Deck 53: Behavioral Biology

Question 1

The signal from the environment that triggers a stereotyped behavior is a

A)conditioned reflex.
B)fixed action pattern.
C)reinforcing stimulus.
D)releasing mechanism.
E)key stimulus (sign stimulus).

Answer 1

E

Question 2

In many animals,________ guides learning by determining what type of information can be learned,meaning that what an animal can learn is often biologically influenced.

A)instinct
B)free will
C)consciousness
D)operance

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Animals tend to feed on prey that maximize their net energy intake.This is called the ________ theory.

A)competitive exclusion
B)maximal consumption
C)optimal foraging
D)optimization

Answer 3

C

Question 4

As an animal matures,it forms attachments to other individuals and develops preferences.This process is called

A)instinct.
B)imprinting.
C)associational learning.
D)habituation.
E)sensitization.

Question 5

The degree of parental investment required often results in the nonrandom mating behavior called ________.

A)allopatry
B)fidelity
C)mate choice
D)preferability

Question 6

Artificial selection and hybridization can demonstrate the ________ basis of behavior.

A)cognitive
B)operant
C)genetic
D)associational
E)endogenous

Question 7

Habituation belongs to which of the following types of learning?

A)nonassociative
B)behavior modification
C)conditioning
D)innate release
E)cognitive

Question 8

The modification of behavior as a result of experience is called

A)association.
B)behavior modification.
C)habituation.
D)learning.
E)sensitization.

Question 9

If an unrelated stimulus,such as the ringing of a bell,was presented at the same time as the meat powder,over repeated trials,a dog would salivate in response to the sound of the bell alone.This kind of response is called

A)behavioral learning.
B)classical conditioning.
C)deviant behavior.
D)operant conditioning.
E)imprinting.

Question 10

Tinbergen is credited with founding the field of behavioral ________,the study of how natural selection shapes behavior.

A)genetics
B)ecology
C)symptomatology
D)demographics

Question 11

Who conducted the famous "imprinting" experiment on geese?

A)Mendel
B)Russel
C)Lorenz
D)Darwin
E)Raven

Question 12

By evaluating and selecting mates with superior qualities,an animal can increase its

A)reproductive success.
B)learning.
C)competitive strategies.
D)foraging efficiency.
E)length of life.

Question 13

The processing of information and response in a manner that suggests thinking in the animal is called

A)endogenous behavior.
B)environmental induced behavior.
C)instinctive behavior.
D)associative behavior.
E)cognitive behavior.

Question 14

Current research in behavioral ecology focuses on the overall contribution that behavior makes to an animal's

A)fitness.
B)learning.
C)competitive strategies.
D)foraging efficiency.
E)length of life.

Question 15

An animal learns to associate its behavioral response with a reward or punishment in

A)behavioral learning.
B)classical conditioning.
C)deviant behavior.
D)operant conditioning.
E)imprinting.

Question 16

A nonassociative learning called ________ can be defined as a decrease in response to a repeated stimulus that has no positive or negative consequences.

A)instinctive learning
B)imprinting
C)desensitization learning
D)habituation
E)cognitive learning

Question 17

In birds,if the offspring require extensive care,usually involving both the male and female,they are called

A)semelparous species.
B)altricial species.
C)precocial species.
D)iteroparous species.
E)sympatric species.

Question 18

Alarm calling seems to be an example of ________,that is,it favors relatives.

A)sociology
B)demography
C)aggression
D)kin selection

Question 19

Animals that acquire energy efficiently during foraging will increase their fitness by having more energy available for ________.

A)competition
B)defenses
C)respiration
D)reproduction

Question 20

Chemical signals that mediate interactions between two or more members of a given species are called ________.

A)pheromones
B)alarm signals
C)hormones
D)competitive exclusions

Question 21

B.F.Skinner first introduced operant conditioning experiments.What happens in these experiments?

A)An animal learns to associate its behavioral response with a fixed action pattern.
B)An animal learns to associate its behavioral response with an instinct.
C)An animal learns to associate its behavioral response with its biological clock.
D)An animal learns to associate its behavioral response with a reward or a punishment.
E)An animal learns to associate its behavioral response with a conditional stimulus.

Question 22

If a scientist is conducting a study of how a male bird's song and the female bird's response evolved,what type of causation is she exploring?

