Animal Behavior

Front 1

Learned behavior is __________.

Back 1

behavior that is changed on the basis of experience

Front 2

Innate behavior is __________.

Back 2

a behavior performed reasonably completely the first time

Front 3

Territoriality __________.

Back 3

involves the active defense of an area containing important resources

Front 4

rasshopper mice (genus Onychomys) are insectivores. Among their prey are beetles that, when threatened, elevate their rear ends and eject a spray of acetic acid into the faces of potential predators. Adult grasshopper mice avoid this by plunging the beetle’s rear end into the ground and biting off its head. Juvenile grasshopper mice, when first exposed to these beetles, perform the "jam and bite" behavior but don’t always get the right end of the beetle up! Which of the following is the best explanation for this feeding behavior?

Back 4

The "jam and bite" behavior is innate but modified by learning.

Front 5

Which of the following is NOT likely to be a behavior that can be explained in biological terms?

Back 5

(None of the above.)

Front 6

The rove beetle lays its eggs in the nest of a particular species of ant. Beetle larvae produce a scent that causes the ants to carry the larvae into the ants’ brood chamber, where the larvae proceed to eat ant eggs and larvae. Later, the adult beetles mimic the ants themselves in order to get food. An adult beetle approaches an ant and touches the ant with its antennae. Then, it touches its forelegs to the ant’s mandibles. This causes the ant to regurgitate sweet, nutritious fluids for the beetle to eat. The adult beetle behavior is an example of __________.

Back 6

the use of pheromones to evoke an innate behavior.

Front 7

Which of the following is unlikely to be a consequence of sociality?

Back 7

increased access to limited resources such as food or nest sites

Front 8

Why do some animals engage in ritualized combat?

Back 8

Ritualized combat allows members of a species to assert dominance without causing any injury to each other. This is important because this way territories and hierarchies can be established without impacting the survival of the species as a whole.

Front 9

The basis for viewer interest in the popular television shows Survivor stems from our fascination with which of the following behaviors?

Back 9

Territory, aggression, dominance, etc.

Front 10

Without thinking about it, some mothers begin lactating when they hear a baby crying. This indicates that lactation in humans is __________.

Back 10

an innate response to a specific stimulus

Front 11

The hybrid offspring produced by mating a member of the eastern European population of blackcaps (a bird) to a member of the western European population of the same species follow a migration route intermediate between that of their parents. This occurs even if the offspring are raised in isolation. From this information we can reasonably conclude that migration in this species __________.

Back 11

has a genetic component

Front 12

Which of the following forms of communication would be the most likely to be effective over long distances?

Back 12

communication by sound
communication using chemical cues

Front 13

How does territory establishment reduce competition?

Back 13

If individuals of the same species inhabit the same area, they will compete for access to the area’s resources. When an animal establishes a territory within that area, it closely guards the resources within its territory, keeping those to itself or its immediate family.

Other individuals of that animal’s species do not have access to the resources and thus are not competing for them. They expended energy fighting to establish the territory but after it is established it should not take much energy on a daily basis to maintain it – thus reducing overall efforts.

Front 14

Small birds will often mob large predatory birds like owls and hawks. This behavior involves the smaller birds gathering or flying near the larger bird, calling loudly, and even striking the larger bird, and may result in the larger bird leaving the area. This behavior is risky for the smaller birds but is commonly seen. From this description we can reasonably conclude that __________.

Back 14

there must be some advantage of this behavior, such as protecting their chicks, that makes the risks worthwhile

Front 15

Insect pests such as gypsy moths and Japanese beetles can be effectively controlled by setting out traps baited with synthetic sex pheromones of the species in question. This type of control is considered better than using chemical pesticides because __________.

Back 15

the pheromones are very species-specific, so no useful insects are affected

Front 16

Male white-crowned sparrows have distinctive songs that identify not only their species but also the general region in which they live. In the wild, male birds first begin singing a soft "sub-song" at 150 to 200 days after hatching; over time, this develops into the full song characteristic of the species and region in which they live. Experiments with lab-reared birds reveal that males can only learn the song of white-crowned sparrows—they cannot learn even similar songs of closely related species. And, in order for full song to develop properly, males must be exposed to the songs of other white-crowned sparrows between 10 and 50 days after hatching and they must be able to hear themselves sing when they start producing sub-songs at 150 to 200 days after hatching (if they are deafened before they begin producing sub-song, their full song will not develop).

Back 16

The song is an innate behavior modified by experience.

Front 17

A female bird will continue to feed a parasitic cuckoo chick in its nest even after the chick has killed the bird's own offspring and grown larger than its foster parent. All the cuckoo needs to do is open its mouth and food is inserted. This indicates that feeding of a gaping mouth by an adult bird is __________.

Back 17

an innate behavior not easily modified by experience

Front 18

Which of the following conditions would be most likely to force prey animals to associate into loosely organized social groupings?

Back 18

A.
when weather conditions are extreme

B.
when prey numbers are low but predator numbers are high

Front 19

Bears often scratch the bark on trees located near the outer edges of their range. This behavior is most likely done to __________.

Back 19

mark the limits of their territory to keep other bears out

Front 20

Compare the disadvantages and advantages of the 3 types of communication.

Back 20

Auditory – covers a lot of ground, effective even when it is dark, can create complex messages

alerts all in the area, including potential predators

Visual – can be active or passive, is fast/immediate, is silent

very conspicuous, limited in distance, ineffective when it is dark

Chemical – is silent, is long-lasting, is species-specific

limited in the amount of information it can convey

Front 21

Which of the following is a likely example of one animal attempting to alter the behavior of another animal?

Back 21

A.
When threatened, a water moccasin (cottonmouth snake) opens its mouth in a wide gape, exposing the bright white lining of the mouth.

B.
A common flicker (a form of woodpecker) spends significant amounts of time drumming its beak on an aluminum sculpture.

C.
Kangaroo rats living in the desert Southwest rub oils from their skin into the soil at communal sand-bathing areas.

D.
A male spider vibrates a female's web in a specific sequence prior to attempting to mate.

Front 22

Which of the following is unlikely to be a consequence of sociality?

Back 22

increased access to limited resources such as food or nest sites

Front 23

Learned behavior is __________.

Back 23

behavior that is changed on the basis of experience

Front 24

Territoriality __________.

Back 24

involves the active defense of an area containing important resources