Question 1

If male satin bower birds learn to construct and decorate bowers from their parents, this behaviour would be explained by

Accepted Answer

The behavior of male satin bower birds learning to construct and decorate bowers from their parents is best explained by development. Development refers to the changes in behavior and physical attributes that occur in an organism throughout its life, often as a result of both genetic factors and environmental influences, including learning from parents.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

Natural selection influences all forms of behavior, as behaviors can have genetic components that affect an organism's survival and reproduction. Even learned behaviors can be influenced by genetic predispositions.

Question 3

All forms of animal behaviour

Accepted Answer

Animal behavior often has a genetic basis, as genes can influence the development of the nervous system and other physiological processes that underlie behavior.

Question 4

Evolution of animal behaviour can occur only if

Accepted Answer

All the options (A, B, C, D) are essential conditions for the evolution of animal behavior through natural selection. Variation in behavior allows for selection, genetic basis ensures inheritance, and differential survival or reproductive success due to these behaviors drives evolution.

Question 5

Most ideas about the evolutionary significance of behaviour come from

Accepted Answer

Comparisons between species allow researchers to understand how different behaviors may have evolved in response to different environmental pressures, providing insights into the evolutionary significance of behavior.

Question 6

A change in an individual's behaviour that is due to its experience is referred to as

Accepted Answer

Learning is the process through which experience leads to a change in behavior, distinguishing it from innate or genetically programmed behaviors.

Question 7

A barnacle closes its valves every time a shadow passes over it. This behaviour is called

Accepted Answer

The behavior of a barnacle closing its valves every time a shadow passes over it is considered an innate behavior. Innate behaviors are those that are hard-wired into an organism's biological makeup and are performed in response to a stimulus without prior experience or learning.

Question 8

A barnacle living beneath some kelp fronds ceases closing its valves every time a shadow passes over it. This behaviour is called

Accepted Answer

Habituation is the process by which an animal decreases or ceases its responses to a frequently repeated stimulus that neither rewards nor harms the animal. The barnacle stops reacting to the shadow because it learns that the shadow poses no threat, demonstrating habituation.

Question 9

When collecting food, the honeybee (Apis mellifera) frequently returns to its nest with less than a full crop of nectar. Experiments suggest that this behaviour can be explained by

Accepted Answer

The behavior of honeybees returning to the nest with less than a full crop of nectar is best explained by the optimization of net return and energy expenditure. This strategy allows bees to balance the energy they gain from nectar against the energy they spend collecting it, ensuring efficient foraging.

Question 10

An example of aggressive mimicry would be

Accepted Answer

Aggressive mimicry involves predators, parasites, or parasitoids resembling something else to enhance their predation, parasitism, or parasitoid success. In choice A, the duck shooter mimics the mating call of a male duck to attract ducks, which is a form of aggressive mimicry where the mimic benefits at the expense of the target (the ducks).

Question 11

Prey animals that exhibit the characteristics of other unpalatable organisms to reduce the probability of predation are

Accepted Answer

Defensive mimicry is when prey animals mimic the appearance, behaviors, or other characteristics of unpalatable or harmful organisms to deter predators, thereby reducing their chances of being attacked or eaten.

Question 12

Some species of ants tend to protect aphids, which in return produce honeydew, a source of food for the ants. This type of relationship is called

Accepted Answer

This relationship is called mutualism because both species benefit: the ants get a source of food (honeydew) from the aphids, and the aphids receive protection from predators by the ants.

Question 13

Both the costs and benefits of defending a territory against other individuals

Accepted Answer

The answer of Both the costs and benefits of defending...

Question 14

Contests for resources between individuals of the same species

Accepted Answer

Intraspecific competition for resources can involve physical contact, but it rarely results in serious injury or death as individuals often use displays or other non-lethal means to resolve conflicts.

Question 15

In a model of the development of evolutionarily stable behaviours, a 'hawk' strategy means the animal will always fight while a 'dove' strategy means the animal only displays, but will not fight. An evolutionarily stable mixture will occur when

Accepted Answer

An evolutionarily stable mixture occurs when the average payoff to 'hawks' and 'doves' is equal, ensuring that neither strategy has a consistent advantage over the other, maintaining balance in the population.

Question 16

The colourful plumage of the bird of paradise (Paradisea raggiana) has evolved

Accepted Answer

The colourful plumage of the bird of paradise has evolved primarily through intersexual selection, where females choose mates based on specific traits, such as vibrant plumage, which are indicators of the male's fitness and genetic quality.

Question 17

A mating system where a male mates with only one female but the female mates with several males is known as

Accepted Answer

Polyandry is the mating system where a male mates with only one female, but the female mates with several males. This is less common compared to other mating systems and is observed in some bird species, among others.

Question 18

Contests between animals often end in ritualistic displays, rather than a physical fight, because

Accepted Answer

Ritualistic displays are favored over physical fights in animal contests primarily because of the high cost of injuries that could result from fighting. These injuries could significantly impact an animal's future survival and reproductive success, making it more advantageous to resolve disputes through displays rather than actual combat.

Question 19

Sexual selection may arise in two ways:

Accepted Answer

Sexual selection can arise through competition between males for access to females (often leading to traits that enhance fighting ability or dominance) and through female choice, where females select mates based on certain desirable traits.

Question 20

In some species of insects, males deposit a sperm plug into the female's reproductive tract after copulation to prevent other males from fertilising her. This behaviour could best be described as

Accepted Answer

Mate guarding involves behaviors that ensure a male's paternity by preventing the female from mating with other males. The deposition of a sperm plug is a form of mate guarding, as it physically blocks other males from fertilizing the female.

Quiz 31: Animal Behaviour