Question 1

The mating system in which females are more ornamented than males is

Accepted Answer

A) monogamy. 
B) promiscuity. 
C) polygamy. 
D) polygyny. 
E) polyandry. 
A) monogamy. 
B) promiscuity. 
C) polygamy. 
D) polygyny. 
E) polyandry.

Question 2

Use the following information to answer the next few questions.
Two populations of the highly ornamented white-crested sparrow species are spatially separated by a mountain range. Males from the two populations exhibit differing elaborate courtship displays. When a female appears, the males from the eastern population approach the female while bobbing their heads and spreading their wings, while the western population approaches a female by hopping and flapping their wings. Individuals from each population reared in isolation exhibited the same courtship displays as those in the wild.
-After mating a female from the eastern population to a male from the western population, the resulting male offspring exhibited a hybrid courtship display, bobbing their heads and flapping their wings. This indicates that

Accepted Answer

A) courtship displays are a result of environmental pressures. 
B) the elicited courtship display depends on female response. 
C) courtship displays are under the control of more than one gene. 
D) courtship displays are a learned behaviour. 
E) associative learning is involved in courtship displays. 
A) courtship displays are a result of environmental pressures. 
B) the elicited courtship display depends on female response. 
C) courtship displays are under the control of more than one gene. 
D) courtship displays are a learned behaviour. 
E) associative learning is involved in courtship displays.

Question 3

A female cat in heat urinates more often and in many places. Male cats are attracted to the urine deposits. Which of the following is a proximate cause of this increased urination?

Accepted Answer

A) It announces to the males that she is in heat. 
B) Female cats that did this in the past attracted more males. 
C) It is a result of hormonal changes associated with her reproductive cycle. 
D) The female cat learned the behaviour from observing other cats. 
E) All of the options are ultimate causes of behaviour. 
A) It announces to the males that she is in heat. 
B) Female cats that did this in the past attracted more males. 
C) It is a result of hormonal changes associated with her reproductive cycle. 
D) The female cat learned the behaviour from observing other cats. 
E) All of the options are ultimate causes of behaviour.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes "game theory" as it applies to animal behaviour?

Accepted Answer

A) The fitness of a particular behaviour is influenced by other behavioural phenotypes in a population. 
B) The total of all of the behavioural displays, both male and female, is related to courtship. 
C) An individual in a population changes a behavioural phenotype to gain a competitive advantage. 
D) The play behaviour performed by juveniles allows them to perfect adult behaviours that are needed for survival, such as hunting, courtship, and so on. 
E) The evolutionary "game" is played between predator and prey, wherein the prey develops a behaviour through natural selection that enables it to be less vulnerable to predation, and the predator counters with a new reciprocal predatory behaviour. 
A) The fitness of a particular behaviour is influenced by other behavioural phenotypes in a population. 
B) The total of all of the behavioural displays, both male and female, is related to courtship. 
C) An individual in a population changes a behavioural phenotype to gain a competitive advantage. 
D) The play behaviour performed by juveniles allows them to perfect adult behaviours that are needed for survival, such as hunting, courtship, and so on. 
E) The evolutionary "game" is played between predator and prey, wherein the prey develops a behaviour through natural selection that enables it to be less vulnerable to predation, and the predator counters with a new reciprocal predatory behaviour.

Question 5

What type of signal is fast and requires daylight with no obstructions?

Accepted Answer

A) olfactory 
B) visual 
C) auditory 
D) tactile 
E) electrical 
A) olfactory 
B) visual 
C) auditory 
D) tactile 
E) electrical

Question 6

Which of the following examples describes a behavioural pattern that results from a proximate cause?

