Deck 55: Behavioral Ecology

Question 1

____________ is the study of how behavior contributes to the differential survival and reproduction of organisms.

A) Behavior
B) Behavioral Ecology
C) Evolution
D) Population Ecology
E) Community Ecology

Answer 1

Behavioral Ecology

Question 2

The scientific study of animal behavior is known as

A) proximate causes.
B) ethology.
C) behaviorism.
D) psychology.
E) inclusive ecology.

Answer 2

ethology.

Question 3

The focus of ethology is on

A) genetic and physiological mechanisms of behavior.
B) mammal behavior.
C) bird behavior.
D) the consequences of behavior.
E) behavior in the field.

Answer 3

genetic and physiological mechanisms of behavior.

Question 4

The immediate causes of behaviors, such as genetic and physiological mechanisms are called __________ causes.

A) proximate
B) ultimate
C) internal
D) physiochemical
E) internal and physiochemical

Question 5

What tissues in an animal's body are the targets of genes for behavior?

A) axial skeleton
B) forebrain and liver
C) nervous system and musculature
D) reproductive and urogenital
E) innate and instinctual

Question 6

An egg rolling out of its nest is a(n) _______ to a nesting goose.

A) conditioned response
B) reproductive habituation
C) sign stimulus
D) gene expression
E) operant conditioning

Question 7

Modifications of previous behavior based on experience represent

A) learning.
B) fixed action.
C) stimulus response.
D) adaptations.
E) learning and adaptations.

Question 8

A change in behavior related to a stimulus and response is

A) aversiveness.
B) associative learning.
C) habituation.
D) orientation.
E) aversiveness and habituation.

Question 9

Kinesis is

A) a movement toward a stimulus.
B) a movement away from a stimulus.
C) any movement in response to a stimulus, but not necessarily toward or away.
D) a movement.
E) any movement away from an object.

Question 10

Cognitive learning includes

A) perception.
B) analysis.
C) judgment.
D) recollection.
E) All of these choices are correct.

Question 11

What is the process through which many animals develop irreversible species-specific behavior patterns?

A) altruism
B) taxis
C) operant conditioning
D) cognitive learning
E) imprinting

Question 12

What is a factor that drives animal migration?

A) seasonal availability of food
B) nest availability
C) hunting pressure
D) intraspecific competition
E) tidal patterns

Question 13

Optimal foraging as a form of efficient behavior would be favored by

A) associative learning.
B) operant conditioning.
C) energy expended.
D) natural selection.
E) None of these choices are correct.

Question 14

The benefits to an animal of defending a territory may include

A) food.
B) sheltered nesting sites.
C) mates.
D) Answers A, B and C are correct.
E) None of these answers are correct.

Question 15

In the golden-winged sunbird (Nectarina reichenowi), defending a territory saved the bird 780 calories a day in reduced foraging activity, but cost the bird 728 calories in defense of the territory. The net change in calories due to territorial behavior was

A) 53
B) 1,508
C) -53 (no gain)
D) 52
E) -52 (no gain)

Question 16

Chemicals used to attract mates are called

A) hormones.
B) allomones.
C) pheromones.
D) allelopaths.
E) None of these choices are correct.

Question 17

According to kin selection, a man should die to save the life of

A) one brother.
B) one or more brothers.
C) two or more cousins.
D) four or more cousins.
E) eight or more cousins.

Question 18

What is an assumption of group selection, an attempt to explain altruism in nature?

A) infanticide.
B) individual selection.
C) no natural selection.
D) high rates of mutation.
E) resource prediction.

Question 19

Why might unrelated individuals engage in altruistic acts?

A) If they are trying to mate with each other.
B) If it is possible they may mate with each other.
C) If the altruism is likely to be reciprocated.
D) The individuals are part of the same large flock.
E) None of these choices are correct.

Question 20

Migration only occurs in vertebrates.

Question 21

Only invertebrates show true eusociality.

Question 22

Kin selection is a form of altruism.

Question 23

Naked mole rats are diploid.

Question 24

Operant conditioning is the same as trial and error learning.

Question 25

The monarch butterflies that migrate to Mexico in the winter have never been there before.

Question 26

Innate behaviors are the result of associative learning.