Deck 31: Animal Behaviour

Question 1

If male satin bower birds learn to construct and decorate bowers from their parents, this behaviour would be explained by

A) causation.
B) development.
C) adaptive value.
D) evolutionary history.
E) ethology.

Answer 1

development.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is correct?

A) All forms of behaviour are under the influence of natural selection.
B) All forms of behaviour, except learned behaviour, are under the influence of natural selection.
C) All forms of behaviour are under the influence of sexual selection.
D) Behaviour is a result of environmental factors.
E) Some behaviour has no genetic basis and this type of behaviour is not under the influence of natural selection.

Answer 2

All forms of behaviour are under the influence of natural selection.

Question 3

All forms of animal behaviour

A) have an anatomical explanation.
B) have a genetic basis.
C) are based on learning.
D) depend on hormones.
E) are based on circadian rhythms.

Answer 3

have a genetic basis.

Question 4

Evolution of animal behaviour can occur only if

A) individuals within a population show variation in behaviour.
B) differences in behaviour are genetic in origin.
C) greater survival or reproductive success results from some behaviours in comparison to others.
D) reproduction is advantaged by one behaviour in comparison to another.
E) All of the answers are true.

Question 5

Most ideas about the evolutionary significance of behaviour come from

A) comparisons within species.
B) comparisons between species.
C) experimental manipulations.
D) examining genetic markers.
E) DNA electrophoresis.

Question 6

A change in an individual's behaviour that is due to its experience is referred to as

A) mature behaviour.
B) innate behaviour.
C) learning.
D) artificial selection.
E) proximate explanation.

Question 7

A barnacle closes its valves every time a shadow passes over it. This behaviour is called

A) imprinting.
B) habituation.
C) learnt.
D) maturation.
E) innate.

Question 8

A barnacle living beneath some kelp fronds ceases closing its valves every time a shadow passes over it. This behaviour is called

A) imprinting.
B) habituation.
C) learnt.
D) maturation.
E) innate.

Question 9

When collecting food, the honeybee (Apis mellifera) frequently returns to its nest with less than a full crop of nectar. Experiments suggest that this behaviour can be explained by

A) small quantities of nectar in most foraging areas.
B) the high predation risk involved in being away from the nest for long periods.
C) high demand for nectar at the nest.
D) optimisation of net return and energy expenditure.
E) All of the answers are correct.

Question 10

An example of aggressive mimicry would be

A) a duck shooter blowing a horn that reproduces the mating call of a male duck.
B) a harmless arthropod that has the same coloration patterns as a stinging ant.
C) a harmless arthropod that assumes the same aggressive posture as a stinging ant when threatened.
D) a young cuckoo chick parasitising the nest of the fairy wren. These birds eject the fairy wren eggs and allow themselves to be raised by the fairy wren parents.
E) when, as in Pavlov's experiment, the dog salivates in response to the bell ring.

Question 11

Prey animals that exhibit the characteristics of other unpalatable organisms to reduce the probability of predation are

A) defensive mimics.
B) aggressive mimics.
C) camouflaged.
D) mutualistic.
E) communal.

Question 12

Some species of ants tend to protect aphids, which in return produce honeydew, a source of food for the ants. This type of relationship is called

A) parasitism.
B) predation.
C) mutualism.
D) mimicry.
E) communal.

Question 13

Both the costs and benefits of defending a territory against other individuals

A) always change at the same rate.
B) decrease with territory size.
C) increase with territory size.
D) do not depend on resource quality.
E) depend on the contents of the territory.

Question 14

Contests for resources between individuals of the same species

A) frequently result in serious injury or death.
B) never result in serious injury or death.
C) never involve physical contact.
D) occasionally involve physical contact.
E) rarely result in serious injury or death.

Question 15

In a model of the development of evolutionarily stable behaviours, a 'hawk' strategy means the animal will always fight while a 'dove' strategy means the animal only displays, but will not fight. An evolutionarily stable mixture will occur when

A) most of the population consists of 'hawks'.
B) most of the population consists of 'doves'.
C) the average payoff to 'hawks' and 'doves' is equal.
D) there are equal numbers of 'hawks' and 'doves'.
E) the number of hawks and doves will depend on seasonal influences.