A)ultimate causation
B)proximate causation
C)stereotyped causation
D)ethnological causation
E)fixed action pattern causation

Question 23

In an experiment studying predator and prey relationships,a scientist offers a naïve toad a bumblebee as food.The bee stings the toad when the toad tries to catch and eat the bee.Subsequent feeding trials with the toad reveal that the toad avoids feeding on bumblebees.This is a demonstration of

A)non-associative learning on the toad's part.
B)associative learning on the toad's part.
C)ultimate learning on the toad's part.
D)proximate learning on the toad's part.
E)sign stimulus learning on the toad's part.

Question 24

Which of the following is an appropriate interpretation for these graphs? Maternal care (as measured by minutes crouching over offspring and proportion of pups retrieved)in female mice that have the fosB allele is

A)less than the maternal care given by female mice without the fosB allele.
B)greater than the maternal care given by female mice without the fosB allele.
C)the same as the maternal care given by female mice without the fosB allele.
D)less than the maternal care given by female mice without the fosB allele; however,the graphs depict only minor differences,which are most likely not significant.
E)not possible to determine from the data.

Question 25

Foraging bees communicate with other bees in a waggle dance to give information about the food.The important cue in the dance that conveys information about the required flight direction to the food source relative to the hive-sun direction is the

A)angle between the food source and the hive in reference to the sun.
B)angle between the waggle run and the vertical axis within the hive.
C)angle between the waggle run in reference to the hive-sun angle.
D)angle between the waggle run in reference to the direction north from the hive.
E)speed of the waggle dance.

Question 26

Which scientist described inclusive fitness as the effect an individual has on propagating its alleles through its own reproduction and through kin selection?

A)Mendel
B)Darwin
C)Wallace
D)Tinbergen
E)Hamilton

Question 27

A friend of yours is wondering about the differences between the words orientation and navigation when these two terms are used in descriptions of bird migrations.Since you have studied and know something about animal behavior,what do you tell your friend?

A)Orientation is adjusting a bearing,while navigation is actually following a bearing.
B)Orientation and navigation are used interchangeably when referring to avian migrations.
C)Orientation is following a bearing,while navigation is setting or adjusting a bearing.
D)Orientation is following the sun in the day as starling do,while navigation is following a bearing with a small amount of magnetite,which is found in the heads of some migratory birds.
E)Orientation is the ability to find true east,navigation is the ability to find a bearing while crossing water.

Question 28

Living as a member of a group may have all of the following advantages except what?

A)being more resistant to disease and parasites
B)increased feeding rate
C)greater protection from predators
D)members learn about new food sources from other members
E)more individuals scan the environment for dangers

Question 29

A behavior that has evolved to aid relatives,although at personal risk,and thus increases the chance of your genes being passed on to the next generation is known as

A)altricial behavior.
B)instinctive behavior.
C)kin selection.
D)operant conditioning.
E)adaptive behavior.

Question 30

Courtship is often dependent on what?

A)social releasers
B)a stimulus/response chain
C)an alarm call
D)taxis
E)size and colors

Question 31

Recently the focus of research in behavioral ecology has been on the contribution by behavior to an animal's reproductive success.What is this called?

A)average number of mates
B)fitness
C)foraging efficiency
D)longevity
E)rate of growth to sexual maturity

Question 32

The area over which an animal moves in the course of daily activity,but which it does not necessarily defend against other animals,is called what?

A)family home
B)foraging space
C)home range
D)nesting site
E)territory

Question 33

If a scientist is conducting a study of how an animal's senses provide a physiological basis for a particular behavior,what type of causation is she exploring?

A)ultimate causation
B)proximate causation
C)stereotyped causation
D)ethnological causation
E)fixed action pattern causation

Question 34

Insect workers propagate more of their own alleles by helping their mother reproduce rather than by reproducing themselves; thus,they share a larger fraction of their ________ with the next generation.

A)food resources
B)time
C)genome
D)ability to defend their nest
E)home

Question 35

Social insect colonies are composed of highly specialized groups called what?

A)clines
B)ecotypes
C)castes
D)species
E)filial relatives

Question 36

In species where the young are precocial,meaning requiring little parental care,males may be more likely to be what?

A)monogamous
B)polygynous
C)polyandrous
D)altricial

Question 37

Research has revealed that the development of psychological well-being and growth is influenced by what?

A)imprinting
B)physical contact
C)sensitization
D)associative learning
E)pheromone levels

Question 38

Konrad Lorenz demonstrated that newly hatched birds would direct their social behavior toward him if they saw him first after they hatched from their eggs.What is this called?

