Deck 51: Behavioral Ecology

Question 1

You have captured a number of rats from a wild population and quickly surmise with tests that they are very good at avoiding food with poisons.What would best explain this observation?

A)Rats are probably just intelligent enough to avoid poison.
B)Rats may experience a large variety of toxins in their environment and learn to avoid them.
C)Rats may learn this behavior from their parents or siblings.
D)Rats may be able to tolerate large amounts of poison.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

In the second year of its life a pied kingfisher mates and raises two of its own offspring.What is its direct fitness in this second year of its life?

A)0)50
B)1)00
C)1)50
D)2)00
E)None of the above is correct.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Learning has the most influence on behavior when _____.

A)making mistakes does not result in death
B)animals have parents or other sources to learn from
C)animals have enormous cognitive ability
D)making mistakes does not result in death,and when animals have parents or other sources to learn from
E)animals have parents or other sources to learn from,and when animals have enormous cognitive ability

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In testing a hypothesis that "territorial defense in European robins is a fixed action pattern that is released by the sight of orange feathers," researchers found that robins defended their territory by attacking anything that was of similar size and had an orange patch.What experiment would you perform next to determine that the color initiated the defense response?

A)Repeat the experiment using a red patch instead of an orange patch.
B)Repeat the experiment by removing the patch completely.
C)Repeat the experiment by using a model of a robin that was twice the size of a normal robin but with a small orange patch.
D)Repeat the experiment by using a yellow patch instead of an orange patch.
E)Repeat the experiment by using a model of a robin that had an orange patch that was twice the size of a normal patch.

Question 5

If you ask a question about behavior that concerns how it works,or what its mechanism is,you are asking a question that involves _____.

A)ultimate causation
B)proximate causation
C)adaptive significance
D)survival value
E)only the neurological level of analysis

Question 6

You observe a species of bird that,upon hatching,has contact with its parents only while being fed.You also never hear the parents sing during the feeding process.What would you propose about song learning in this species of bird?

A)Song learning in this species is most likely learned.
B)The period of imprinting is likely later in the bird's life.
C)The males will learn song when they congregate with other males of their species during the winter.
D)Song learning in this species is most likely innate.

Question 7

You observe scrub jays hiding food and notice that one particular individual only pretends to hide food.What kind of experiment could you perform to test whether this behavior was random or in response to another signal?

A)Observe more of these behaviors in the wild and try to determine if the behavior is random.
B)Hypothesize a set of signals that could produce this behavior and try to match the behaviors with the signals.
C)Attempt to reproduce the behavior in captivity by using bird models and a computer simulation.
D)All of the above would be excellent experiments.

Question 8

A pied kingfisher in its first year of life helps in the feeding of three full siblings who would not have made it without the helper's efforts.In this first year the bird does not raise any of its own offspring.In the second year of its life the pied kingfisher mates and raises two of its own offspring.After the first two years what is the inclusive fitness of the pied kingfisher?

A)0)75
B)1)50
C)2)50
D)3)00
E)None of the above is correct.

Question 9

Figure 51.2
In Figure 51.2,do the data support the hypothesis that females need spring-like light conditions to produce mature follicles?

A)yes
B)no

Question 10

How would you classify the genetic basis for most behavioral traits in the animal kingdom?

A)One gene typically codes for one behavior.
B)One gene typically codes for many behaviors.
C)Many genes typically code for one behavior.
D)Behaviors are learned,not coded by genes.

Question 11

Recent research has shown that von Frisch was not completely correct about the difference between the round dance and waggle dance.The new information suggests that _____.

A)the waggle dance communicates information about the quality of the food
B)the round dance communicates direction as well as distance
C)the waggle dance communicates the type of food
D)the round dance communicates the time of day the food will be available
E)the waggle dance communicates the favored food of the hive

Question 12

The behavioral response associated with the escape behavior of kangaroo rats is an example of a _____.

A)behavior that is modified through learning
B)highly flexible,condition-dependent behavior
C)sign stimulus
D)fixed action pattern
E)behavior that is modified through learning and a highly flexible,condition-dependent behavior

Question 13

You observe scrub jays hiding food and notice that one particular individual only pretends to hide food.Your experiments associate the presence of other siblings with the frequency of pretending to cache food.A colleague shows you animals of the same species that do not perform this pretend caching.How does this information affect your conclusions about this behavior?

A)It suggests that this behavior might be learned.
B)It prevents you from making conclusions.
C)It suggests that your experimental design is flawed.
D)It does not affect anything.

Question 14

What is the primary mode of communication used by humpback whales?

