Question 1

Refer to the following paragraph.
In the evening, males of a species of bee (Idiomelissodes duplocincta) form sleeping clusters in which dozens or hundreds of bees perch close together overnight. An assassin bug kills bees at these sleeping sites, but usually only one or two bees per night.
(A) The bees do not join forces to fight the bug when one appears, so it may be that a bee joins the cluster to lessen the risk that it will be one of the unlucky ones killed at random.
(B) The same sort of clustering of defenseless prey occurs in spadefoot frog tadpoles; hundreds of tadpoles swim and feed together in pools containing carnivorous water beetles that attack and kill them.
(C) In contrast, males of other bees in the genus Idiomelissodes are larger and more capable of deterring a predator on their own, and they sleep apart.
Which sentence in the paragraph contains an example of divergent evolution?

Accepted Answer

Sentence C describes a situation where males of other bees in the same genus have evolved differently (larger size and solitary sleeping behavior) compared to Idiomelissodes duplocincta, which is an example of divergent evolution.

Question 2

Refer to the following paragraph.
In the evening, males of a species of bee (Idiomelissodes duplocincta) form sleeping clusters in which dozens or hundreds of bees perch close together overnight. An assassin bug kills bees at these sleeping sites, but usually only one or two bees per night.
(A) The bees do not join forces to fight the bug when one appears, so it may be that a bee joins the cluster to lessen the risk that it will be one of the unlucky ones killed at random.
(B) The same sort of clustering of defenseless prey occurs in spadefoot frog tadpoles; hundreds of tadpoles swim and feed together in pools containing carnivorous water beetles that attack and kill them.
(C) In contrast, males of other bees in the genus Idiomelissodes are larger and more capable of deterring a predator on their own, and they sleep apart.
Which sentence in the paragraph contains an example of convergent evolution?

Accepted Answer

Convergent evolution is illustrated in choice B, where a similar behavior (clustering of defenseless prey) is observed in a completely different species (spadefoot frog tadpoles) facing a similar predatory threat (carnivorous water beetles), indicating an evolutionary strategy that has developed independently in different species.

Question 3

Refer to the following paragraph.
In the evening, males of a species of bee (Idiomelissodes duplocincta) form sleeping clusters in which dozens or hundreds of bees perch close together overnight. An assassin bug kills bees at these sleeping sites, but usually only one or two bees per night.
(A) The bees do not join forces to fight the bug when one appears, so it may be that a bee joins the cluster to lessen the risk that it will be one of the unlucky ones killed at random.
(B) The same sort of clustering of defenseless prey occurs in spadefoot frog tadpoles; hundreds of tadpoles swim and feed together in pools containing carnivorous water beetles that attack and kill them.
(C) In contrast, males of other bees in the genus Idiomelissodes are larger and more capable of deterring a predator on their own, and they sleep apart.
Sentence A most closely describes the

Accepted Answer

The dilution effect hypothesis suggests that individuals in a group reduce their risk of predation because the predator is less likely to target any specific individual when there are many potential targets. Sentence A describes bees clustering to lessen the risk of being killed, aligning with this hypothesis.

Question 4

Refer to the following paragraph.
In the evening, males of a species of bee (Idiomelissodes duplocincta) form sleeping clusters in which dozens or hundreds of bees perch close together overnight. An assassin bug kills bees at these sleeping sites, but usually only one or two bees per night.
(A) The bees do not join forces to fight the bug when one appears, so it may be that a bee joins the cluster to lessen the risk that it will be one of the unlucky ones killed at random.
(B) The same sort of clustering of defenseless prey occurs in spadefoot frog tadpoles; hundreds of tadpoles swim and feed together in pools containing carnivorous water beetles that attack and kill them.
(C) In contrast, males of other bees in the genus Idiomelissodes are larger and more capable of deterring a predator on their own, and they sleep apart.
Males of other bees in the genus Idiomelissodes most likely do not also form sleeping clusters because

Accepted Answer

There is a cost to forming such large groups, such as being easier to target by predators.

Question 5

In order to test the selfish herd hypothesis, this researcher should determine if

Accepted Answer

The selfish herd hypothesis suggests that individuals in a group can reduce their predation risk by moving towards the center of the group, making those on the periphery more vulnerable to predators. Therefore, determining if bees near the periphery of the sleeping cluster are more likely to be targeted by the assassin bug than those near the center directly tests this hypothesis.

Question 6

If a foraging tactic is "optimal," this behavior

Accepted Answer

The answer of If a foraging tactic is "optimal," this...

Question 7

Refer to the figure.
 The figure shows a matrix of fitness payoffs for interactions between two behaviorally different types of gulls: those that always fish for themselves and those that sometimes steal fish from others. P stands for the baseline fitness that a gull derives when it fishes for itself. B is the fitness gained by a thief when it steals a fish from a fish-for-self type. C is the fitness cost associated with an attempt to steal a prey.
What causal question is the model designed to answer?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.
 The figure shows...

Question 8

Refer to the figure.
 The figure shows a matrix of fitness payoffs for interactions between two behaviorally different types of gulls: those that always fish for themselves and those that sometimes steal fish from others. P stands for the baseline fitness that a gull derives when it fishes for itself. B is the fitness gained by a thief when it steals a fish from a fish-for-self type. C is the fitness cost associated with an attempt to steal a prey.
What is the significance of the fact that in a population composed entirely of thieves, the average fitness payoff for a thief is P - C, whereas in a population composed entirely of fish-for-self types, the average payoff is P?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.
 The figure shows...