A)cross-fostering behavior
B)operant conditioning
C)fixed action patterning
D)habituation behavior
E)imprinting behavior

Question 39

Which of the following are used by species for navigation? (Check all that apply.)

A)landmarks
B)magnetic fields
C)phases of the moon
D)stars
E)the sun

Question 40

Foraging behaviors are those having to do with which of the following? (Check all that apply.)

A)how an animal avoids becoming the prey of a larger predator
B)how an animal finds its food
C)how much food an animal eats
D)what an animal eats
E)when an animal eats

Question 41

Hamilton explained the origin of altruism in selected insect societies with his kin selection model of sex determination.Since males are haploid and females are diploid,the workers share a very high proportion of alleles,theoretically as high as 75%.What is this called?

A)diploidy
B)haploidy
C)haplodiploidy
D)parthenogenesis
E)altruism

Question 42

What is the term for selection that favors altruism toward relatives?

A)kin selection
B)mate choice
C)group selection
D)nepotism
E)reciprocal altruism

Question 43

The neural circuit that allows a male stickleback fish to orient and behave aggressively towards an inanimate object with a red stripe is an example of a(n)

A)sign stimulus.
B)fixed action pattern.
C)innate releasing mechanism.
D)supernormal stimulus.
E)stimulus-response chain.

Question 44

Haldane pointed out that if he received a certain allele,the chance that one of his brothers would receive that allele would be

A)100%.
B)50%.
C)10%.
D)random.
E)0%.

Question 45

Your study buddy asks,"would you please explain the difference between home range and territory?" What is the best response?

A)Territory is the entire area that an animal can utilize for its resources,such as shelter,food,and mates.Home range is near its nest or den.
B)Territory is the area that an animal can utilize for its resources,such as shelter,food and mates and will defend against other members of its species.Home range is near its nest or den.
C)Territory is the area that an animal can utilize for its resources,such as shelter,food and mates,and will defend against other members of its species.Home range is the area that an animal may roam over on a daily basis.
D)Territory is the area that an animal can utilize for its resources,such as shelter,food and mates,and will defend against others members of its species.Home range is a smaller area within the territory that the animal is found in when it is resting or hiding from predators.

Question 46

Choose the letter of the best match from the following:
A.cognition
B.waggle dance
C.navigation
D.filial imprinting
E.fixed action pattern
Move long distances using sun and stars.

Question 47

Which of the following are eusocial (true social)insects? (Check all that apply.)

A)ants
B)fruit flies
C)honeybees
D)termites
E)wasps

Question 48

Correctly rephrase the following famous quote from J.B.S.Haldane."I would lay down my life in order to save two brothers or ________."

A)one son or daughter
B)four cousins
C)three uncles
D)two nephews and one son or daughter
E)two grandsons or granddaughters

Question 49

In which of the following examples has communication occurred? (Check all that apply)

A)A bird gives an alarm call when a hawk approaches,but no other birds are in the area.
B)A bird sings from the top of a tree in its territory attracting a female of the same species to it.
C)A bird sings from the top of a tree in its territory keeping other birds of the same species from trespassing.
D)An ant lays down a trail of pheromones that other ants follow.
E)A waggle dancing bee feeds some of the nectar she is carrying to bees attending her dance; they now know what type of flowers she has visited.

Question 50

Choose the letter of the best match from the following:
A.cognition
B.waggle dance
C.navigation
D.filial imprinting
E.fixed action pattern
Information processing that suggests thinking.

Question 51

Choose the letter of the best match from the following:
A.cognition
B.waggle dance
C.navigation
D.filial imprinting
E.fixed action pattern
A form of communication in honeybees.

Question 52

What is the flash pattern used by female fireflies to attract males of their species an example of?

A)a sign stimulus
B)an innate releasing mechanism
C)a supernormal stimulus
D)sexual imprinting

Question 53

When a parent herring gull arrives at the nest with food,a chick will orient to and peck at the red spot on the parent's bill.The parent will then regurgitate the food into the chick's open mouth and the chick swallows it.What is this set of behaviors an example of?

A)sign stimulus
B)fixed action pattern
C)innate releasing mechanism
D)taxis
E)stimulus-response chain

Question 54

Which of the following statements best defines an altruistic act?

