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

2. 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 =
This question is aimed at Concept Inclusive fitness is a key concept in understanding altruistic behaviors.

3. 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
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4. 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
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5. 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
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6. 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

7. 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

8. 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
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9. 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
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10. 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
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11. 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
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12. 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
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