Question 1

Choose the letter of the best match from the following:
-Social attachments are formed between parents and offspring.

Accepted Answer

Filial imprinting is a type of learning in which social attachments are formed between parents and offspring.

Question 2

You are on the committee to update the design of the hospital NICU (neonatal intensive care unit),which currently has incubators for the babies but not much else.Based on what you have learned about Harlow's experiments with rhesus monkeys,what would you suggest adding to the NICU to improve the babies' health and well-being?

Accepted Answer

The answer of You are on the committee to update...

Question 3

Which of the studies below provide evidence linking genes and behavior? (Check all that apply)

Accepted Answer

A) The fact that mutations in specific genes lead to impaired learning in fruit flies provides evidence linking those genes to behavior.
B) The fact that lacking either the ephrinB3 or the EphA4 gene leads to abnormal movement patterns in mice provides evidence linking those genes to behavior.
C) The fact that two lines of fruit flies were selectively bred for high or low aggression and reliably showed those traits across multiple generations provides evidence that aggression has a genetic component.

Question 4

In its youth,a pet parrot was owned by someone who kept the wings clipped and never allowed it to fly.Later in life,the new owner let the feathers grow and let the parrot fly around the house.But the parrot kept knocking over lamps and crashing into walls."Wow," said the owner,"I guess parrots are just too clumsy to fly around a house without destroying everything." What is an alternative explanation?

Accepted Answer

The parrot's inability to fly accurately may be due to a lack of practice during the critical period for flight development. When the wings were clipped, the parrot was not able to develop the brain circuits necessary for accurate flight.

Question 5

A bird sanctuary sometimes takes over the care of eggs or chicks of an endangered duck species if the parents are killed.They are sometimes able to use mothers of farm ducks to cross-foster the chicks,but it doesn't always work.Looking at the following data table,what is the critical period for imprinting in this species? (Note: DAH stands for "days after hatching".)

Accepted Answer

The answer of A bird sanctuary sometimes takes over the...

Question 6

One of your professors says that fleas jump so high because they have specially adapted leg structures and muscles.But your other professor says that fleas jump high because evolution selected for individuals with genes that helped them avoid being damaged by the scratching behavior of their host.So -- why do fleas jump high?

Accepted Answer

Both professors are correct in their statements, but they are addressing different levels of causation. The proximate cause of fleas being able to jump high is due to their specifically adapted leg structures and muscles. The ultimate cause for this adaptation is due to the fact that fleas needed to be able to quickly move away from their host's scratching behavior in order to survive and reproduce. Therefore, the combined answer is D: The proximate cause is that they have specially adapted leg structures and muscles, and the ultimate cause is that evolution selected for individuals with genes that helped them avoid being damaged by the scratching behavior of their host.

Question 7

You work in a lab that studies bird brains and behavior.You and your labmate have both submitted brains to a colleague to be sectioned.Your species is a bird that is known for storing large numbers of nuts each autumn in a variety of hidden locations.Your labmate's species is a raptor known for remarkable predatory behavior.What do you anticipate will be different between the two brains?

Accepted Answer

The large hippocampus in the nut-hiding species is likely related to their ability to remember the locations of their hidden nuts. The raptor's remarkable predatory behavior is likely related to a large visual system, as they need to accurately target their prey. The other options are not as directly related to the behaviors of the two species.

Question 8

Which best describes the role of neurotransmitters in behavior?

Accepted Answer

Neurotransmitters allow neurons to communicate, and are thus involved in all behaviors. Levels of specific neurotransmitters have been associated with levels of specific behaviors - such as serotonin and aggression. Option A and D are both incorrect as they oversimplify the role of neurotransmitters and do not provide a comprehensive explanation. Option B is partially correct but does not emphasis the broader role of neurotransmitters in behavior.

Question 9

Which statement best sums up our understanding of how animals navigate during migration?

Accepted Answer

While we have some understanding of the sensory mechanisms involved in animal navigation, it is not completely understood and much of the mechanisms are still a mystery.

Question 10

You read about how learning preparedness influences the associations that an animal is capable of learning.You want to explore the learning preparedness of hamsters.How might you test the learning preparedness of this species?

Accepted Answer

Option D involves testing the learning preparedness of hamsters by exposing them to different stimuli, which could help determine which associations are learnable. This approach would be more comprehensive and informative than simply testing for speed or time of day, as it allows for a more nuanced understanding of the learning capabilities of the animals.

