Deck 39: Animal Behavior

Question 1

During its lifetime, a male cichlid fish can switch back and forth between dominant and subordinate social roles. The switch most importantly depends upon ____.

A)distribution of oxytocin receptors
B)water temperature
C)food availability
D)the presence of a larger dominant male
E)the presence of fertile females

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In mammals, the strongest males hold large territories and therefore ____.

A)control a lek
B)exhibit sexual dimorphism
C)share parenting duties
D)are monogamous
E)mate with all the females inside the area

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The dramatic transformation between subordinate and dominant phenotypes of male cichlids involves the ____.

A)removal of an acetyl group from DNA
B)methylation of DNA
C)distribution of oxytocin receptor genes
D)number of vasopressin receptor genes
E)modification of histone proteins

Answer 3

B

Question 4

​Four of the five answers are duties performed by workers in eusocial honeybee colonies. Select the exception.

A)​foraging for food
B)​maintaining the hive
C)​caring for young
D)​laying eggs
E)​defending the colony

Question 5

What is one way in which acting as a selfish herd can protect members of the herd?

A)Subordinate group members provide food for offspring of dominant members.
B)A group member spots a threat and warns others of its approach.
C)Cooperative hunting allows a group of predators to capture larger or faster prey.
D)Members of groups learn tool production skills.
E)Group members fend off scavengers.

Question 6

There is a genetic basis for differences in foraging behavior among fruit fly larvae. Some larvae crawl around a lot, and eat yeast that grows on decaying fruit. These larvae are called ____.

A)seekers
B)sitters
C)hunters
D)rovers
E)scavengers

Question 7

​One way in which altruistic behavior can evolve is through a type of selection that favors individuals who have the highest inclusive fitness. This is called ____ selection.

A)​kin
B)​artificial
C)​sexual
D)​reciprocal
E)​eusocial

Question 8

Which scenario illustrates a selfish herd?

A)In most wolf packs, one dominant male breeds with one dominant female.
B)Lions are social animals who cooperate in catching prey.
C)When threatened by wolves, musk oxen stand back to back, presenting an imposing display of sharp horns.
D)Chimpanzees learn by imitation in a group.
E)A pair of breeding herring gulls will cannibalize the eggs and even the chicks of their neighbors.

Question 9

Which term describes a group of animals that is self-organized by rank?

A)selfish herd
B)dominance hierarchy
C)pack
D)social group
E)culture

Question 10

Leks are places where male ____.

A)hanging flies offer female flies meals of dead insects
B)fiddler crabs wave their oversized claws to attract female crabs
C)bison lock horns and wrestle for dominance
D)terns cooperate with females in the care of their chicks
E)sage grouse perform displays to attract females

Question 11

Evidence of oxytocin's role in vole bonding behavior led researchers to examine this hormone's role in a condition in which a person has trouble making social attachments. What is this condition?

A)Down syndrome
B)autism
C)Alzheimer's disease
D)dyslexia
E)Tourette syndrome

Question 12

Four of these five choices are learned behaviors. Select the exception.

A)A rat that presses a lever and is rewarded with a food pellet is more likely to press the lever again.
B)Once a bird has been sickened by a larval or adult monarch, it avoids these insects in the future.
C)A fiddler crab forages up to 30 feet from its burrow and scurries straight home in response to a threat.
D)Newly hatched geese follow the large moving object that looms over them after they hatch.
E)Birds fill any wide-open mouth they see in their nest.

Question 13

Four of the five answers are characteristics of social animals. Select the exception.

A)Sterile workers carry out tasks essential to the group's welfare, while other members of the group reproduce.
B)Members collectively defend against predators.
C)Members live in multigenerational groups and cooperate in hunting prey.
D)Dominant animals receive a greater share of resources and breeding opportunities than subordinates.
E)One individual makes an alarm call to warn other group members of a threat.

Question 14

What type of communication is most widespread in animals that have good eyesight and are active during the day?

A)acoustical
B)tactile
C)chemical
D)pheromones
E)visual

Question 15

Chemical signals that cause long-term responses in the receiver are most specifically called ____.

