Question 1

In the case of the redback spider,would males be better off,in terms of fitness,looking for another female to mate with instead of provoking his mate to eat him?
A)Yes,this would greatly increase his fitness,as he would be able to produce more offspring and with a variety of mates increasing the chance that some of his offspring would survive.
B)No,this would decrease his fitness as he would likely not find a second mate and would decrease his sperm transfer to the female he has found.
C)Yes,this would increase his fitness,as it would provoke the first female to allow him to mate more,and he would get a second mating opportunity with another female.
D)No,this would decrease his fitness,as his first mate would expel his sperm once he left the area.

Accepted Answer

Male redback spiders increase their fitness by allowing themselves to be eaten, as this behavior increases the amount of sperm transferred and reduces the likelihood of the female mating with another male, thus increasing the chances of his genes being passed on.

Question 2

Which of the following statements about imprinting is FALSE?
A)Imprinting only occurs during a critical period.
B)Imprinting is fast and irreversible.
C)Imprinting only occurs on a specific color/shape.
D)Imprinting is a type of learning.

Accepted Answer

Imprinting can occur on a variety of stimuli, not just a specific color or shape.

Question 3

Based on your knowledge of cost-benefit analysis,why would you expect some white-fronted bee-eaters to fly very far away from the nests to forage when there are food sources nearby?
A)There might be some plentiful food sources further away.
B)Competition for food is too intense near the nest.
C)Food near the nest is usually of lower quality.
D)Predation is highest closest to the nest.

Accepted Answer

Cost-benefit analysis involves weighing the costs and benefits of a particular action. In this case, if some white-fronted bee-eaters are flying further away from the nest to forage, it suggests that the benefits of doing so outweigh the costs. One possible benefit could be that there are more plentiful food sources further away. This aligns with the principle of maximizing net benefits, which is a key component of cost-benefit analysis.

Question 4

Which one of the following examples best illustrates classical conditioning?
A)geese following the first thing they see upon hatching
B)cats running into the kitchen when they hear a food can being opened
C)birds hatching in isolation and singing their species-specific song
D)cats seeing a mouse and chasing it

Accepted Answer

Classical conditioning involves the association of a neutral stimulus with a meaningful stimulus to produce a response. In this example, the sound of the food can opening is the neutral stimulus that becomes associated with the meaningful stimulus of receiving food, leading to the response of the cats running to the kitchen when they hear the sound of the can being opened.

Question 5

Lobsters can navigate back home at night using Earth's magnetic field.Is this statement a proximate cause or an ultimate cause?
A)proximate cause
B)ultimate cause

Accepted Answer

The statement is a proximate cause because it describes how lobsters navigate (the immediate mechanism), not why this behavior evolved (the evolutionary reason).

Question 6

You observe a species of bird that,upon hatching,has contact with its parents only while being fed.You also never hear the parents sing during the feeding process.What would you propose about song learning in this species of bird?
A)Song learning in this species is most likely learned.
B)The period of imprinting is likely later in the bird's life.
C)This species does not hear.
D)Song learning in this species is most likely innate.

Accepted Answer

If the bird species does not hear its parents sing during the feeding process and has no contact with them other than during feeding, then it is not likely to learn its songs from its parents. Therefore, it is more likely that the song learning in this species is innate.

Question 7

Figure 51.1 
-In Figure 51.1,in which quadrant would the egg-rolling behavior of a goose be plotted?
A)quadrant A
B)quadrant B
C)quadrant C
D)quadrant D

Accepted Answer

The egg-rolling behavior of a goose would be plotted in quadrant A because it is a positive displacement in both the x and y directions.

Question 8

You observe scrub jays hiding food and notice that one particular individual only pretends to hide food.Your experiments associate the presence of other siblings with the frequency of pretending to cache food.A colleague shows you animals of the same species that do not perform this pretend caching.How does this information affect your conclusions about this behaviour?
A)It suggests that this behaviour might be learned.
B)It prevents you from making conclusions.
C)It suggests that your experimental design is flawed.
D)It does not affect anything.

Accepted Answer

The presence of animals of the same species that do not perform this pretend caching suggests that the behavior might not be instinctual, but rather learned. This could affect the researcher's conclusions regarding the development and function of this behavior.

Question 9

How would you classify the genetic basis for most behavioral traits in the animal kingdom?
A)One gene typically codes for one behaviour.
B)One gene typically codes for many behaviours.
C)Many genes typically code for one behaviour.
D)Behaviors are learned,not coded by genes.