Accepted Answer

A) A cat kills a mouse to obtain nutrition. 
B) A male sheep fights with another male because it helps to improve its social position. 
C) A female bird lays its eggs because the amount of daylight is decreasing slightly each day. 
D) A goose squats and freezes motionless to escape a predator. 
E) A cockroach runs into a crack in the wall and avoids being stepped on. 
A) A cat kills a mouse to obtain nutrition. 
B) A male sheep fights with another male because it helps to improve its social position. 
C) A female bird lays its eggs because the amount of daylight is decreasing slightly each day. 
D) A goose squats and freezes motionless to escape a predator. 
E) A cockroach runs into a crack in the wall and avoids being stepped on.

Question 7

In guppies, females may copy the mate choice of conspecifics even if it means choosing a male with less extensive orange colouration than would be chosen with no female present. This decision may increase

Accepted Answer

A) the number of resulting offspring. 
B) paternal care of offspring. 
C) ornamentation of offspring. 
D) the probability of fitness of male offspring. 
E) male competition for mates. 
A) the number of resulting offspring. 
B) paternal care of offspring. 
C) ornamentation of offspring. 
D) the probability of fitness of male offspring. 
E) male competition for mates.

Question 8

A guinea pig loves the lettuce kept in the refrigerator and squeals each time the refrigerator door opens. What term best applies to this behaviour?

Accepted Answer

A) sign stimulus 
B) cognition 
C) imprinting 
D) classical conditioning 
E) operant conditioning 
A) sign stimulus 
B) cognition 
C) imprinting 
D) classical conditioning 
E) operant conditioning

Question 9

A region of the canary forebrain shrinks during the nonbreeding season and enlarges when breeding season begins. This change is probably associated with the annual

Accepted Answer

A) addition of new syllables to a canary's song repertoire. 
B) crystallization of subsong into adult songs. 
C) sensitive period in which canary parents imprint on new offspring. 
D) renewal of mating and nest-building behaviours. 
E) elimination of the memorized template for songs sung the previous year. 
A) addition of new syllables to a canary's song repertoire. 
B) crystallization of subsong into adult songs. 
C) sensitive period in which canary parents imprint on new offspring. 
D) renewal of mating and nest-building behaviours. 
E) elimination of the memorized template for songs sung the previous year.

Question 10

A type of learning that can occur only during a brief period of early life and results in a behaviour that is difficult to modify through later experiences is called

Accepted Answer

A) insight. 
B) imprinting. 
C) habituation. 
D) operant conditioning. 
E) trial-and-error learning. 
A) insight. 
B) imprinting. 
C) habituation. 
D) operant conditioning. 
E) trial-and-error learning.

Question 11

What probably explains why coastal and inland garter snakes react differently to banana slug prey?

Accepted Answer

A) Ancestors of coastal snakes that could eat the abundant banana slugs had increased fitness. No such selection occurred inland, where banana slugs were absent. 
B) Banana slugs are camouflaged, and inland snakes, which have poorer vision than coastal snakes, are less able to see them. 
C) Garter snakes learn about prey from other garter snakes. Inland garter snakes have fewer types of prey because they are less social. 
D) Inland banana slugs are distasteful, so inland snakes learn to avoid them. Coastal banana slugs are palatable to garter snakes. 
E) Garter snakes learn to eat what their mother eats. Coastal snake mothers happened to prefer slugs. 
A) Ancestors of coastal snakes that could eat the abundant banana slugs had increased fitness. No such selection occurred inland, where banana slugs were absent. 
B) Banana slugs are camouflaged, and inland snakes, which have poorer vision than coastal snakes, are less able to see them. 
C) Garter snakes learn about prey from other garter snakes. Inland garter snakes have fewer types of prey because they are less social. 
D) Inland banana slugs are distasteful, so inland snakes learn to avoid them. Coastal banana slugs are palatable to garter snakes. 
E) Garter snakes learn to eat what their mother eats. Coastal snake mothers happened to prefer slugs.