A)tactile signals
B)signal pheromones
C)priming pheromones
D)communication signals
E)acoustical signals

Question 16

Which term describes behavior that enhances the reproductive success of another member of the same species at the expense of the helpful individual?

A)altruism
B)genetic fitness
C)social defense
D)selfish herd
E)natural selection

Question 17

Squirrels in cities are accustomed to humans and will continue to forage in their presence. Which term best describes this behavior?

A)instinctive behavior
B)imprinting
C)desensitization
D)habituation
E)habit formation

Question 18

​Who protects and cares for naked mole-rat offspring?

A)​the king(s) only
B)​the queen(s) only
C)​both the king(s) and queen(s)
D)​the king(s) and sterile workers
E)​nonbreeding clan members

Question 19

Which mammalian species is eusocial?

A)chimpanzees
B)wolves
C)musk oxen
D)naked mole rats
E)elk

Question 20

What type of signal often advertises the presence of an animal or group of animals?

A)chemical
B)pheromone
C)visual
D)acoustical
E)tactile

Question 21

​The North Atlantic population of right whales is severely at risk primarily due to fatal collisions with ships and ____.

A)​negligent tourist activities
B)​overharvesting by commercial fishermen
C)​accidentally being caught in fishing nets
D)​pollution from oil spills
E)​man-made noise pollution

Question 22

Which term describes an innate response to a simple and specific stimulus?

A)imprinting
B)instinct
C)learned behavior
D)habituation
E)a conditioned response

Question 23

Genetic monogamy is ____.

A)predominant in mammals
B)common in all animals
C)rare
D)more common than social monogamy
E)beneficial to evolutionary fitness

Question 24

​When an animal notices another group member beginning to flee, it will do likewise, and therefore the predator has more difficulty choosing an individual to pursue. This behavior is an example of ____.

A)​a eusocial system
B)​the confusion effect
C)​altruistic behavior
D)​a dominance hierarchy
E)​reciprocal cooperation

Question 25

A newly hatched cuckoo bird is blind, but contact with an object beside it stimulates it to push the object out of the nest. Which term best describes this behavior?

A)learned
B)conditioning
C)imprinting
D)instinct
E)habituation

Question 26

In many species, females choose among males on the basis of their ability to provide necessary resources. Males often establish an exclusive area that includes resources that females require for reproduction. This is called a ____.

A)biome
B)niche
C)zone
D)lek
E)territory

Question 27

Voles with a large number of oxytocin receptors in their brains are likely to be ____.

A)aggressive
B)territorial
C)promiscuous
D)migratory
E)monogamous

Question 28

In all eusocial species, sterile workers assist fertile ____ with whom they share genes.

A)subordinate animals
B)dominant animals
C)relatives
D)offspring
E)leaders

Question 29

In social insects like bees and termites, the nonreproducing members of the hive are always ____.

A)maturing into their reproductive phase
B)past the age of reproduction
C)related to one another
D)in competition for space and food
E)subordinate males

Question 30

Which scenario illustrates sexual dimorphism?

A)A male has a different body form than a female.
B)Males are more genetically promiscuous.
C)Parenting duties are shared by mother and father.
D)Males guard eggs until they hatch.
E)Males guard a territory.

Question 31

​In the eusocial naked mole-rat species, Heterocephalus glaber, who is responsible for reproducing?

A)​one king mates with numerous worker females
B)​one king mates with one to three queens
C)​one queen mates with one to three kings
D)​one queen mates with numerous worker males
E)​numerous kings mate with numerous queens

Question 32

In fruit flies, natural selection tends to maintain both the rover and sitter alleles of the foraging gene because ____.

A)gametes assort randomly
B)larvae of each foraging type are more likely to survive when their type is rare
C)larvae of each foraging type are more likely to survive when their type is common
D)rovers often find more food than sitters
E)sitters conserve more energy than rovers

Question 33

Animals who cluster together and use each other as cover from predators exhibit ____ behavior.

