that

Accepted Answer

A) classical conditioning takes longer. 
B) operant conditioning usually involves more intelligence. 
C) operant conditioning involves consequences for the animal's behaviour. 
D) classical conditioning is restricted to mammals and birds. 
E) classical conditioning is much more useful for training domestic animals. 
A) classical conditioning takes longer. 
B) operant conditioning usually involves more intelligence. 
C) operant conditioning involves consequences for the animal's behaviour. 
D) classical conditioning is restricted to mammals and birds. 
E) classical conditioning is much more useful for training domestic animals.

Question 14

Some dogs love attention, and Frodo the beagle learns that if he barks, he gets attention. Which of the following might you use to describe this behaviour?

Accepted Answer

A) The dog is displaying an instinctive fixed action pattern. 
B) The dog is performing a social behaviour. 
C) The dog is trying to protect its territory. 
D) The dog has been classically conditioned. 
E) The dog's behaviour is a result of operant conditioning. 
A) The dog is displaying an instinctive fixed action pattern. 
B) The dog is performing a social behaviour. 
C) The dog is trying to protect its territory. 
D) The dog has been classically conditioned. 
E) The dog's behaviour is a result of operant conditioning.

Question 15

A cage containing male mosquitoes has a small earphone placed on top, through which the sound of a female mosquito is played. All the males immediately fly to the earphone and go through all of the steps of copulation. What is the best explanation for this behaviour?

Accepted Answer

A) The males learn to associate the sound with females. 
B) Copulation is a fixed action pattern, and the female flight sound is a sign stimulus that initiates it. 
C) The sound from the earphone irritates the male mosquitoes, causing them to attempt to sting it. 
D) The reproductive drive is so strong that when males are deprived of females, they will attempt to mate with anything that has even the slightest female characteristic. 
E) Through classical conditioning, the male mosquitoes have associated the inappropriate stimulus from the earphone with the normal response of copulation. 
A) The males learn to associate the sound with females. 
B) Copulation is a fixed action pattern, and the female flight sound is a sign stimulus that initiates it. 
C) The sound from the earphone irritates the male mosquitoes, causing them to attempt to sting it. 
D) The reproductive drive is so strong that when males are deprived of females, they will attempt to mate with anything that has even the slightest female characteristic. 
E) Through classical conditioning, the male mosquitoes have associated the inappropriate stimulus from the earphone with the normal response of copulation.

Question 16

What is the fitness benefit of polygamy in birds that rear precocious young?

Accepted Answer

A) Females will copulate with many males to ensure that all of their eggs are fertilized. 
B) Females don't have to decide on one mate, and can copulate with as many males as each female deems worthy to share her genes with in reproduction. 
C) Fit males don't have to help feed and rear young and can spend this time seeking and mating with many females. 
D) Females don't have to spend time rearing young and can mate and rear additional broods during a breeding season. 
E) Both males and females spend little time with courtship and brood-rearing, and don't tax their own physiology so they can breed again in subsequent breeding seasons. 
A) Females will copulate with many males to ensure that all of their eggs are fertilized. 
B) Females don't have to decide on one mate, and can copulate with as many males as each female deems worthy to share her genes with in reproduction. 
C) Fit males don't have to help feed and rear young and can spend this time seeking and mating with many females. 
D) Females don't have to spend time rearing young and can mate and rear additional broods during a breeding season. 
E) Both males and females spend little time with courtship and brood-rearing, and don't tax their own physiology so they can breed again in subsequent breeding seasons.

Question 17

Animals use pheromones to communicate

Accepted Answer

A) reproductive readiness. 
B) species recognition. 
C) gender recognition. 
D) danger. 
E) All options are correct. 
A) reproductive readiness. 
B) species recognition. 
C) gender recognition. 
D) danger. 
E) All options are correct.

Question 18

Research has shown that nocturnal animals navigate using

Accepted Answer

A) olfactory cues. 
B) the North Star. 
C) the moon. 
D) landmarks. 
E) gravity. 
A) olfactory cues. 
B) the North Star. 
C) the moon. 
D) landmarks. 
E) gravity.

Question 19

Listed below are several examples of types of animal behaviour. Match the letter of the correct term (A-E) to each example in the following questions.
A. operant conditioning
B. agonistic behaviour
C innate behaviour
D. imprinting
E. altruistic behaviour
-Through trial and error, a rat learns to run a maze without mistakes to receive a food reward.

Accepted Answer

A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
E) E 
A) A 
B) B 
C) C 
D) D 
E) E

Question 20

A salmon returns to its home stream to spawn. What term best applies to this behaviour?

Accepted Answer

A) sign stimulus 
B) cognition 
C) imprinting 
D) classical conditioning 
E) operant conditioning 
A) sign stimulus 
B) cognition 
C) imprinting 
D) classical conditioning 
E) operant conditioning

Exam 51: Animal Behaviour

How do altruistic behaviours arise through natural selection?

Which of the following is true about imprinting?

After eating a brightly coloured frog for the first time and subsequently vomiting, a bird learns not to eat brightly coloured frogs. This avoidance is due to

Which of the following statements about evolution of behaviour is correct?

Which of the following shows the adaptive significance of cognitive mapping to animals that employ this type of learning?

Animal communication involves what type of sensory information?

The difference between pheromones and alarm signals is that

Classical conditioning and operant conditioning differ in that

Some dogs love attention, and Frodo the beagle learns that if he barks, he gets attention. Which of the following might you use to describe this behaviour?

A cage containing male mosquitoes has a small earphone placed on top, through which the sound of a female mosquito is played. All the males immediately fly to the earphone and go through all of the steps of copulation. What is the best explanation for this behaviour?

What is the fitness benefit of polygamy in birds that rear precocious young?

Animals use pheromones to communicate

Research has shown that nocturnal animals navigate using

A salmon returns to its home stream to spawn. What term best applies to this behaviour?

Introduction: Evolution and Themes of Biology

The Chemical Context of Life

Water and Life

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules

A Tour of the Cell

Membrane Structure and Function

An Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

Photosynthesis

Cell Communication

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Mendel and the Gene Idea

The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

From Gene to Protein

Regulation of Gene Expression

Viruses

Dna Tools and Biotechnology

Genomes and Their Evolution

Descent With Modification: a Darwinian View of Life

The Evolution of Populations

The Origin of Species

The History of Life on Earth

Phylogeny and the Tree of Life

Bacteria and Archaea

Protists

Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land

Plant Diversity Ii: the Evolution of Seed Plants

Fungi

An Overview of Animal Diversity

An Introduction to Invertebrates

The Origin and Evolution of Vertebrates

Plant Structure, Growth, and Development

Resource Acquisition and Transport in Vascular Plants

Soil and Plant Nutrition

Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology

Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function

Animal Nutrition

Circulation and Gas Exchange

The Immune System

Osmoregulation and Excretion

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Animal Reproduction

Animal Development

Neurons, Synapses, and Signalling

Nervous Systems

Sensory and Motor Mechanisms

An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

Population Ecology

Community Ecology

Ecosystems and Restoration Ecology

Conservation Biology and Global Change

Filters