Question 12

Use the following information to answer the next few questions.
Two populations of the highly ornamented white-crested sparrow species are spatially separated by a mountain range. Males from the two populations exhibit differing elaborate courtship displays. When a female appears, the males from the eastern population approach the female while bobbing their heads and spreading their wings, while the western population approaches a female by hopping and flapping their wings. Individuals from each population reared in isolation exhibited the same courtship displays as those in the wild.
-Female spotted sandpipers aggressively court males and, after mating, leave the clutch of young for the male to incubate. This sequence may be repeated several times with different males until no available males remain, forcing the female to incubate her last clutch. Which of the following terms best describes this behaviour?

Accepted Answer

A) monogamy 
B) polygyny 
C) polyandry 
D) promiscuity 
E) certainty of paternity 
A) monogamy 
B) polygyny 
C) polyandry 
D) promiscuity 
E) certainty of paternity

Question 13

The proximate causes of behaviour are interactions with the environment, but behaviour is ultimately shaped by

Accepted Answer

A) hormones. 
B) evolution. 
C) sexuality. 
D) pheromones. 
E) the nervous system. 
A) hormones. 
B) evolution. 
C) sexuality. 
D) pheromones. 
E) the nervous system.

Question 14

Pair-bonding in a population of prairie voles can be prevented by

Accepted Answer

A) the ensuing confusion caused by introducing meadow voles. 
B) administering a drug that inhibits the brain receptor for vasopressin in the CNS of males. 
C) administering a drug that turns on ADH receptor sites in male voles. 
D) dying the coat colour from brown to blond in either male or female prairie voles. 
E) allowing the population size to reach critically low levels. 
A) the ensuing confusion caused by introducing meadow voles. 
B) administering a drug that inhibits the brain receptor for vasopressin in the CNS of males. 
C) administering a drug that turns on ADH receptor sites in male voles. 
D) dying the coat colour from brown to blond in either male or female prairie voles. 
E) allowing the population size to reach critically low levels.

Question 15

What type of signal is brief and can work among obstructions at night?

Accepted Answer

A) olfactory 
B) visual 
C) auditory 
D) tactile 
E) magnetic 
A) olfactory 
B) visual 
C) auditory 
D) tactile 
E) magnetic

Question 16

In the evolution of whelk-eating behaviour in crows, which of the following was optimized through natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A) the average number of drops required to break the shell 
B) the average height a bird flew to drop a shell 
C) the average total energy used to break shells 
D) the average size of the shells dropped by the birds 
E) the average thickness of the shells dropped by the birds 
A) the average number of drops required to break the shell 
B) the average height a bird flew to drop a shell 
C) the average total energy used to break shells 
D) the average size of the shells dropped by the birds 
E) the average thickness of the shells dropped by the birds

Question 17

Although many chimpanzees live in environments containing oil palm nuts, members of only a few populations use stones to crack open the nuts. The likely explanation is that

Accepted Answer

A) the behavioural difference is caused by genetic differences between populations. 
B) members of different populations have different nutritional requirements. 
C) the cultural tradition of using stones to crack nuts has arisen in only some populations. 
D) members of different populations differ in learning ability. 
E) members of different populations differ in manual dexterity. 
A) the behavioural difference is caused by genetic differences between populations. 
B) members of different populations have different nutritional requirements. 
C) the cultural tradition of using stones to crack nuts has arisen in only some populations. 
D) members of different populations differ in learning ability. 
E) members of different populations differ in manual dexterity.

Question 18

Which of the following is not an example of a fixed action pattern?

Accepted Answer

A) honey-bee waggle dance 
B) aggressive response to the colour red in the threespine stickleback 
C) courtship behaviour of the fruit fly 
D) a dog begging for food 
E) the mating dance of the male bird of paradise 
A) honey-bee waggle dance 
B) aggressive response to the colour red in the threespine stickleback 
C) courtship behaviour of the fruit fly 
D) a dog begging for food 
E) the mating dance of the male bird of paradise