Question 11

Research on starlings indicates that young birds migrate by ________,but older birds use true ________.

Accepted Answer

Research on starlings shows that young birds use orientation to move in the right direction, but older birds possess more sophisticated navigational abilities and migrate using true navigation.

Question 12

Female fire beetles,Melanophilia sp.,must seek out freshly-burned trees to lay their eggs in so the larvae can feed on the burned wood.What specialized neural structures might you expect these beetles to have to facilitate this behavior?

Accepted Answer

The beetles must have specialized sensory structures that can detect signs of fire or burned wood to facilitate this behavior.

Question 13

Choose the letter of the best match from the following:
-Innate motor program.

Accepted Answer

Innate motor program refers to a sequence of coordinated movements that are pre-programmed in an animal's nervous system. A fixed action pattern is a type of innate motor program that is triggered by a specific stimulus and consists of a series of stereotypic movements.

Question 14

One spring,your friend living in Minnesota eagerly sets up her new hummingbird feeders,and is thrilled to watch hummingbirds feeding on the nectar.However,she is disappointed when after just a week or two the hummingbirds disappear.What advice would you give her?

Accepted Answer

Hummingbirds may only briefly pass through during their spring migration, so setting up the feeders again in the fall may attract more of them. Option A may be effective in conditioning the hummingbirds to associate the bell with food, but there is no guarantee that this will keep them around longer. Option B is not necessary as the feeders already provide nectar which is sufficient for attracting hummingbirds. Option D is not accurate as hummingbirds can live for multiple years and may return to the same location in subsequent years.

Question 15

Your study buddy is frustrated."This book says that a single gene can make mice exhibit a certain behavior.That's ridiculous! How can you build any kind of neural circuit with just one gene?" What is your response?

Accepted Answer

The statement in the book likely refers to the fact that one variant of a gene can be associated with higher levels of a certain behavior in mice, but not that the gene is solely responsible for building a neural circuit. Variation in one gene can still affect how a certain neural circuit behaves, but this does not discount the fact that thousands of other genes are also necessary for proper brain development.

Question 16

What sensory modalities are used by the message receivers in honeybee waggle dance communication? (Check all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The answer of What sensory modalities are used by the...

Question 17

A bear at a national park has discovered that if it can open the lid of the trash cans,it is likely to find tasty food inside.Soon it is trying to open the trash cans all over the park.What mechanism of learning has occurred?

Accepted Answer

The bear has learned that if it can open the lid of the trash cans, it will likely find food inside. This is an example of operant conditioning, where the behavior of opening the trash can is reinforced by the reward of finding food.

Question 18

A zoo is hand-rearing a group of orphaned white-crowned sparrows.What is the best approach to help prepare the males to attract mates when released into the wild?

Accepted Answer

Exposing the male white-crowned sparrows to a mentor male bird singing their species' song during the critical period is the best approach to help prepare them to attract mates when released into the wild. This is because during the critical period, which is the time when the bird is most receptive to learning its species-specific song, exposure to a tutor bird of the same species can greatly improve the accuracy and complexity of the bird's song. Therefore, the male white-crowned sparrows will be better equipped to attract mates in the wild if they have had exposure to a mentor male of their own species during their critical period.

Question 19

At a research conference,you meet a graduate student who studies the hormonal underpinnings of mating behavior in two species of squirrel."It turns out the difference between my two squirrel species is similar to the difference between the prairie and the montane voles," he says.You nod knowingly,and reply...

Accepted Answer

The graduate student's statement suggests that there are two distinct mating systems between the two squirrel species, similar to the monogamous and promiscuous mating systems in prairie and montane voles. Option B correctly identifies the hormonal differences between these two mating systems, where the monogamous species has higher levels of vasopressin and oxytocin receptors promoting pair bonding, while the promiscuous species has lower levels of these receptors not promoting pair bonding. Options A, C, and D mention either the wrong neurotransmitters or the wrong mating system, making them incorrect.

Question 20

If a behavior has evolved by natural selection,it must have ________.

Accepted Answer

If a behavior has evolved through natural selection, it must have a genetic basis, as natural selection acts on genetic variation. The other choices are not necessarily true, as not all behaviors need to benefit both males and females, reduce predation rate, or evolve the same way in each species.

Quiz 53: Behavioral Biology

Choose the letter of the best match from the following: -Social attachments are formed between parents and offspring.