Accepted Answer

Most behavioral traits in the animal kingdom are controlled by many genes, rather than a single gene. This is known as polygeny, and involves the interaction of multiple genes and environmental factors to produce a particular behavior. This complex nature of behavioral genetics is the reason why it is difficult to predict or control animal behavior based solely on genetic information.

Question 10

The recognition and manipulation of facts about the world is termed
A)cognition.
B)learning.
C)imprinting.
D)conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in perception, attention, memory, and problem-solving that enable us to recognize and manipulate facts about the world. Learning, imprinting, and conditioning all involve specific mechanisms by which cognition can occur, but they do not encompass the full range of cognitive processes.

Question 11

How would self-sacrifice of male redback spiders be an adaptive behaviour?
A)Males only use self-sacrificing behaviour once they have mated with several females and have exhausted their sperm supplies.
B)The chance of a male meeting more than one female is quite low;self-sacrifice maximizes mating time with and sperm transfer to any female the male finds.
C)Males are able to mate with one female,then mate with another female nearby,before being devoured by the first female.
D)When males meet a female and self-sacrifice,it activates enzymes that make his sperm more fit and able to fertilize more eggs.

Accepted Answer

Self-sacrifice of male redback spiders is an adaptive behaviour because the chance of a male meeting more than one female is quite low, and therefore self-sacrifice maximizes mating time with and sperm transfer to any female the male finds. By sacrificing himself, the male increases the chances of passing on his genes to the next generation through the female.

Question 12

Figure 51.2 
-Which of the following conclusions is most logical based on the data above?
A)Females produce more eggs more quickly when exposed to breeding males.
B)Females produce eggs more quickly when exposed to many males.
C)All non-isolated females do just as well as isolated females.
D)All of the above answers apply.

Accepted Answer

The data suggests that females produce more eggs more quickly when exposed to breeding males, indicating a direct influence of male presence on egg production.

Question 13

Which would be the best way to obtain evidence of a bird's cognitive abilities?
A)Observe the bird solving problems in the wild.
B)In captivity,have the bird solve problems like those it would face in the wild.
C)In captivity,have the bird attempt to solve novel problems.
D)All of the above would obtain equal evidence toward thinking ability.

Accepted Answer

Observing the bird solving problems in the wild may not be practical or feasible, and may not provide a controlled environment to test cognitive abilities. Providing the bird with problems similar to those in the wild may not fully test its cognitive abilities as it has adapted to those types of problems. However, presenting the bird with novel problems that it has not encountered before would be the best way to test its thinking ability as it would require it to use its cognitive skills to solve the problem.

Question 14

You observe scrub jays hiding food and notice that one particular individual only pretends to hide food.What kind of experiment could you perform to test whether this was random or in response to another signal?
A)Observe more of these behaviors in the wild and try to determine if the behaviour is random.
B)Hypothesize a set of signals that could produce this behavior and try to match the behaviours with the signals.
C)Attempt to reproduce the behaviour in captivity by using bird models and a computer simulation.
D)All of the above would be excellent experiments.

Accepted Answer

Hypothesizing a set of signals that could produce this behavior and then trying to match the behaviors with the signals would be the most effective experiment to test whether this behavior is random or in response to another signal. This would help determine if the bird is pretending to hide food as a form of deception or if it is a random behavior. Observing more of these behaviors in the wild or attempting to reproduce the behavior in captivity would not provide enough information to test whether this behavior is intentional or not.

Question 15

In which quadrant of the figure above would bird migration be plotted?
A)quadrant A
B)quadrant B
C)quadrant C
D)quadrant D

Accepted Answer

The answer of In which quadrant of the figure above...

Question 16

You have captured a number of rats from a wild population and quickly surmise with tests that they are very good at avoiding food with poisons.What would best explain this observation?
A)Rats are probably just intelligent enough to avoid poison.
B)Rats may experience a large variety of toxins in their environment and learn to avoid them.
C)Rats may learn this behavior from their parents or siblings.
D)Rats may be able to tolerate large amounts of poison.

Accepted Answer

Rats may experience a large variety of toxins in their environment and learn to avoid them. This is known as neophobia, a fear of new things or unfamiliar substances, which is an adaptation that allows animals to avoid potentially harmful items in their environment. Over time, rats may have learned to avoid food with poisons in them and passed this behavior on to future generations.