Question 19

Use the following information to answer the next few questions.
Two populations of the highly ornamented white-crested sparrow species are spatially separated by a mountain range. Males from the two populations exhibit differing elaborate courtship displays. When a female appears, the males from the eastern population approach the female while bobbing their heads and spreading their wings, while the western population approaches a female by hopping and flapping their wings. Individuals from each population reared in isolation exhibited the same courtship displays as those in the wild.
-According to Hamilton's rule

Accepted Answer

A) natural selection does not favour altruistic behaviour that causes the death of the altruist. 
B) natural selection favours altruistic acts when the resulting benefit to the beneficiary, corrected for relatedness, exceeds the cost to the altruist. 
C) natural selection is more likely to favour altruistic behaviour that benefits an offspring than altruistic behaviour that benefits a sibling. 
D) the effects of kin selection are larger than the effects of direct natural selection on individuals. 
E) altruism is always reciprocal. 
A) natural selection does not favour altruistic behaviour that causes the death of the altruist. 
B) natural selection favours altruistic acts when the resulting benefit to the beneficiary, corrected for relatedness, exceeds the cost to the altruist. 
C) natural selection is more likely to favour altruistic behaviour that benefits an offspring than altruistic behaviour that benefits a sibling. 
D) the effects of kin selection are larger than the effects of direct natural selection on individuals. 
E) altruism is always reciprocal.

Exam 51: Animal Behaviour

The mating system in which females are more ornamented than males is

A female cat in heat urinates more often and in many places. Male cats are attracted to the urine deposits. Which of the following is a proximate cause of this increased urination?

Which of the following best describes "game theory" as it applies to animal behaviour?

What type of signal is fast and requires daylight with no obstructions?

Which of the following examples describes a behavioural pattern that results from a proximate cause?

In guppies, females may copy the mate choice of conspecifics even if it means choosing a male with less extensive orange colouration than would be chosen with no female present. This decision may increase

A guinea pig loves the lettuce kept in the refrigerator and squeals each time the refrigerator door opens. What term best applies to this behaviour?

A region of the canary forebrain shrinks during the nonbreeding season and enlarges when breeding season begins. This change is probably associated with the annual

A type of learning that can occur only during a brief period of early life and results in a behaviour that is difficult to modify through later experiences is called

What probably explains why coastal and inland garter snakes react differently to banana slug prey?

The proximate causes of behaviour are interactions with the environment, but behaviour is ultimately shaped by

Pair-bonding in a population of prairie voles can be prevented by

What type of signal is brief and can work among obstructions at night?

In the evolution of whelk-eating behaviour in crows, which of the following was optimized through natural selection?

Although many chimpanzees live in environments containing oil palm nuts, members of only a few populations use stones to crack open the nuts. The likely explanation is that

Which of the following is not an example of a fixed action pattern?

Introduction: Evolution and Themes of Biology

The Chemical Context of Life

Water and Life

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules

A Tour of the Cell

Membrane Structure and Function

An Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration and Fermentation

Photosynthesis

Cell Communication

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Mendel and the Gene Idea

The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

From Gene to Protein

Regulation of Gene Expression

Viruses

Dna Tools and Biotechnology

Genomes and Their Evolution

Descent With Modification: a Darwinian View of Life

The Evolution of Populations

The Origin of Species

The History of Life on Earth

Phylogeny and the Tree of Life

Bacteria and Archaea

Protists

Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land

Plant Diversity Ii: the Evolution of Seed Plants

Fungi

An Overview of Animal Diversity

An Introduction to Invertebrates

The Origin and Evolution of Vertebrates

Plant Structure, Growth, and Development

Resource Acquisition and Transport in Vascular Plants

Soil and Plant Nutrition

Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology

Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function

Animal Nutrition

Circulation and Gas Exchange

The Immune System

Osmoregulation and Excretion

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Animal Reproduction

Animal Development

Neurons, Synapses, and Signalling

Nervous Systems

Sensory and Motor Mechanisms

An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

Population Ecology

Community Ecology

Ecosystems and Restoration Ecology

Conservation Biology and Global Change

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