Deck 18: Integrating Systems at Work: Animal Navigation

Question 1

The periodic movement of an animal from one region to another is called

A) migration.
B) homing.
C) piloting.
D) trail following.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Sea turtles use exceptional navigation strategies to

A) home in on their birth site to feed.
B) return to their birth site to breed.
C) find food in the open ocean.
D) locate mates in the open ocean.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

During the winter breeding season, humpback whales migrate from the polar seas to tropical waters because warm water provides

A) less thermoregulatory stress for the young.
B) more food for the adults and young.
C) less predatory pressure on the young.
D) better shelter for the young.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The _______ provides the most dramatic example of navigational skills involved in natal philopatry.

A) humpback whale
B) starling
C) Pacific salmon
D) honeybee

Question 5

Refer to the figure shown.
Panel A illustrates

A) migration.
B) path integration.
C) homing.
D) trail following.

Question 6

Refer to the figure shown.
Choose the correct order of the life cycle illustrated in the panels:
1) Live in lake
2) Live in ocean
3) Migrate from ocean to lake
4) Migrate from lake to ocean
5) Young hatch in lake
6) Young hatch in ocean
7) Spawn in lake
8) Spawn in ocean

A) 5 → 1 → 4 → 2 → 3 → 7
B) 6 → 2 → 3 → 1 → 4 → 8
C) 6 → 3 → 1 → 7 → 4
D) 5 → 4 → 2 → 3 → 1 → 7

Question 7

Refer to the figure shown.
The panels illustrate the life cycle of the

A) humpback whale.
B) starling.
C) Pacific salmon.
D) arctic tern.

Question 8

Refer to the figure shown.
The main adaptive advantage of the process shown in the panels is

A) a consistent osmotic environment.
B) access to abundant food.
C) a predictable feeding environment.
D) adaptation to local breeding environments.

Question 9

Refer to the figure shown.
What process is illustrated by the figure?

A) Migration
B) Path integration
C) Homing
D) Trail following

Question 10

Refer to the figure shown.
Which number(s) correspond(s) to information about the direction of the food source, as indicated by the honeybee?

A) I and III
B) II and IV
C) IV
D) V

Question 11

Refer to the figure shown.
Which number(s) encode(s) information about the distance to the food source?

A) I and III
B) II
C) IV
D) V

Question 12

Which of the following is not one of the five behavioral strategies animals use to navigate?

A) Piloting
B) Path integration
C) Map-and-compass navigation
D) Map navigation

Question 13

Which statement about piloting animals is true?

A) They follow a discontinuous series of learned landmarks to obtain compass-heading information.
B) They follow a continuous series of learned landmarks to determine where they are.
C) They follow a discontinuous series of learned landmarks to determine where they are.
D) They follow a continuous series of learned landmarks to obtain compass-heading information.

Question 14

In a classic experiment, Nikkolaas Tinbergen showed that digger wasps can use

A) flowers as landmarks for piloting.
B) pinecones as landmarks for navigation.
C) landmarks for remembering the locations of hidden food.
D) pheromones as olfactory cues for trail following.

Question 15

Refer to the figure shown.
Part A of the figure illustrates which navigational strategy?

A) Trail following
B) Piloting
C) Path integration
D) Map-and-compass navigation

Question 16

Refer to the figure shown.
Part B of the figure illustrates which experimental procedure?

A) Displacement
B) Sensory deprivation
C) Sensory disruption
D) Landmark modification

Question 17

Refer to the figure shown.
What did the experimental procedure reveal?

A) Desert ants use trail following for homing.
B) Desert ants use path integration for homing.
C) Desert ants use compass navigation.
D) Desert ants use landmarks in navigation.

Question 18

Refer to the figure shown.
The animal searching for food in part B of the figure would need to use which navigational strategy to return to its original starting point (or home)?

A) Piloting
B) Path integration
C) Compass navigation
D) Map-and-compass navigation

Question 19

Animals that use path integration, such as desert ants, must collect information in order to identify the path home. What information do desert ants collect?

A) They collect directional information from the sun's position and measure distance by integrating proprioceptive information while walking.
B) They collect directional information from learned landmarks and measure distance by integrating proprioceptive information while walking.
C) They collect directional and distance information from the sun's position.
D) They collect directional information from the sun's position and distance information from learned landmarks

Question 20

In attempting to understand how desert ants calculate distance while walking in the desert, researchers altered the length of the ants' legs. What were the results of their experiment?

