Animal Behavior Chapter 51 Questions prepared by William Wischusen Louisiana State University John Zarnetske Hoosick Falls Central Schools

From the perspective of inclusive fitness, which of the following individuals or groups of individuals would be the best to rescue from drowning? One brother One cousin One nephew Three nieces Five cousins Answer: d Nieces have a coefficient of relatedness of 0.25, while siblings r = 0.5 and cousins r = 0.125. This question is aimed at Concept 51.1. Inclusive fitness is a key concept in understanding altruistic behaviors.

The territorial response in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is a fixed action pattern that is triggered by a sign stimulus. What environmental cue did Niko Tinbergen determine was the sign stimulus for aggression in three-spined sticklebacks? The color red A torpedo shape The stickleback spines A square shape A swollen belly Answer: a Topic 51.1 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

A scientist observes that a male three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) attacks other male sticklebacks that enter its nesting territory. What is the ultimate cause of this behavior? a) He decreases the chance that eggs laid in his territory will be fertilized by another male. b) To show his fitness to females who are watching the contest c) Sex drive d) The observed red belly e) The smell of a female in the vicinity Answer: a Topic 51.1 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Environmental stimuli not only trigger behaviors, but also provide cues that animals use to carry out those behaviors. Which of the following cues do birds use to navigate during migration? The sun’s position and circadian rhythms The Earth’s magnetic field Environmental cues and landmarks The position of the north star All options are correct. Answer: e Topic 51.1 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Which of the following statements about imprinting is true? a) It causes behaviors that last for only a short time (the sensitive period). b) It is a type of learning that does not involve innate behavior. c) It may be triggered by visual or chemical stimuli. d) It occurs only in birds. e) It happens to many adult animals, but not to their young. Answer: c Topic 51.2

Many distasteful insects are brightly colored Many distasteful insects are brightly colored. What type of behavior might help explain this? Fixed action pattern Kinesis Associative learning Spatial learning Habituation Answer: c This question is aimed at Concept 51.2 and can be used to begin a discussion of different types of learning. Image is from Campbell Essential Biology, 3e, Fig. 17.24

The coyote (Canis latrans) pictured below had a bad experience while trying to prey on a porcupine. What type of behavior is likely to ensue? Imprinting Classical conditioning Innate Associative learning Cognition Answer: d Topic 51.2 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Northwestern crows (Corvus caurinus) eat sea snails called whelks Northwestern crows (Corvus caurinus) eat sea snails called whelks. To access the soft parts, the crow flies up and drops the whelks onto rocks. What determines how high the crow flies? The higher the crow flies, the more likely the whelk shell will break when it is dropped. Flying higher, however, means consuming more energy. The orange bars represent the average number of drops, while the green bars depict the total flight height. According to the diagram, what is the optimal drop height? 2 m 3 m 5 m 7 m 15 m Answer: c 51.3 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Game theory is a) where the fitness of a particular behavior is influenced by other behavioral phenotypes in a population. b) the total of all of the behavioral displays, both male and female, that are related to courtship. c) where an individual in a population changes a behavioral phenotype to gain a competitive advantage. d) the play behavior performed by juveniles that allows them to perfect adult behaviors that are needed for survival, such as hunting and courtship. e) the evolutionary “game” that is played between predator and prey, where the prey develops a behavior through natural selection that enables it to be less vulnerable to predation, and the predator counters with a new reciprocal predatory behavior. Answer: a Topic 51.3 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

It has been shown experimentally that when a vassopressin receptor gene is transplanted from male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), which typically pair bond after mating, into meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus), which do not form lasting relationships with mates, the result is no change in the behavior. disoriented behavior. pair-bonding behavior. homosexual behavior. aggressive behavior. Answer: c Topic 51.4 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Charles Henry found that green that lacewings that appeared morphologically identical performed a song specific for their species. To determine whether the song was genetically determined, Henry crossed different green lacewing species (Chrysoperla plorabunda and C. johnsoni) and analyzed the songs produced by the hybrid offspring. He discovered that hybrids sang a “nonsense song.” hybrids sang a song that had components of both parental species. offspring sang the C. plorabunda song only. offspring sang the C. johnsoni song only. male hybrids sang a unique song to which female hybrids would not respond. Answer: b Topic 51.4 © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.