Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
61. Which of the following statements best defines an altruistic act?
62. Which one of the following examples describes a communication mode that would be
best for signaling over the greatest distance in a dark, densely forested environment?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
Clarify question:
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?
Gather Content:
What do you already know about the different modes of communication? What other
information is related to the question?
Choose Answer:
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflection on Process:
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
Check All That Apply Questions
63. Which of the following statements comparing the naked mole rat social system with social
insect societies are true? (Check all that apply.)
Fill in the Blank Questions
Choose the letter of the best match from the following:
A. cognition
B. waggle dance
C. navigation
D. filial imprinting
E. fixed action pattern
Topic: Behavioral Ecology
64. Information processing that suggests thinking.
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
54–44
65. Move long distances using sun and stars.
66. A form of communication in honeybees.
67. Innate motor program.
68. Social attachments are formed between parents and offspring.
Check All That Apply Questions
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
54–45
Lepidopterans (moths and butterflies) sometimes have specialized flying behaviors. Some
moths have the ability to do sudden vertical drops when they detect bat sonar, to avoid being
eaten. Other species use special flying techniques to attract a mate.
When biologists talk about the “cause” of a behavior, they may be referring to two different
things. The proximate cause is the sequence of physiological events that lead to the behavior
in an individual. The ultimate cause is the adaptive benefit to the animal that allowed natural
selection to sculpt the behavior over evolutionary time. Understanding both the proximate and
ultimate basis of behavior is important, and different types of biologists may focus on each.
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
54–46
69. A moth species is known for its unusual flying behavior, which includes sudden vertical
drops and horizontal zigzags. Not much is known about the cause of this behavior. What
could you study to better understand the proximate basis of this behavior? (Check all that
apply)
Clarify question:
What type of thinking is required?
Gather Content:
What do you already know about proximate causes of a behavior? What other information
is related to the question?
Choose Answer:
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflection on Process:
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
54–47
70. What could you study to better understand the ultimate basis of this behavior? (Check all
that apply)
Clarify question:
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
The question asks about an ultimate cause of an unusual behavior in a species of moth.
What type of thinking is required?
Gather Content:
What do you already know about ultimate causes of a behavior? What other information
is related to the question?
Choose Answer:
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflection on Process:
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
Multiple Choice Questions
71. One of your professors says that fleas jump so high because they have specially adapted
leg structures and muscles. But your other professor says that fleas jump high because
evolution selected for individuals with genes that helped them avoid being damaged by the
scratching behavior of their host. So — why do fleas jump high?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
54–49
Clarify question:
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?
Gather Content:
What do you already know about the differences in the proximate and ultimate causes of
a behavior? What other information is related to the question? Proximate causes are
Choose Answer:
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflection on Process:
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Check All That Apply Questions
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
72. Herring gulls feed their chicks by regurgitating food for the chick in the nest. When
a chick pecks at the red spot on the gull’s beak, the parent regurgitates the food. Interestingly,
the chicks will peck at any red spot, whether it is attached to a gull or not. Which features of
this behavior are correctly labeled? (Check three.)
_____ Fixed action pattern — finding a healthy variety of food for the chick
Clarify question:
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?
Gather Content:
What do you already know about feeding behaviors? What other information is related to
the question?
Choose Answer:
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflection on Process:
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
54–51
73. Male fruit flies perform a complex mating dance that includes following the female,
vibrating a wing to produce a species-specific song, and picking up chemosensory cues by
tapping with the legs and licking with the tongue. What physiological features are likely
important for causing this behavior? (Check all that apply)
Clarify question:
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?
Gather Content:
What do you already know about physiological and evolutionary factors underlying a
behavior? What other information is related to the question?
Choose Answer:
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflection on Process:
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
Multiple Choice Questions
74. Female fire beetles, Melanophilia sp., must seek out freshly-burned trees to lay their eggs
in so the larvae can feed on the burned wood. What specialized neural structures might you
expect these beetles to have to facilitate this behavior?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
Clarify question:
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?
Gather Content:
What do you already know about sensory systems involved with behavior? What other
information is related to the question?
Choose Answer:
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflection on Process:
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
54–54
75. Which best describes the role of neurotransmitters in behavior?
Check All That Apply Questions
76. Which of the studies below provide evidence linking genes and behavior? (Check all that
apply)
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
Clarify question:
What type of thinking is required?
Gather Content:
What do you already know about the genetics that underlies a behavior? What other
information is related to the question?
Choose Answer:
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflection on Process:
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
Multiple Choice Questions
77. At a research conference, you meet a graduate student who studies the hormonal
underpinnings of mating behavior in two species of squirrel. “It turns out the difference
between my two squirrel species is similar to the difference between the prairie and the
montane voles,” he says. You nod knowingly, and reply…
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
Clarify question:
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?
Gather Content:
What do you already know about the hormones involved in mating in the species of voles?
What other information is related to the question?
Choose Answer:
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflection on Process:
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
78. Your study buddy is frustrated. “This book says that a single gene can make mice exhibit
a certain behavior. That’s ridiculous! How can you build any kind of neural circuit with just
one gene?” What is your response?
79. A bear at a national park has discovered that if it can open the lid of the trash cans, it is
likely to find tasty food inside. Soon it is trying to open the trash cans all over the park. What
mechanism of learning has occurred?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
54–59
Clarify question:
What is the key concept addressed by the question?
What type of thinking is required?
Gather Content:
What do you already know about different learning mechanisms? What other information
is related to the question?
Choose Answer:
Given what you now know, what information is most likely to produce the correct answer?
Reflection on Process:
Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the
process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a
more desirable result?
Chapter 54 – Behavioral Biology
Check All That Apply Questions
80. You’ve finished your homework, so you settle into your favorite chair to play your video
games. “Going into your Skinner box?” your roommate jokes. What does a video game have
in common with the traditional Skinner box? (Check all that apply)