Deck 3: Hormones and Neurobiology

Question 1

Which statement best represents a proximate explanation for bright plumage (or the choice of bright males)?

A) Females that mate with brightly colored males produce more viable offspring relative to those that mate with dull males.
B) Males acquire brightly colored plumage by feeding on carotenoid-based foods.
C) Males with bright plumage experience higher reproductive success than males with dull plumage.
D) Males with dull plumage are less conspicuous to predators than bright males.
E) Females prefer brightly colored males because they receive direct or indirect benefits from doing so.

Answer 1

Males acquire brightly colored plumage by feeding on carotenoid-based foods.

Question 2

Which of the following questions addressed ultimate causation?

A) How does an animal escape predation?
B) What neurobiological mechanisms are involved in predator escape behavior?
C) Why do some animals secrete noxious compounds when threatened by a predator?
D) What is the anatomical basis for rapid escape behavior?
E) What types of neuroendocrine changes occur after successful escape from a predator?

Answer 2

Why do some animals secrete noxious compounds when threatened by a predator?

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT associated with spatial learning and foraging in honeybees?

A) Honeybees do not fly directly to the food source when first leaving the hive.
B) Orientation flights begin at three weeks of age and no sooner.
C) Younger bees remain at the nest while older bees conduct foraging flights.
D) Mushroom bodies of foragers are smaller than mushroom bodies of nonforagers.
E) Changes in mushroom body size represents one proximate mechanism for spatial learning in honeybees.

Answer 3

Mushroom bodies of foragers are smaller than mushroom bodies of nonforagers.

Question 4

Which of the following best depicts the initial chain of neuroendocrinological events that occur when an animal is exposed to a stressor?

A) increased CRH production in adrenal glands ? increased glucocorticoid production in the hypothalamus ? increased ACTH production in the anterior pituitary gland
B) increased CRH production in the anterior pituitary gland ? decreased ACTH production in the hypothalamus ? decreased glucocorticoid production in the adrenal glands
C) increased CRH production in the anterior pituitary gland ? increased glucocorticoid production in the adrenal glands ? increased ACTH production in the hypothalamus
D) increased CRH production in the hypothalamus ? decreased ACTH production in the anterior pituitary gland ? decreased glucocorticoid production in the adrenal glands
E) increased CRH production in the hypothalamus ? increased ACTH production in the anterior pituitary gland ? increased glucocorticoid production in the adrenal glands

Question 5

Neurons possess fibers called dendrites that perform which of the following functions?

A) receive electrochemical information from other cells in the nervous system
B) transmit electrochemical information to other cells in the nervous system
C) serve as the "space" between cells into which neurotransmitters are released
D) package neurotransmitters and transport them to the synaptic gap
E) control the number of times a neuron fires depending on stimulus strength

Question 6

Which of the following statements about Type II males in plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) is FALSE?

A) Type II males do not build nests.
B) Type II males are referred to as sneakers because they shed sperm in attempt to fertilize the eggs of nesting females.
C) Type II males are larger than Type I, nesting males.
D) The gonad-to-body ratio of Type II males is nine times greater than that of Type I males.
E) Type II males do not produce "hums" to court females.

Question 7

Which of the following is necessary for a chemical messenger such as a steroid hormone to initiate biochemical changes in the target cell?

A) axons
B) cell membrane
C) golgi apparatus
D) hormone receptor sites
E) pituitary

Question 8

Which of the following statements about hormones is FALSE?

A) Hormonal state can affect the strength and form of a behavioral response.
B) Hormones and the endocrine system influence behavior independent of the nervous system.
C) Hormones are secreted by ductless glands, which comprise the endocrine system.
D) Hyposecretion or hypersecretion of hormones can have dramatic effects on many behaviors.
E) Hormones can affect the organization of behavior.

Question 9

Ecotourism on Punta Tombo has affected Magellanic penguins in what way(s)?

A) Adults appear habituated to the presence of humans.
B) Adults have a lower stress response to handling and release.
C) Chicks show incredibly high levels of stress hormones.
D) a and b
E) All of the above.

Question 10

Which technique allows scientists to measure neuronal activity across large sections of animals' brains?

A) polymerase chain reaction
B) in situ hybridization
C) receptor autoradiography
D) functional magnetic resonance imaging
E) X-rays

Question 11

Describe how the "threshold" of a nerve cell relates to its activity and briefly outline how an animal's nervous system responds to stimuli of different strengths.

Question 12

Construct an ultimate explanation for "one-eyed" sleep in mallard ducks based on the description provided in the text.

Question 13

Briefly describe the cascade of neurobiological and physiological events that occur when an animal is exposed to a stressor. How is the stress response a prime example of the importance of integrating multiple levels of analysis to address a specific set of behaviors?

Question 14

Read the paper by Romero and colleagues (2009) titled "The Reactive Scope Model-A New Model Integrating Homeostasis, Allostasis, and Stress" (Hormones and Behavior, vol. 55, pp. 375-389). How might we use the reactive scope model to link the physiological condition of an animal with potential fitness outcomes? Pick one aspect of the reactive scope model, develop a testable hypothesis in your favorite organism, and devise a controlled experimental test of the hypothesis.

Question 15

Under what circumstances would you expect ultraviolet vision (or UVreflective patterns) to be favored by natural selection? In designing your answer, think about potential interactions between predator-prey relationships, camouflage, mate choice, etc.

Question 16

Read the paper by Desjardins and Fernald (2010), "What Do Fish Make of Mirror Images?" (Biology Letters, vol. 6, pp. 744-747). First, describe what immediate early genes are and how they serve as indicators of brain activity. Second, describe the primary functions of the amygdala and brain structures of fish that are homologous to the amygdala, such as the dorsomedial telencephalon. What did the authors find, and how would you interpret their results in terms of the neuroethology of fear and emotion. Lastly, the possibility that fish might be capable of emotion might be surprising to some. How might you determine, empirically, that fish might experience fear? See Braithwaite et al. (2013) in the references section for some insights!