Question 16

The colourful plumage of the bird of paradise (Paradisea raggiana) has evolved

A) through intrasexual selection.
B) through intersexual selection.
C) through sperm competition.
D) as a result of genetic drift.
E) as protection against predators.

Question 17

A mating system where a male mates with only one female but the female mates with several males is known as

A) polygamy.
B) polygyny.
C) promiscuity.
D) polyandry.
E) multiple mating.

Question 18

Contests between animals often end in ritualistic displays, rather than a physical fight, because

A) contests are evolutionarily unstable strategies.
B) non-fighting males steal the resource while the others fight.
C) the value of the resource exceeds the cost of fighting.
D) the social group intervenes.
E) of the cost of injuries to combatants.

Question 19

Sexual selection may arise in two ways:

A) competition between males or courtship.
B) female choice or courtship.
C) courtship or competition between females.
D) competition between males or female choice.
E) competition between females or courtship.

Question 20

In some species of insects, males deposit a sperm plug into the female's reproductive tract after copulation to prevent other males from fertilising her. This behaviour could best be described as

A) kin selection.
B) intersexual selection.
C) parental care.
D) mate guarding.
E) polyandry.

Question 21

Wandering albatrosses produce young that need a long period of parental care. Both males and females provide this care, so you would predict that the most likely mating system found in albatrosses is

A) polygyny.
B) polyandry.
C) promiscuity.
D) monogamy.
E) polygamy.

Question 22

Polygyny is a mating system in which

A) a female mates with several males.
B) a male mates with several females.
C) females and males mate with several individuals.
D) a male mates with one or two females only.
E) a long-term pair bond is formed.

Question 23

A eusocial mammal society would be characterised by

A) widely dispersed individuals that live alone for most of the year but come together briefly to mate and raise offspring.
B) a lone female parent caring for a group of offspring for an extended period of time.
C) overlapping generations and a division of reproductive labour.
D) breeding pairs living in close association and sharing tasks such as foraging and defence of their offspring.
E) a cooperative group where all care for the young animals.

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT an explanation for the evolution of co-operative behaviour?

A) Competition for breeding territories
B) Manipulation of offspring by parents
C) Inclusive fitness
D) Group selection
E) Kin selection

Question 25

Dominance hierarchies in chickens provide an example of

A) reciprocal altruism.
B) polyandry.
C) eusocial behaviour.
D) social behaviour.
E) polygyny.

Question 26

Eusocial societies

A) have discrete generations.
B) have a reproductive division of labour.
C) occur only in small groups.
D) are only found in one family of insects.
E) consist of large numbers of male workers.

Question 27

Honeybees communicate the accurate location of food sources to their nest mates via

A) pheromones.
B) dancing.
C) vocal cues.
D) pheromones and dancing.
E) pheromones, dancing and vocal cues.

Question 28

Which of the following does NOT help to explain the evolution of co-operative societies?

A) Inclusive fitness
B) Kin selection
C) Sexual selection
D) Selection favouring parental self-interest
E) Indirect fitness

Question 29

According to the theory of kin selection, if r is a measure of the relatedness between individuals and b and c are respectively the benefit and cost to the donor, then a donor can be expected to help another individual only when

A) rb - c > 0.
B) rb =c
C) rb - c < 0.
D) b - rc = 0.
E) rc =b

Question 30

Ethology is

A) the natural selection imposed on animals by their behaviour.
B) the study of animal behaviour.
C) the evolution of eusocial behaviour in insects.
D) the mating behaviour demonstrated by males.
E) the genetic difference between animals that is the basis of social behaviour.

Question 31

Explanations of animal behaviour fall into two classes. These are

A) ultimate explanations and functional explanations.
B) functional explanations and proximate explanations.
C) causative explanations and ultimate explanations.
D) proximate explanations and ultimate explanations.
E) causative explanations and functional explanations.

