Question 1

During its lifetime, a male cichlid fish can switch back and forth between dominant and subordinate social roles. The switch most importantly depends upon ____.
A)distribution of oxytocin receptors
B)water temperature
C)food availability
D)the presence of a larger dominant male
E)the presence of fertile females

Accepted Answer

The presence of a larger dominant male can trigger a male cichlid fish to switch from a dominant to a subordinate social role.

Question 2

In mammals, the strongest males hold large territories and therefore ____.
A)control a lek
B)exhibit sexual dimorphism
C)share parenting duties
D)are monogamous
E)mate with all the females inside the area

Accepted Answer

In mammals, dominant males who hold large territories are typically polygamous and mate with all the females within their territory. This allows them to maximize their reproductive success by fathering offspring with multiple partners. Option A is incorrect because control of a lek refers to a display ground where males gather to attract mates, which is not necessarily related to territory size. Option B is incorrect because sexual dimorphism refers to differences in physical characteristics between males and females, which may or may not be related to territorial behavior. Option C is incorrect because shared parenting duties are not necessarily related to territorial behavior. Option D is incorrect because monogamy involves exclusive mating between one male and one female, which is not consistent with polygamous territorial behavior.

Question 3

The dramatic transformation between subordinate and dominant phenotypes of male cichlids involves the ____.
A)removal of an acetyl group from DNA
B)methylation of DNA
C)distribution of oxytocin receptor genes
D)number of vasopressin receptor genes
E)modification of histone proteins

Accepted Answer

The transformation involves the methylation of DNA, which is a process that can alter gene expression without changing the DNA sequence itself, leading to changes in phenotype.

Question 4

​Four of the five answers are duties performed by workers in eusocial honeybee colonies. Select the exception.
A)​foraging for food
B)​maintaining the hive
C)​caring for young
D)​laying eggs
E)​defending the colony

Accepted Answer

Laying eggs is a duty performed only by the queen bee in a eusocial honeybee colony. The other duties listed are performed by worker bees.

Question 5

What is one way in which acting as a selfish herd can protect members of the herd?
A)Subordinate group members provide food for offspring of dominant members.
B)A group member spots a threat and warns others of its approach.
C)Cooperative hunting allows a group of predators to capture larger or faster prey.
D)Members of groups learn tool production skills.
E)Group members fend off scavengers.

Accepted Answer

Acting as a selfish herd can protect members of the herd because when one member spots a threat and warns others of its approach, the group as a whole can respond and take action to protect themselves. This "safety in numbers" strategy can increase the survivability of the herd, as the more individuals that are aware of a threat, the greater the likelihood that at least some will be able to escape or defend themselves successfully.

Question 6

There is a genetic basis for differences in foraging behavior among fruit fly larvae. Some larvae crawl around a lot, and eat yeast that grows on decaying fruit. These larvae are called ____.
A)seekers
B)sitters
C)hunters
D)rovers
E)scavengers

Accepted Answer

The word "Crawl around a lot" suggests that these larvae are mobile, which fits the description of rovers. The other choices do not accurately describe the behavior mentioned in the passage.

Question 7

​One way in which altruistic behavior can evolve is through a type of selection that favors individuals who have the highest inclusive fitness. This is called ____ selection.
A)​kin
B)​artificial
C)​sexual
D)​reciprocal
E)​eusocial

Accepted Answer

Kin selection favors behaviors that increase the fitness of relatives, which can enhance an individual's inclusive fitness. This can result in the evolution of altruistic behavior towards close kin. Artificial selection involves selective breeding by humans rather than natural selection. Sexual selection refers to traits that enhance an individual's ability to attract mates. Reciprocal selection involves the evolution of cooperation between unrelated individuals. Eusociality refers to social behavior in which some members of a group become sterile and help care for the offspring of others, as seen in some insect societies.

Question 8

Which scenario illustrates a selfish herd?
A)In most wolf packs, one dominant male breeds with one dominant female.
B)Lions are social animals who cooperate in catching prey.
C)When threatened by wolves, musk oxen stand back to back, presenting an imposing display of sharp horns.
D)Chimpanzees learn by imitation in a group.
E)A pair of breeding herring gulls will cannibalize the eggs and even the chicks of their neighbors.