A)the visual mode,because males display to females visually during complex courtship interactions
B)the auditory mode,because long-distance communication is important,and sound travels much further than light in aquatic environments
C)the olfactory mode,because in an aquatic medium chemicals diffuse rapidly and are easy to localize
D)the tactile mode,because males must touch the female with their flippers during courtship

Question 15

How could you test whether male dewlaps (a colorful flap of skin hanging from an anole lizard's throat)were an important cue for female egg production?

A)Remove dewlaps from females and measure corresponding egg production.
B)Relate size of male dewlap to female dewlap.
C)Remove dewlaps from courting males and measure corresponding female egg production.
D)All of the above answers apply.

Question 16

Based on your knowledge of cost-benefit analysis,why would you expect some white-fronted bee-eaters to fly very far away from the nests to forage when there are food sources nearby?

A)There might be some plentiful food sources further away.
B)Competition for food is too intense near the nest.
C)Food near the nest is usually of lower quality.
D)Predation is highest closest to the nest.

Question 17

In the last phase of migration,birds seem to be using _____ to determine their final destination.

A)landmarks
B)the magnetic field of the Earth
C)olfactory cues
D)the arc of the Sun
E)temperature cues

Question 18

If you ask a question about behavior that concerns how it works,or what its mechanism is,you are asking a question that involves _____.

A)ultimate causation
B)proximate causation
C)adaptive significance
D)survival value
E)the neurological,hormonal,and skeletal-muscular level of analysis

Question 19

Figure 51.2
In Figure 51.2,which of the following conclusions is most logical based on the data?

A)Females produce more eggs more quickly when exposed to breeding males.
B)Females produce eggs more quickly when exposed to many males than females paired with a male.
C)All non-isolated females do just as well as isolated females.
D)All of the above answers apply.

Question 20

A pied kingfisher in its first year of life helps in the feeding of three full siblings who would not have made it without the helper's efforts.What is its indirect fitness in its first year?

A)0)25
B)0)50
C)0)75
D)1)00
E)1)50

Question 21

Figure 51.6
Use the following information and Figure 51.6 when answering the corresponding question(s).
The following are an abstract and figure from a paper that explores the evolutionary relationship between a protein kinase and behavior (M.Fitzpatrick and M.Sokolowski.2004.In search of food: Exploring the evolutionary link between cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG)and behavior.Integrative and Comparative Biology 44:28-36).
Abstract:
Despite an immense amount of variation in organisms throughout the animal kingdom many of their genes show substantial conservation in DNA sequence and protein function.Here we explore the potential for a conserved evolutionary relationship between genes and their behavioral phenotypes.We investigate the evolutionary history of cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG)and its possible conserved function in food-related behaviors.First identified for its role in the foraging behavior of fruit flies,the PKG encoded by the foraging gene had since been associated with the maturation of behavior (from nurse to forager)in honey bees and the roaming and dwelling food-related locomotion in nematodes.These parallels encouraged us to construct protein phylogenies using 32 PKG sequences that include 19 species.Our analyses suggest five possible evolutionary histories that can explain the apparent conserved link between PKG and behavior in fruit flies,honey bees and nematodes.Three of these raise the hypothesis that PKG influences the food-related behaviors of a wide variety of animals including vertebrates.Moreover it appears that the PKG gene was duplicated some time between the evolution of nematodes and a common ancestor of vertebrates and insects whereby current evidence suggest only the for-like PKG might be associated with food-related behavior.

Neighbor joining trees depicting the evolutionary relationships of 32 PKG kinase domain and C-terminal amino acid sequences spanning 19 species of protozoans and metazoans.Values at the nodes represent the results of 5000 bootstrap replications.Lineages with known behavioral links with PKG are indicated by gray branches.
Using Figure 51.6 and the accompanying paragraph,and knowing that the PKG encoded by the foraging gene has recently been associated with the maturation of out-of-nest behavior in honeybees,what would be a logical explanation for this relationship?

A)As animals mature,they require more food;therefore,PKG levels must increase.
B)As animals mature,they are more likely to forage;therefore,PKG levels must increase.
C)As animals mature,they respond to pheromones from the queen,which increases PKG levels.
D)As animals mature,they are able to fly,an activity that is connected to the increase in PKG levels.

Question 22

Any process in which a signal from one individual modifies the behavior of a recipient individual is termed _____.

A)cognition
B)communication
C)reflex
D)perception
E)conditioning

Question 23

Homing pigeons' ability to always return to their home,no matter where they are released,is an excellent example of _____.

A)piloting
B)compass orientation
C)an innate behavior
D)true navigation
E)all of the above

Question 24

Scientists believe that the direction birds go when migrating is guided in part by _____.

A)the stars in the night sky
B)the Sun during the day
C)the magnetic field of the Earth
D)only the stars in the night sky and the Sun during the day
E)the stars in the night sky,the Sun during the day,and the magnetic field of the Earth

Question 25

Why should a female barn swallow choose a male with long tail feathers?