A)benefits the performer and another individual
B)benefits another individual at some cost to the performer
C)benefits another,related individual at some cost to the performer
D)imposes a cost on the performer and another individual
E)imposes a cost on the performer without benefiting another individual

Question 55

The vertical dive of a moth for cover when it hears the ultrasound chirps of an approaching bat is an example of a(n)

A)sign stimulus.
B)fixed action pattern.
C)innate releasing mechanism.
D)supernormal stimulus.
E)kinesis.

Question 56

It is 6:00 PM and the sun is due west of the hive.A honeybee has just returned to its hive from a patch of flowers that are due north of the hive.Which of the following best describes the type of waggle dance that this bee should perform? Note: The waggle run is the straight part of the dance.

A)The waggle run should be straight down the vertical axis.
B)The waggle run should be straight up the vertical axis.
C)The waggle run should be 90° to the left of the vertical axis.
D)The waggle run should be 90° to the right of the vertical axis.
E)The waggle run should be 45° to the right of the vertical axis.

Question 57

Which of the following are examples of associative learning? (Check all that apply.)

A)classical conditioning
B)cognition
C)imprinting
D)operant conditioning
E)Pavlovian conditioning

Question 58

Which of the following statements comparing the naked mole rat social system with social insect societies are true? (Check all that apply.)

A)As with social insect societies,colony members are kin.
B)As with social insect societies,it is based on haplodiploidy.
C)As with social insect societies,there is a division of labor within the colony.
D)As with social insect societies,there is one queen and several reproductive males per colony.
E)Unlike social insect societies,all colony members are diploid.

Question 59

You place an empty dog-food dish across the room from a puppy that then goes over to investigate the dish.You pick the dish up and ten minutes later you place it in a different part of the room,and you keep repeating this pattern.After the fifth time the puppy no longer goes over to the empty dish.Which of the following terms best describes this form of learning?

A)trial and error learning
B)habituation
C)classical conditioning
D)operant conditioning
E)imprinting

Question 60

Which of the following is the best interpretation of the graph below of mussel size (x-axis)versus energy gain (line graph,left y-axis),and number of mussels eaten per day (histogram,right y-axis)?

A)Mussels are selected as food sources by crabs.
B)Crabs select mussels in a way that maximizes their energy gain.
C)Mussel size does not seem to be a good predictor as to which mussel hungry crabs will select.
D)Crabs tend to consume most of the largest mussels.
E)Crabs prefer the mussels with the smallest length for their food resources.

Question 61

Choose the letter of the best match from the following:
A.cognition
B.waggle dance
C.navigation
D.filial imprinting
E.fixed action pattern
Social attachments are formed between parents and offspring.

Question 62

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?

A)comfortable chairs for parents to hold their babies
B)softer lighting
C)white-noise devices to mask the sound of beeping machines
D)pheromones

Question 63

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

A)Fruit flies that are mutant for the genes dunce or rutabaga have impaired learning.
B)Mice that are lacking either the ephrinB3 or the EphA4 gene cannot walk normally,but instead hop like a kangaroo.
C)Two lines of fruit flies were created by repeatedly selecting for high or low aggressive behavior.After multiple generations,the high line was reliably more aggressive than the low line.
D)Twin studies comparing monozygotic and dizygotic twins have found a high heritability for height,although environmental influences like nutrition also play a role.

Question 64

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?

A)In nature,parrots have much more room to fly,and do not have to navigate around delicate home decor.
B)Since the parrot was not able to practice flying during the critical period for flight development,the brain circuits for accurate flying were not able to develop.
C)The parrot just needs more practice flying -- although it did not get to fly when young,this should not affect later ability.
D)The critical period for flying development in the brain has just now begun with the bird's first attempt.In a few weeks the critical period will end,so it must practice during this time.

Question 65

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".)

A)The critical period extends from 1 to 3 DAH.
B)The critical period extends from 3 to 8 DAH.
C)The critical period ends sometime between 1 and 3 DAH.We can not determine from this data when the critical period begins.
D)The critical period ends sometime between 3 and 8 DAH.We can not determine from this data when the critical period begins.

Question 66

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?

A)Because they have specially adapted leg structures and muscles.
B)Because evolution selected for individuals with genes that helped them avoid being damaged by the scratching behavior of their host.
C)The ultimate cause is that they have specially adapted leg structures and muscles,and the proximate cause is that evolution selected for individuals with genes that helped them avoid being damaged by the scratching behavior of their host.
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 67

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?