Accepted Answer

The concept of a selfish herd involves individuals grouping together to reduce their individual risk of predation. In option C, when musk oxen stand back to back with their horns out when threatened, they are effectively reducing the likelihood of any one individual being attacked by presenting a unified defense. This behavior benefits each individual by increasing their survival chances through collective action, which is a characteristic of the selfish herd theory.

Question 9

Which term describes a group of animals that is self-organized by rank?
A)selfish herd
B)dominance hierarchy
C)pack
D)social group
E)culture

Accepted Answer

A dominance hierarchy is a system where individuals rank themselves within a group based on factors such as age, size, strength, or aggression. The animals at the top of this hierarchy have priority access to resources such as food or mates, while those at the bottom have lower status and fewer opportunities. This type of organization is seen in many social animals, including primates, elephants, and wolves. The other options are not as specific to this type of organization. A selfish herd describes a behavior where animals try to position themselves in the middle of their group to reduce their own risk of predation, regardless of individual rank. A pack or social group simply refers to any group of animals that interact with each other to some degree. Culture is a concept specific to humans and refers to the transmission of learned behaviors, beliefs, and values between generations.

Question 10

Leks are places where male ____.
A)hanging flies offer female flies meals of dead insects
B)fiddler crabs wave their oversized claws to attract female crabs
C)bison lock horns and wrestle for dominance
D)terns cooperate with females in the care of their chicks
E)sage grouse perform displays to attract females

Accepted Answer

Leks are sites where male sage grouse perform courtship displays to attract females.

Question 11

Evidence of oxytocin's role in vole bonding behavior led researchers to examine this hormone's role in a condition in which a person has trouble making social attachments. What is this condition?
A)Down syndrome
B)autism
C)Alzheimer's disease
D)dyslexia
E)Tourette syndrome

Accepted Answer

The condition in which a person has trouble making social attachments is Autism. Researchers have found a correlation between low levels of oxytocin in individuals with autism and their difficulty in forming social bonds.

Question 12

Four of these five choices are learned behaviors. Select the exception.
A)A rat that presses a lever and is rewarded with a food pellet is more likely to press the lever again.
B)Once a bird has been sickened by a larval or adult monarch, it avoids these insects in the future.
C)A fiddler crab forages up to 30 feet from its burrow and scurries straight home in response to a threat.
D)Newly hatched geese follow the large moving object that looms over them after they hatch.
E)Birds fill any wide-open mouth they see in their nest.

Accepted Answer

Birds filling any wide-open mouth they see in their nest is an instinctive behavior, not a learned one.

Question 13

Four of the five answers are characteristics of social animals. Select the exception.
A)Sterile workers carry out tasks essential to the group's welfare, while other members of the group reproduce.
B)Members collectively defend against predators.
C)Members live in multigenerational groups and cooperate in hunting prey.
D)Dominant animals receive a greater share of resources and breeding opportunities than subordinates.
E)One individual makes an alarm call to warn other group members of a threat.

Accepted Answer

Sterile workers carrying out tasks essential to the group's welfare is a characteristic of eusocial or colonial species, which are a specialized type of social animal. The other options are all characteristics of general social animals.

Question 14

What type of communication is most widespread in animals that have good eyesight and are active during the day?
A)acoustical
B)tactile
C)chemical
D)pheromones
E)visual

Accepted Answer

Animals that have good eyesight and are active during the day rely heavily on visual communication. This allows them to communicate with each other over long distances and to detect signals such as body posture, coloration, and movement. While some animals may also use other forms of communication, such as vocalizations or chemical signals, visual communication is likely the most widespread in these types of animals.