A)cooperative herd
B)eusocial
C)altruistic
D)selfish herd
E)dominance

Question 34

Which type of learning occurs during a genetically determined time period, early in life?

A)instinct
B)imprinting
C)conditioned learning
D)habituation
E)imitative learning

Question 35

What type of animals live in a multigenerational family group in which sterile workers carry out all tasks essential to the group's welfare, while other members of the group produce offspring?

A)selfish herd
B)eusocial animals
C)dominance hierarchies
D)social animals
E)monogamous animals

Question 36

​Only two species of eusocial vertebrates have been discovered, both found in ____.

A)​North America
B)​South America
C)​Africa
D)​Australia
E)​Asia

Question 37

A honeybee's dance in its dark hive around a crowd of fellow workers conveys information about the location of food. This is an example of ____ communication.

A)visual
B)chemical
C)tactile
D)acoustical
E)direct

Question 38

Four of the five answers are major advantages of group living for predators. Select the exception.

A)increased hunting success
B)improved success at fending off scavengers
C)group defense of young
D)greater strength to defend territory
E)caring for each other's young

Question 39

​Young whooping cranes follow older birds to learn the route of their long seasonal migration. This is an example of what type of learned behavior?

A)​imitative behavior
B)​habituation
C)​imprinting
D)​social learning
E)​spatial learning

Question 40

​With what type of learned behavior does an animal's involuntary response to a stimulus become associated with a stimulus that accompanies it?

A)​social learning
B)​habituation
C)​imprinting
D)​conditioned responses
E)​imitative learning

Question 41

Match each term to its description.
a.acoustical signals
b.pheromones
c.monogamous
d.visual communication
e.tactile displays
f.polygynous
g.polyandrous
h.promiscuous
a single mate for both sexes

Question 42

Match the scenario with the most appropriate type of learning.
a.conditioning
b.imprinting
c.spatial learning
d.habituation
e.social learning
f.imitative learning
Male lobsters fight at their first meeting. The loser remembers the winner's scent and avoids him.

Question 43

Ivan Pavlov rang a bell whenever he fed a dog, and later the dog salivated at the sound of the bell. What term best describes this experiment?

A)classical conditioning
B)habituation
C)operant conditioning
D)imprinting
E)social learning

Question 44

​The animal mating system in which females have multiple mates is referred to as ____.

A)​sexual dimorphism
B)​polygynous
C)​polyandrous
D)​polyamorous
E)​monogamous

Question 45

Four of the five answers represent costs of living in groups. Select the exception.

A)susceptibility to infectious disease
B)fewer members produce offspring
C)increased risk of predation
D)competition for resources
E)competition for space

Question 46

If a bonded female vole is injected with a chemical that blocks the action of oxytocin, she is likely to ____.

A)behave promiscuously
B)become aggressive
C)stop eating
D)lose the ability to differentiate between food and non-food items
E)be sexually receptive only to her partner

Question 47

Match each term to its description.
a.acoustical signals
b.pheromones
c.monogamous
d.visual communication
e.tactile displays
f.polygynous
g.polyandrous
h.promiscuous
information is transmitted through touch

Question 48

Match each term to its description.
a.acoustical signals
b.pheromones
c.monogamous
d.visual communication
e.tactile displays
f.polygynous
g.polyandrous
h.promiscuous
​multiple mates for females only

Question 49

Match each term to its description.
a.acoustical signals
b.pheromones
c.monogamous
d.visual communication
e.tactile displays
f.polygynous
g.polyandrous
h.promiscuous
alarm calls given by some birds and mammals that inform others of potential threats

Question 50

Match each term to its description.
a.acoustical signals
b.pheromones
c.monogamous
d.visual communication
e.tactile displays
f.polygynous
g.polyandrous
h.promiscuous
multiple mates for males only

Question 51

Match the scenario with the most appropriate type of learning.
a.conditioning
b.imprinting
c.spatial learning
d.habituation
e.social learning
f.imitative learning
A marmoset given the opportunity to observe another marmoset opening a container filled with food later opens the container the same way.