A) Ants with stilt legs found their home much faster compared to ants with normal legs.
B) Ants with stilt legs began their search for home far earlier than ants with normal legs.
C) Ants with stilt legs walked too far before searching for their home.
D) Ants with altered legs were able to use polarized light to correct their heading after they noticed an error in their search for home.

Question 21

Honeybees use _______ to estimate distances between the hive and food sources.

A) the sun
B) landmarks
C) optic flow
D) flight proprioception

Question 22

A _______ is a mechanism that indicates geographical direction.

A) map
B) landmark
C) heading
D) compass

Question 23

The sun compass requires integration of the sun's position and

A) the direction of Earth's movement.
B) circadian time information.
C) polarized light information.
D) the direction of magnetic north.

Question 24

Which statement about polarized light is true?

A) It is non-reflected light.
B) It vibrates in only one plane with respect to its line of propagation.
C) Light is never fully polarized.
D) It is perceived by all non-human mammals

Question 25

Refer to the figure shown.
Based on the information presented in the figure, this bird uses which type of navigational strategy?

A) Piloting
B) Compass navigation
C) Path integration
D) Map-and-compass navigation

Question 26

Refer to the figure shown.
In part A of the figure above, if the time at point I is 1:00 pm, then the time at point II is

A) 7:00 am.
B) 9:00 am.
C) 3:00 pm.
D) 7:00 pm.

Question 27

Refer to the figure shown.
Suppose that the time at point I is 1:00 pm (under normal conditions). The pigeon's circadian clock is then shifted 6 hours ahead, and it flies in the direction indicated in panel B. What time must it be at point III?

A) 7:00 am
B) 9:00 am
C) 3:00 pm
D) 7:00 pm

Question 28

Refer to the figure shown.
Suppose that the time at point I is 1:00 pm (under normal conditions). The pigeon's circadian clock is then shifted 3 hours backward. What direction heading will it then take at 7:00 am?

A) South
B) East
C) Southeast
D) Southwest

Question 29

Which statement about polarized light is true?

A) Light is never fully polarized.
B) Light is fully polarized when the animal is in the direct light path from the sun.
C) Light is fully polarized at a reflection angle of 45°.
D) Light is fully polarized at a reflection angle of 90°.

Question 30

How do animals use polarized light for compass information?

A) They can detect the angle of polarization.
B) They can detect the gradients in the degree of light polarization.
C) They can relate polarized light to direct light information coming from the sun.
D) They can detect the angle of polarization and relate polarized light to direct light information coming from the sun.

Question 31

Refer to the figure shown.
Which navigational strategy is illustrated by the figure?

A) Magnetic compass navigation
B) Polarized-light compass navigation
C) Sun compass navigation
D) Map-and-compass navigation

Question 32

Which statement regarding the moon as a compass is true?

A) Many animals use the moon as a compass, but only at night.
B) Many animals use the moon as a compass, but only during the day.
C) Only aquatic animals can use the moon as a compass.
D) Animals do not use the moon as a compass.

Question 33

Nocturnal migrants tend to use

A) a star compass.
B) a magnetic compass.
C) olfactory cues.
D) map-and-compass navigation.

Question 34

Refer to the figure shown.
The illustrations, which were generated from data on indigo buntings held in a planetarium, show which navigational strategy?

A) Star compass navigation
B) Magnetic compass navigation
C) Olfactory cue navigation
D) Map-and-compass navigation

Question 35

Refer to the figure shown.
The illustration on the right represents an experimental treatment in which

A) the magnetic field was reversed.
B) circadian rhythm was shifted by 12 hours.
C) all sensory information was removed.
D) the star pattern was reversed.

Question 36

Indigo buntings know how to fly north via

A) an innate magnetic compass.
B) an innate star compass.
C) learned migration routes by following their parents.
D) a learned north star by observing constellations rotating.

Question 37

Animals that use a magnetic compass must be able to sense _______ of Earth's magnetic field.

A) the polar component
B) the inclination component
C) the variation in amplitude
D) either the polar component or the inclination component

Question 38

Arthropods such as bees use their magnetic compass to sense _______ of Earth's magnetic field.

A) the polar component
B) the inclination component
C) the variation in amplitude
D) either the polar component or the inclination component

Question 39

Which animal does not use magnetic information for navigation?