A)Your nut-hiding species is likely to have a large hippocampus,while the raptor may have a large visual system.
B)Your nut-hiding species is likely to have a large visual system,while the raptor may have an large hippocampus.
C)Both species are likely to have a large nucleus accumbens.
D)Your nut-hiding species is likely to have a large hypothalamus,while the raptor may have an large olfactory system.

Question 68

Which best describes the role of neurotransmitters in behavior?

A)In specific ecological contexts,neurotransmitters can be important for behavior.For instance,aggression requires the neurotransmitter serotonin.
B)Some specific behaviors will require neurotransmitters.For instance,aggression requires the neurotransmitter serotonin.
C)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.
D)Neurotransmitters have been developed for researchers who want to manipulate animal behaviors.For instance,serotonin can be applied to lobsters to increase aggression.

Question 69

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

A)The mechanisms have been worked out in great detail,from the genes involved,to the brain structures,to the resulting behavior.
B)We have a thorough understanding of orientation but not navigation.
C)We have some understanding of the information different animals rely on (sun,stars,or magnetic fields),and some sensory structures,but beyond that the mechanisms are still mysterious.
D)Animal navigation is a complete mystery.

Question 70

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?

A)Train hamsters to navigate a maze to reach a reward.Determine which hamsters are fastest -- thus,are most prepared to learn.
B)Train hamsters to navigate a maze to reach a reward.Determine the time of day at which the hamsters are fastest -- thus,most prepared to learn.
C)Train hamsters to choose between tunnels to find a reward.Switch the reward tunnel frequently,and determine which hamsters learn the new association the fastest.
D)Train hamsters to choose between tunnels to find a reward,and mark the tunnels with different visual,tactile,chemosensory or auditory stimuli to see which associations are learnable.

Question 71

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

A)orientation; navigation
B)navigation; migration
C)migration; orientation
D)navigation; orientation

Question 72

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?

A)Extra large axons for rapid axonal transduction
B)Special,enlarged synapses for rapid synaptic transmission
C)Giant brain structures for processing auditory information
D)Special sensory structures that can detect signs of fire or burned wood

Question 73

Choose the letter of the best match from the following:
A.cognition
B.waggle dance
C.navigation
D.filial imprinting
E.fixed action pattern
Innate motor program.

Question 74

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?

A)Set up a bell (conditioned stimulus)near the feeders so the hummingbirds make an association with the food.
B)Set up flashing red lights that mimic the male neck feathers -- that should attract more males to the area.
C)Set up the feeders again in the fall.The hummingbirds may have briefly traveled through during their annual spring migration.
D)Wait till next year -- hummingbirds are a high-metabolism,semelparous species and have already reproduced and died.

Question 75

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?

A)"If the book says so it must be true.Ours is not to question why."
B)"Some genes are longer than others,over 1000kb -- they have enough information to encode a full neural circuit."
C)"Mice are a lot simpler than we are,and their brains are smaller.One gene is plenty for them to build a circuit."
D)"What the book really means is: all else being equal,one variant of a gene is associated with higher levels of the behavior than the other variant of the gene.All the other thousands of genes are still needed to develop the brain.But variation in one gene can change how a certain neural circuit will behave."

Question 76

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

A)auditory
B)autonomic
C)chemosensory
D)proprioceptive
E)visual

Question 77

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?

A)classical (Pavlovian)conditioning
B)habituation
C)operant conditioning
D)air conditioning

Question 78

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?

A)Expose the males to a mentor male bird singing their species' song during the critical period.
B)Expose the males to female pheromones from their species,to initiate development of song circuits during the critical period.
C)Expose the males to each other during the critical period,to initiate development of song circuits during the critical period.
D)Expose the males to a variety of birdsongs during the critical period.

Question 79

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...

A)"Oh,so the promiscuous species has a lot of vasopressin and oxytocin receptors in the nucleus accumbus,blocking pair bonding,and the monogamous species doesn't?"
B)"Oh,so the monogamous species has a lot of vasopressin and oxytocin receptors in the nucleus accumbus,promoting pair bonding,and the promiscuous species doesn't?"
C)"Oh,so the polyandrous species has a lot of serotonin and dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbus,promoting pair bonding,and the promiscuous species doesn't?"
D)"Oh,so the monogamous species has a lot of serotonin and dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbus,promoting pair bonding,and the promiscuous species doesn't?"

Question 80

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

A)benefits for both males and females
B)reduced the predation rate on the animal
C)evolved the same way in each species
D)a genetic basis