Question 17

You see young spiders hatch from eggs,and,within 5 hours,they are dispersing far from their parents and forming webs.What can you hypothesize about their behaviour?
A)Web-building is innate since there is no parental involvement.
B)Web-building is learned by observation.
C)Web-building is a random behavior.
D)Web-building is an inflexible behavior.

Accepted Answer

Since the young spiders are able to build webs within 5 hours of hatching without any parental involvement, it suggests that web-building is an innate behavior that does not require learning or observation.

Question 18

In the size-advantage hypothesis,if a group of fish are living in a territory dominated by a single male,females should switch from female to male when they become very large.Which of the following observations best supports this hypothesis?
A)A large female switches to a male,takes over a harem,and has more offspring.
B)A small female switches to a male,takes over a harem,and has more offspring.
C)As males in the vicinity increase in number,more females begin to switch sex.

Accepted Answer

This observation directly supports the size-advantage hypothesis as it shows that a large female switches to a male and gains advantages such as access to a harem and increased offspring production. This shows that being large and male benefits reproductive success in this species. Option B does not support the hypothesis as it suggests a small female can successfully switch to male, which contradicts the size-advantage hypothesis. Option C does not directly support the hypothesis as it does not mention anything about female size or switching to male.

Question 19

In testing a hypothesis that "territorial defense in European robins is a fixed action pattern that is released by the sight of orange feathers," researchers found that robins defended their territory by attacking anything that was of similar size and had an orange patch.How would you show that it was indeed color that initiated the defense responses?
A)Repeat the experiment using live specimens.
B)Repeat the experiment using other shapes.
C)Repeat the experiment removing the orange patch.
D)Repeat the experiment with giant specimens.

Accepted Answer

To show that it was indeed color that initiated the defense responses, the experiment should be repeated with removal of the orange patch. This will help determine whether the orange color was the specific elicitor of the fixed action pattern or if it was just a coincidence that similar sized objects were attacked. Repeating the experiment with live specimens, other shapes, or giant specimens will not directly address the role of the orange color in initiating the defense response.

Question 20

Learning has the most influence on behaviour when
A)making mistakes does not result in death.
B)animals have parents or other sources to learn from.
C)animals have enormous cognitive ability.
D)making mistakes does not result in death,and when animals have parents or other sources to learn from.
E)animals have parents or other sources to learn from,and when animals have enormous cognitive ability.

Accepted Answer

Learning is most effective when animals are able to make mistakes without facing fatal consequences, and when they have access to other individuals (such as parents) from whom they can learn. This combination allows for trial-and-error learning and the transmission of knowledge from one generation to the next, leading to more efficient and effective behaviour over time. While cognitive ability can also play a role in learning and behaviour, it is not the most important factor.

Quiz 51: Behavioural Ecology

In the case of the redback spider,would males be better off,in terms of fitness,looking for another female to mate with instead of provoking his mate to eat him?

Which of the following statements about imprinting is FALSE?

Based on your knowledge of cost-benefit analysis,why would you expect some white-fronted bee-eaters to fly very far away from the nests to forage when there are food sources nearby?

Which one of the following examples best illustrates classical conditioning?

Lobsters can navigate back home at night using Earth's magnetic field.Is this statement a proximate cause or an ultimate cause?

You observe a species of bird that,upon hatching,has contact with its parents only while being fed.You also never hear the parents sing during the feeding process.What would you propose about song learning in this species of bird?

Figure 51.1 -In Figure 51.1,in which quadrant would the egg-rolling behavior of a goose be plotted?

How would you classify the genetic basis for most behavioral traits in the animal kingdom?

The recognition and manipulation of facts about the world is termed

How would self-sacrifice of male redback spiders be an adaptive behaviour?

Figure 51.2 -Which of the following conclusions is most logical based on the data above?

Which would be the best way to obtain evidence of a bird's cognitive abilities?

You observe scrub jays hiding food and notice that one particular individual only pretends to hide food.What kind of experiment could you perform to test whether this was random or in response to another signal?

In which quadrant of the figure above would bird migration be plotted?

You have captured a number of rats from a wild population and quickly surmise with tests that they are very good at avoiding food with poisons.What would best explain this observation?

You see young spiders hatch from eggs,and,within 5 hours,they are dispersing far from their parents and forming webs.What can you hypothesize about their behaviour?

In the size-advantage hypothesis,if a group of fish are living in a territory dominated by a single male,females should switch from female to male when they become very large.Which of the following observations best supports this hypothesis?

Learning has the most influence on behaviour when