Question 1

Figure 51.3 
-From Figure 51.3 what can we determine about the location of the food source?

Accepted Answer

A) The waggle dance in the top figure indicates that the food is directly under the hive. 
B) The waggle dance in the bottom figure indicates that the food is to the west of the hive. 
C) The waggle dance in the top figure indicates that the food is close to the hive. 
D) The waggle dance in the bottom figure indicates that the food is 90 degrees to the right of the Sun. 
E) The vigor of the waggle dance indicates the location of the food relative to the Sun.

Question 2

What is the primary mode of communication used by humpback whales?

Accepted Answer

A) the visual mode,because males display to females visually during complex courtship interactions 
B) the auditory mode,because long-distance communication is important,and sound travels much further than light in aquatic environments 
C) the olfactory mode,because in an aquatic medium chemicals diffuse rapidly and are easy to localize 
D) the tactile mode,because males must touch the female with their flippers during courtship

Question 3

If you ask a question about behavior that concerns how it works,or what its mechanism is,you are asking a question that involves _____.

Accepted Answer

A) ultimate causation 
B) proximate causation 
C) adaptive significance 
D) survival value 
E) only the neurological level of analysis

Question 4

You observe that by flashing a small light in a particular sequence,you can attract male fireflies of a certain species.You begin to think how this signal may be used against these males.Which of the hypotheses seems to be the most logical?

Accepted Answer

A) This particular signal will be used commonly by other firefly species as a way to lure males and prey on them. 
B) This particular signal will be used only by this species of firefly. 
C) This particular signal will be used widely by males of this species in territorial disputes. 
D) This particular signal will be used by females of other species to lure males and mate with them in an effort to pass on more of their genes.

Question 5

If you ask a question about behavior that concerns how it works,or what its mechanism is,you are asking a question that involves _____.

Accepted Answer

A) ultimate causation 
B) proximate causation 
C) adaptive significance 
D) survival value 
E) the neurological,hormonal,and skeletal-muscular level of analysis

Question 6

Which animal is best known for migration using chemotaxis?

Accepted Answer

A) pigeons 
B) arctic terns 
C) salmon 
D) monarch butterflies

Question 7

Looking at this evolutionary relationship of protein kinases (Figure 51.6)and knowing there is evidence that this particular protein kinase is linked to food-related behaviors in the animals studied,what conclusions can you draw?

Accepted Answer

A) PKG influences food-related behaviors in a wide variety of animals. 
B) There is enormous variation in amino acid sequences between taxa. 
C) There is likely a conserved evolutionary relationship between these genes and their behavioral phenotype. 
D) PKG influences food-related behaviors in a wide variety of animals,and there is enormous variation in amino acid sequences between taxa. 
E) PKG influences food-related behaviors in a wide variety of animals,and there is likely a conserved evolutionary relationship between these genes and their behavioral phenotype.

Question 8

Homing pigeons' ability to always return to their home,no matter where they are released,is an excellent example of _____.

Accepted Answer

A) piloting 
B) compass orientation 
C) an innate behavior 
D) true navigation 
E) all of the above

Question 9

Any process in which a signal from one individual modifies the behavior of a recipient individual is termed _____.

Accepted Answer

A) cognition 
B) communication 
C) reflex 
D) perception 
E) conditioning

Question 10

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.What experiment would you perform next to determine that the color initiated the defense response?

Accepted Answer

A) Repeat the experiment using a red patch instead of an orange patch. 
B) Repeat the experiment by removing the patch completely. 
C) Repeat the experiment by using a model of a robin that was twice the size of a normal robin but with a small orange patch. 
D) Repeat the experiment by using a yellow patch instead of an orange patch. 
E) Repeat the experiment by using a model of a robin that had an orange patch that was twice the size of a normal patch.

Question 11

In red-winged blackbirds,which of the following stimuli elicited the greatest territorial defense response?

Accepted Answer

A) playing a recording of a blackbird call in the territory 
B) presenting a model of a male in the territory 
C) presenting both the model and playing the recording 
D) All of the above elicited equal responses.

Question 12

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 behavior was random or in response to another signal?

Accepted Answer

A) Observe more of these behaviors in the wild and try to determine if the behavior is random. 
B) Hypothesize a set of signals that could produce this behavior and try to match the behaviors with the signals. 
C) Attempt to reproduce the behavior in captivity by using bird models and a computer simulation. 
D) All of the above would be excellent experiments.

Question 13

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?

Accepted Answer

A) Song learning in this species is most likely learned. 
B) The period of imprinting is likely later in the bird's life. 
C) The males will learn song when they congregate with other males of their species during the winter. 
D) Song learning in this species is most likely innate.

Question 14

If a prairie dog had the opportunity to perform an altruistic act (i.e. ,give an alarm call)to help its relatives,which combination of the following relatives would the prairie dog be most likely to help (base your answer solely on the genetic relationships)?

Accepted Answer

A) four cousins and one brother 
B) two nieces,two cousins,and one half-brother 
C) two half-sisters and two nieces 
D) one son,one niece,and one half-sister 
E) The prarie dog would be equally likely to act altruistically to each of the combinations of relatives described above.

Question 15

Learning has the most influence on behavior when _____.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

How could you test whether male dewlaps (a colorful flap of skin hanging from an anole lizard's throat)were an important cue for female egg production?

Accepted Answer

A) Remove dewlaps from females and measure corresponding egg production. 
B) Relate size of male dewlap to female dewlap. 
C) Remove dewlaps from courting males and measure corresponding female egg production. 
D) All of the above answers apply.

Question 17

Why should a female barn swallow choose a male with long tail feathers?

Accepted Answer

A) The long tail feathers may indicate superior flying ability. 
B) The male will be able to provide her with more food during courtship. 
C) The female will be less likely to compete with the male for food because he will be foraging in different parts of their territory. 
D) The male may be able to better protect her from predators. 
E) The female's offspring might grow more rapidly and survive better.

Exam 51: Behavioral Ecology

Figure 51.3 -From Figure 51.3 what can we determine about the location of the food source?

What is the primary mode of communication used by humpback whales?

If you ask a question about behavior that concerns how it works,or what its mechanism is,you are asking a question that involves _____.

You observe that by flashing a small light in a particular sequence,you can attract male fireflies of a certain species.You begin to think how this signal may be used against these males.Which of the hypotheses seems to be the most logical?

If you ask a question about behavior that concerns how it works,or what its mechanism is,you are asking a question that involves _____.

Which animal is best known for migration using chemotaxis?

Looking at this evolutionary relationship of protein kinases (Figure 51.6) and knowing there is evidence that this particular protein kinase is linked to food-related behaviors in the animals studied,what conclusions can you draw?

Homing pigeons' ability to always return to their home,no matter where they are released,is an excellent example of _____.

Any process in which a signal from one individual modifies the behavior of a recipient individual is termed _____.

In red-winged blackbirds,which of the following stimuli elicited the greatest territorial defense response?

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 behavior was random or in response to another signal?

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?

If a prairie dog had the opportunity to perform an altruistic act (i.e. ,give an alarm call) to help its relatives,which combination of the following relatives would the prairie dog be most likely to help (base your answer solely on the genetic relationships) ?

Learning has the most influence on behavior when _____.

How could you test whether male dewlaps (a colorful flap of skin hanging from an anole lizard's throat) were an important cue for female egg production?

Why should a female barn swallow choose a male with long tail feathers?