A) Indigo Buntings
B) Monarch butterflies
C) Turtles
D) Pigeons

Question 40

Refer to the figure shown.
The illustrations, which are based on data from an experiment with pigeons, represent which navigational strategy?

A) Star compass navigation
B) Magnetic compass navigation
C) Olfactory cue navigation
D) Map-and-compass navigation

Question 41

Refer to the figure shown.
The red dots in the figure represent the

A) direction faced by a pigeon that is about to be released.
B) distance traveled in a particular direction.
C) direction in which one pigeon was heading as it vanished over the horizon.
D) time of day when the pigeon flew off.

Question 42

Refer to the figure shown.
The illustration on the right represents an experimental treatment in which

A) the magnetic field was reversed.
B) circadian rhythm was shifted by 12 hours.
C) all sensory information was removed.
D) the star pattern was reversed.

Question 43

Refer to the figure shown.
What would happen in the experiment depicted by the figure if the animals were also subjected to a time shift ahead 6 hours?

A) The animals would fly 90 degrees off their original heading.
B) The results would remain the same since the experiment was performed on an overcast day.
C) The magnetic treatment would no longer have an effect.
D) The animals would be unable to navigate whatsoever.

Question 44

Refer to the figure shown.
The data shown in the figure refer to the navigational strategies of which animal?

A) Whale
B) Pigeon
C) Salmon
D) Sea turtle

Question 45

Refer to the figure shown.
The data shown in the figure refer to which navigational strategy?

A) Star compass navigation
B) Magnetic compass navigation
C) Olfactory cue navigation
D) Map-and-compass navigation

Question 46

Refer to the figure shown.
The red dots on the compasses in the figure represent the

A) direction faced by the animal about to be released.
B) distance traveled in a particular direction.
C) mean angle of one animal's oriented movement.
D) time of day when the animal began to move.

Question 47

In one experiment, pigeons whose clocks were shifted 6 hours flew in the wrong direction when they attempted to navigate by following their sun compass. What happened when another group of identically treated pigeons navigated on a cloudy day?

A) They used their polarized-light compass and flew in circles.
B) They were able to navigate by using their polarized-light compass.
C) They were able to navigate on the basis of olfactory cues.
D) They were able to navigate by using their magnetic compass.

Question 48

Refer to the figure shown.
The data on this map suggests that adult starlings use which type of navigational strategy?

A) Star compass navigation
B) Magnetic compass navigation
C) Sun compass navigation
D) Map-and-compass navigation

Question 49

Refer to the figure shown.
Which is the most accurate conclusion that can be derived from the data illustrated in the figure?

A) Juvenile birds migrate for longer distances than adults do.
B) Captured birds respond differently from naturally migrating birds.
C) Migrating adult and juvenile starlings respond differently to displacement.
D) Juvenile birds compensate for displacement by using map-and-compass navigation.

Question 50

Which animal best demonstrates the innate component of navigation?

A) Pigeons
B) Monarch butterflies
C) European starlings
D) Honeybees

Question 51

The critical area for vertebrate spatial learning and memory is the

A) cerebellum.
B) hippocampus.
C) medulla oblongata.
D) cerebrum.

Question 52

Which statement does not describe one of the documented effects of hippocampal lesions?

A) Lesioned rats cannot remember the location of a submerged platform in the Morris water maze.
B) Lesioned rats cannot remember which radial arm (of a radial-arm maze) has food at the end.
C) Lesioned nutcracker birds hide food normally but cannot recover their caches.
D) Lesioned nutcracker birds cannot pair a sound with a reward.

Question 53

Which cells are involved in the active map-and-compass navigation of a rat in a nonuniform environment?

A) Place cells
B) Head direction cells
C) Grid cells
D) Both place cells and head direction cells

Question 54

You have lost your phone on a hike through a large forest. You are noting the forest edges in order to plan a spot to reenter the forest. Which cells are involved in this endeavor?

A) Place cells
B) Head direction cells
C) Boundary cells
D) Grid cells

Question 55

Compare and contrast the terms "navigation," "migration," and "homing."

Question 56

Discuss how navigational abilities promote reproductive success, and provide an example.

Question 57

What is the adaptive significance of the honeybee waggle dance and how is information coded in this dance?

Question 58

Compare and contrast the navigational strategies of path integration versus trail following.

Question 59

Use the example of a sun compass to explain what a compass is and how it is used.

Question 60

Describe what displacement experiments tell us about navigational strategies.

Question 61

Describe and give an example of innate navigation and learned navigation.