Question 15

Chemical signals that cause long-term responses in the receiver are most specifically called ____.
A)tactile signals
B)signal pheromones
C)priming pheromones
D)communication signals
E)acoustical signals

Accepted Answer

Priming pheromones specifically refer to chemical signals that cause long-term responses in the receiver, such as changes in behavior or physiological processes. Tactile signals, acoustic signals, and communication signals do not necessarily have to be chemical in nature, and signal pheromones refer to a broader category of chemicals involved in communication among organisms.

Question 16

Which term describes behavior that enhances the reproductive success of another member of the same species at the expense of the helpful individual?
A)altruism
B)genetic fitness
C)social defense
D)selfish herd
E)natural selection

Accepted Answer

Altruism in biology refers to behavior by an individual that increases the fitness of another individual while potentially decreasing the fitness of the individual performing the behavior. This concept is often discussed in the context of social animals, where individuals may act in ways that benefit others at their own expense, under the assumption that such behaviors support the survival of closely related individuals, thereby indirectly supporting the altruistic individual's genetic lineage.

Question 17

Squirrels in cities are accustomed to humans and will continue to forage in their presence. Which term best describes this behavior?
A)instinctive behavior
B)imprinting
C)desensitization
D)habituation
E)habit formation

Accepted Answer

Habituation is the process of becoming accustomed to a stimulus, resulting in a decrease in the response to that stimulus over time. In this case, the squirrels have become habituated to the presence of humans and continue their normal behavior in their presence.

Question 18

​Who protects and cares for naked mole-rat offspring?
A)​the king(s) only
B)​the queen(s) only
C)​both the king(s) and queen(s)
D)​the king(s) and sterile workers
E)​nonbreeding clan members

Accepted Answer

The answer of ​Who protects and cares for naked mole-rat...

Question 19

Which mammalian species is eusocial?
A)chimpanzees
B)wolves
C)musk oxen
D)naked mole rats
E)elk

Accepted Answer

Naked mole rats are the only mammalian species known to exhibit eusocial behavior, which includes cooperative care for young, a division of labor, and overlapping generations within a colony.

Question 20

What type of signal often advertises the presence of an animal or group of animals?
A)chemical
B)pheromone
C)visual
D)acoustical
E)tactile

Accepted Answer

Acoustical signals, such as vocalizations or calls, are commonly used by animals to advertise their presence or communicate with members of their group.

Quiz 39: Animal Behavior

During its lifetime, a male cichlid fish can switch back and forth between dominant and subordinate social roles. The switch most importantly depends upon ____.

In mammals, the strongest males hold large territories and therefore ____.

The dramatic transformation between subordinate and dominant phenotypes of male cichlids involves the ____.

​Four of the five answers are duties performed by workers in eusocial honeybee colonies. Select the exception.

What is one way in which acting as a selfish herd can protect members of the herd?

There is a genetic basis for differences in foraging behavior among fruit fly larvae. Some larvae crawl around a lot, and eat yeast that grows on decaying fruit. These larvae are called ____.

​One way in which altruistic behavior can evolve is through a type of selection that favors individuals who have the highest inclusive fitness. This is called ____ selection.

Which scenario illustrates a selfish herd?

Which term describes a group of animals that is self-organized by rank?

Leks are places where male ____.

Evidence of oxytocin's role in vole bonding behavior led researchers to examine this hormone's role in a condition in which a person has trouble making social attachments. What is this condition?

Four of these five choices are learned behaviors. Select the exception.

Four of the five answers are characteristics of social animals. Select the exception.

What type of communication is most widespread in animals that have good eyesight and are active during the day?

Chemical signals that cause long-term responses in the receiver are most specifically called ____.

Which term describes behavior that enhances the reproductive success of another member of the same species at the expense of the helpful individual?

Squirrels in cities are accustomed to humans and will continue to forage in their presence. Which term best describes this behavior?

​Who protects and cares for naked mole-rat offspring?

Which mammalian species is eusocial?

What type of signal often advertises the presence of an animal or group of animals?

Four of the five answers are duties performed by workers in eusocial honeybee colonies. Select the exception.

One way in which altruistic behavior can evolve is through a type of selection that favors individuals who have the highest inclusive fitness. This is called ____ selection.

Who protects and cares for naked mole-rat offspring?