Question 52

If a honeybee moves straight up the comb in its dance, where do recruits fly to find food?

A)straight towards the sun
B)directly away from the sun
C)at a 90-degree angle to the sun
D)at a 45-degree angle to the sun
E)at a 120-degree angle away from the sun

Question 53

The ability of male birds of many species to learn their species' song is limited by ____.

A)their level of instinctive behavior
B)exposure to other species' songs
C)exposure to male singers of their own species during periods of throat paralysis
D)exposure to male singers of their own species during a limited period early in life
E)successful imprinting onto their mother

Question 54

Match the scenario with the most appropriate type of learning.
a.conditioning
b.imprinting
c.spatial learning
d.habituation
e.social learning
f.imitative learning
Pigeons learn to ignore people walking by them, a neutral stimulus.

Question 55

Match the scenario with the most appropriate type of learning.
a.conditioning
b.imprinting
c.spatial learning
d.habituation
e.social learning
f.imitative learning
Baby geese learn to follow the large object that looms over them after they hatch.

Question 56

Match the scenario with the most appropriate type of learning.
a.conditioning
b.imprinting
c.spatial learning
d.habituation
e.social learning
f.imitative learning
Young whooping cranes follow older birds to learn the route of their long seasonal migration.

Question 57

Match each term to its description.
a.acoustical signals
b.pheromones
c.monogamous
d.visual communication
e.tactile displays
f.polygynous
g.polyandrous
h.promiscuous
selection favors clear signals, so movements often become exaggerated

Question 58

When scientists transferred the gene for the arginine vasopressin (AVP) receptor from male voles into male mice, the male mice ____.

A)began to eat roots, a preferred food of voles
B)attempted to locate and mate with female voles
C)preferred female mice they had already mated with to new females
D)ceased normal social behaviors such as grooming and co-sleeping
E)became aggressive and territorial

Question 59

What concept proposes that genes associated with altruism are selected for if they lead to behavior that promotes the reproductive success of an altruist's close relatives?

A)natural selection
B)inclusive fitness
C)selfish herd
D)social evolution
E)instinctive sacrifice

Question 60

Match the scenario with the most appropriate type of learning.
a.conditioning
b.imprinting
c.spatial learning
d.habituation
e.social learning
f.imitative learning
A rat that presses a lever and is rewarded with a food pellet becomes more likely to press the lever again.

Question 61

Match each term to its description.
a.acoustical signals
b.pheromones
c.monogamous
d.visual communication
e.tactile displays
f.polygynous
g.polyandrous
h.promiscuous
​multiple mates for both sexes

Question 62

How might habituation to humans be beneficial to wild animals in urban settings?

Question 63

Describe the instinctive pattern typical of newly hatched cuckoos.

Question 64

In a dominance hierarchy, why would subordinate members remain part of the group?

Question 65

A genetic capacity to learn, combined with actual experiences in the environment, shapes most forms of behavior. Use the example of songbird's learning their song to demonstrate the role of imprinting and environment on learning.

Question 66

Describe how fireflies take advantage of the communication systems of their prey.

Question 67

Explain the difference between social animals and eusocial animals.

Question 68

Immediately after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, commercial ship traffic in the North Atlantic was temporarily reduced. In what way did the decreased ship traffic during this time offer scientists a chance to examine the effects of ships on right whales? What were the scientists' conclusions of the data collected during this time?

Question 69

Animals learn to repeat behaviors based on certain factors. What are these factors?

Question 70

Describe the principle of the selfish herd effect. Provide an example of a species that displays the selfish herd effect.

Question 71

Parental care requires time and energy that an individual could otherwise invest in reproducing again. What determines how much parental care is given?

Question 72

Genetic variation in behavior occurs between species and within species. Describe the genetic basis for the difference in mating behaviors in closely related species of voles.

Question 73

Match each term to its description.
a.acoustical signals
b.pheromones
c.monogamous
d.visual communication
e.tactile displays
f.polygynous
g.polyandrous
h.promiscuous
chemical signals that convey information among members of a species