A)The long tail feathers may indicate superior flying ability.
B)The male will be able to provide her with more food during courtship.
C)The female will be less likely to compete with the male for food because he will be foraging in different parts of their territory.
D)The male may be able to better protect her from predators.
E)The female's offspring might grow more rapidly and survive better.

Question 26

Figure 51.4
If the diagram in Figure 51.4 shows the dances of bees in a hive at twelve noon on March 21 in the northern hemisphere,which dance is communicating that the food is to the south of the hive?

A)dance A
B)dance B
C)dance C
D)It not possible to tell if any of the dances indicate the food is to the south of the hive.

Question 27

If a prairie dog had the opportunity to perform an altruistic act (i.e. ,give an alarm call)to help its relatives,which combination of the following relatives would the prairie dog be most likely to help (base your answer solely on the genetic relationships)?

A)four cousins and one brother
B)two nieces,two cousins,and one half-brother
C)two half-sisters and two nieces
D)one son,one niece,and one half-sister
E)The prarie dog would be equally likely to act altruistically to each of the combinations of relatives described above.

Question 28

A lizard's bobbing dewlap (a colorful flap of skin hanging from an Anolis lizard's throat)is an example of a(n)_____.

A)stimulus
B)reflex
C)signal
D)innate releasing mechanism
E)structure necessary for respiration

Question 29

The principal prediction that can be made from the expression Br > C is that _____.

A)natural selection will favor cooperation among close relatives
B)cooperation evolves because it benefits all members of a species
C)cooperation evolves because it enhances the species' fitness
D)selection favors self-sacrifice in reproduction
E)natural selection will favor cooperation among any individuals

Question 30

What was the main reason the honeybees switched from the "round dance" to the "waggle dance"?

A)The waggle dance communicates the presence of nectar.
B)The preferred food source was farther away.
C)The round dance uses too much energy.
D)The round dance did not communicate the quality of the food.

Question 31

You observe that by flashing a small light in a particular sequence,you can attract male fireflies of a certain species.You begin to think how this signal may be used against these males.Which of the hypotheses seems to be the most logical?

A)This particular signal will be used commonly by other firefly species as a way to lure males and prey on them.
B)This particular signal will be used only by this species of firefly.
C)This particular signal will be used widely by males of this species in territorial disputes.
D)This particular signal will be used by females of other species to lure males and mate with them in an effort to pass on more of their genes.

Question 32

Which of the following experiments best addresses the hypothesis that moths stop flying in response to high-intensity bat sounds?

A)Isolate and characterize the neurons that control flight muscle.
B)Play prerecorded high-intensity bat sounds to flying moths.
C)Observe responses of moths to bats in nature.
D)Put bats and moths in an enclosure and make detailed observations of predator-prey interactions.

Question 33

Figure 51.3
From Figure 51.3 what can we determine about the location of the food source?

A)The waggle dance in the top figure indicates that the food is directly under the hive.
B)The waggle dance in the bottom figure indicates that the food is to the west of the hive.
C)The waggle dance in the top figure indicates that the food is close to the hive.
D)The waggle dance in the bottom figure indicates that the food is 90 degrees to the right of the Sun.
E)The vigor of the waggle dance indicates the location of the food relative to the Sun.

Question 34

In red-winged blackbirds,which of the following stimuli elicited the greatest territorial defense response?

A)playing a recording of a blackbird call in the territory
B)presenting a model of a male in the territory
C)presenting both the model and playing the recording
D)All of the above elicited equal responses.

Question 35

Figure 51.5
In Figure 51.5,which is the most logical conclusion from the data?

A)Stepparents are genetically programmed to be more abusive to their stepchildren than biological parents.
B)Young children are more at risk when living with stepparents.
C)It takes years for stepparents to become attached to their stepchildren and that explains the lower level of abuse toward older children by stepparents.
D)Males,unrelated to children they are raising,are more likely to commit infanticide than females.

Question 36

Looking at this evolutionary relationship of protein kinases (Figure 51.6)and knowing there is evidence that this particular protein kinase is linked to food-related behaviors in the animals studied,what conclusions can you draw?

A)PKG influences food-related behaviors in a wide variety of animals.
B)There is enormous variation in amino acid sequences between taxa.
C)There is likely a conserved evolutionary relationship between these genes and their behavioral phenotype.
D)PKG influences food-related behaviors in a wide variety of animals,and there is enormous variation in amino acid sequences between taxa.
E)PKG influences food-related behaviors in a wide variety of animals,and there is likely a conserved evolutionary relationship between these genes and their behavioral phenotype.

Question 37

Which animal is best known for migration using chemotaxis?

A)pigeons
B)arctic terns
C)salmon
D)monarch butterflies