Question 9

Refer to the figure.
 The figure shows a matrix of fitness payoffs for interactions between two behaviorally different types of gulls: those that always fish for themselves and those that sometimes steal fish from others. P stands for the baseline fitness that a gull derives when it fishes for itself. B is the fitness gained by a thief when it steals a fish from a fish-for-self type. C is the fitness cost associated with an attempt to steal a prey.
If B were greater than C, the solitary phenotype would

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.
 The figure shows...

Question 10

You read that a foraging tactic is "optimal" only if it is the most efficient way of acquiring calories from the environment. This is _______ because _______.

Accepted Answer

Sometimes animals prioritize avoiding predators over foraging efficiency, as survival can be more critical for fitness than maximizing calorie intake.

Question 11

A conditional strategy is unquestionably an adaptation when individuals able to switch tactics

Accepted Answer

Individuals with a conditional strategy leave more surviving offspring than individuals with any other available strategy, which is the definition of an adaptation.

Question 12

A seed-eating bird forages solitarily. A behavioral biologist who is formulating a hypothesis is likely to consider this an example of

Accepted Answer

Optimality theory is the most applicable here because it deals with how animals behave in a way that maximizes their fitness, including how they forage for food. In this case, the solitary foraging behavior of a seed-eating bird can be analyzed to understand how this strategy optimizes the bird's energy intake versus energy expenditure, as well as risks and benefits, compared to other potential foraging strategies.

Question 13

A seed-eating bird forages in groups with competitive companions. A behavioral biologist who is formulating a hypothesis is likely to consider this an example of

Accepted Answer

Game theory is used to model situations where individuals' success in making decisions depends on the choices of others, such as foraging in groups with competitive companions.

Question 14

Smaller seed-eating birds select smaller seeds than larger seed-eating birds do. A behavioral biologist who is formulating a hypothesis is likely to consider this an example of

Accepted Answer

The answer of Smaller seed-eating birds select smaller seeds than...

Question 15

A certain fish-eating hawk that lives by large lakes can capture more pounds of fish per unit time if it were to hunt farther from shore instead of staying close to the shoreline. The hawk, however, does stay close to the shoreline. This demonstrates that

Accepted Answer

The hawk's behavior of staying close to the shoreline despite being able to capture more pounds of fish per unit time farther from shore suggests that factors other than maximizing caloric intake alone (such as safety, energy expenditure, or territorial considerations) influence its foraging strategy. This indicates that an optimal foraging hypothesis based solely on maximizing caloric intake might not fully explain the hawk's behavior.

Question 16

If a population is subject to frequency-dependent selection, then

Accepted Answer

Frequency-dependent selection can lead to the stable coexistence of multiple phenotypes within a population because the fitness of a phenotype can depend on its frequency relative to other phenotypes. This means that two alternative forms of a trait can persist indefinitely if the fitness of each form changes when its frequency in the population changes.

Question 17

Refer to the figure.
 Northwestern crows fly to 5 meters high (indicated by the arrow) to drop whelks in an effort to open and eat them. Based on the figure, crows should prefer to choose

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.
 Northwestern crows fly...

Question 18

Refer to the figure.
 The study that produced this figure was most likely testing the hypothesis that

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.
 The study that...

Question 19

Following the cognitive buffer hypothesis, we can predict that

Accepted Answer

The cognitive buffer hypothesis suggests that larger brains (indicating better cognitive abilities) provide an evolutionary advantage in coping with environmental variability. Thus, species with larger relative brain sizes are more likely to be found in regions with higher environmental variation, as their cognitive abilities allow them to adapt to changing conditions more effectively.

Question 20

Observation: You observe "shaky leaf walking" in a video of a Madagascaran mantid (one of about 1,800 species, a member of one of dozens of genera of mantids, which constitute one of eight families of mantids).
Hypothesis: The behavior is effective as camouflage because it makes the mantid look like a dried leaf blown about on the leaf litter of the forest floor or a trembling leaf on a low-lying shrub.
State a prediction from this hypothesis that could be tested via additional observation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Observation: You observe "shaky leaf walking" in...

Quiz 6: Avoiding Predators and Finding Food

In order to test the selfish herd hypothesis, this researcher should determine if

If a foraging tactic is "optimal," this behavior

You read that a foraging tactic is "optimal" only if it is the most efficient way of acquiring calories from the environment. This is _ because _.

A conditional strategy is unquestionably an adaptation when individuals able to switch tactics

A seed-eating bird forages solitarily. A behavioral biologist who is formulating a hypothesis is likely to consider this an example of

A seed-eating bird forages in groups with competitive companions. A behavioral biologist who is formulating a hypothesis is likely to consider this an example of

Smaller seed-eating birds select smaller seeds than larger seed-eating birds do. A behavioral biologist who is formulating a hypothesis is likely to consider this an example of

A certain fish-eating hawk that lives by large lakes can capture more pounds of fish per unit time if it were to hunt farther from shore instead of staying close to the shoreline. The hawk, however, does stay close to the shoreline. This demonstrates that

If a population is subject to frequency-dependent selection, then

Refer to the figure. Northwestern crows fly to 5 meters high (indicated by the arrow) to drop whelks in an effort to open and eat them. Based on the figure, crows should prefer to choose

Refer to the figure. The study that produced this figure was most likely testing the hypothesis that

Following the cognitive buffer hypothesis, we can predict that