Question 32

Learning in animal behaviour

A) is any permanent change in an individual's behaviour that depends on experience.
B) is advantageous to the development of an animal, as it can change according to circumstances.
C) provides the potential to change behaviour.
D) is demonstrated by changing behaviour during life.
E) All of the answers are correct.

Question 33

Maturation effects are

A) a combination of imprinting and learning.
B) a behaviour associated with juvenile life stages.
C) changes in behaviour as a result of age, not experience.
D) any permanent change in an individual's behaviour.
E) advantageous to the development of an animal, as it can change with age.

Question 34

Animals obtain their food in diverse ways. However foraging behaviour of animals has a common feature which is

A) animals forage in a haphazard manner to find what they like.
B) animals make choices that maximise their survival.
C) animals forage at night to avoid predators.
D) animals forage for whatever is available in their territory.
E) All of the answers are correct.

Question 35

Natural selection has favoured numerous anatomical, physical and behavioural characteristics that are defence mechanisms against predators. This includes

A) cryptic species.
B) camouflaged species.
C) resemble other species.
D) mimicry of other species.
E) All of these are mechanisms.

Question 36

Defensive mimicry is used by many animals to avoid predators. An example of defensive mimicry is

A) animals that lose part of their body to avoid capture.
B) animals that blend with their surroundings and so are not seen by predators.
C) animals that secrete odours that attract specific prey.
D) animals that appear similar to toxic species to avoid being captured.
E) animals that feed at night to avoid being seen by predators.

Question 37

When populations of the same species become isolated for extended periods of time, they can experience different ecological conditions. This can result in changes to individual's responses to stimuli. Such changes can be experimentally demonstrated to

A) be due to epigenetic effects.
B) have a genetic basis.
C) be a heritable trait.
D) be an irreversible behavioural adaptation.
E) All of the answers are correct.

Question 38

Foraging behaviour is influenced by many factors. Which of the following is NOT such a factor?

A) Energy expenditure
B) Nutrient balance
C) Food acquisition
D) Chromatin immunoprecipitation
E) Predation risk

Question 39

How is the jumping spider Cosmophasis bitaeniata able to enter the nest of green tree ants and eat larvae without being attacked?

A) Chemical mimicry
B) Camouflage.
C) Passivity
D) Morphological mimicry
E) Electrochemical secretion

Question 40

Eusociality is particularly prevalent in the Order hymenoptera because

A) alleles favouring co-operative behaviour are not restricted.
B) haplodiploid genetic systems are more common in the hymenoptera than other Orders.
C) haploid selection in insects such as bees and ants produces higher mutation rates, and therefore a higher incidence of producing co-operative alleles.
D) they do not delay breeding.
E) they spend only brief periods in natal territory.

Question 41

Hibernation behaviour in black bears is triggered by diminishing food availability. This is an example of

A) development.
B) adaptive value.
C) causation.
D) vernalisation.
E) stratification.

Question 42

Two populations of cloned mice are being studied to try to characterise an unknown locus. All the mice are housed and raised identically, but one population has a single nucleotide polymorphism in the locus of interest, resulting in a non-sense mutation. The mutant mice are observed to forage more frequently but for shorter periods of time compared to those without the mutation. This locus is therefore

A) a polycistronic transcript.
B) a genetic marker for foraging behaviour.
C) a pseudo-gene.
D) inherited maternally.
E) inherited paternally.

Question 43

A scientist is studying animal behaviour in water fowl and wants to produce a generation of offspring that will follow her as part of her studies. What developmental behaviour could she manipulate to achieve this?

A) Maturational effects
B) Causality
C) Adaptation
D) Observational loci polymorphism via microsatellites
E) Imprinting

Question 44

The Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) avoids predation by remaining perfectly still, with eyes almost shut and beak facing upwards. Combined with its drab, grey plumage, it employs what kind of defence mechanism against predation?

A) Mmutualistic protection
B) Flee
C) Chemical
D) Mimicry
E) Cryptic

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT a potential benefit for an animal maintaining a territory?

A) Competition for mating
B) Chasing off intruders
C) Competition for food
D) Energy expenditure
E) Less sharing of resources