Chapter 56

A stimulus that always causes an animal to behave in a highly stereotyped way is called: a. fixed action pattern. b. an instinct. c. habituation. d. a sign stimulus. e. a reinforcement.

Arnold's experiments on the feeding preferences of garter snakes demonstrated that food choice is largely governed by a snake's: a. early experiences. b. genetics. c. size and color. d. diet while it was developing inside its mother. e. trial-and-error learning.

The development of the song system in male songbirds depends on: a. direct connections between sensory neurons and motor neurons. b. a decrease in the number of neurons in the song system. c. the behaviors of females, which stimulate hormone production. d. the successful defense of a territory. e. the production of estrogen early in life.

In cichlid fishes, high levels of the hormone GnRH: a. make females more receptive to male attention. b. cause males to be sexually aggressive but not territorial. c. stimulate a male to defend its territory. d. cause males to abandon their territories. c. cause males to lose their bright colors.

In comparison to males, the females of many animal species: a. compete for mates. b. choose mates that are well camouflaged in their habitats. c choose to mate with many partners. d. are always monogamous. e. choose their mates carefully.

Which of the following statements about animal migration is true? 2\. Piloting animals use the position of the Sun to acquire information about their direction of travel. b. Animals migrating by compass orientation use mental maps of their position in space. c. Navigating animals use familiar landmarks to guide their journey. d. Navigating animals use a compass and a mental map of their position to reach a destination. e. Most migrating birds use olfactory cues to return to the place where they hatched from eggs.

Which signal type would provide the fastest communication between bats flying in a dark forest? a. chemical signals b. acoustical signals c. visual signals d. tactile signals e. electrical signals

Social behavior: a. is exhibited only by animals that live in groups with close relatives. b. cannot evolve in animals that maintain territories. c. evolved because group living provides benefits to individuals in the group. d. is never observed in insects and other invertebrate animals. can be explained only by the hypothesis of kin selection.

The degree of relatedness between a parent and its biological offspring: a. is the same as that between full siblings. b. is less than that between brother and sister. c. depends on how many siblings the parent has. d. promotes an individual's reproductive success. e. is the same as between first cousins.

Is learning always superior to instinctive behavior? If you think so, why do so many animals react instinctively to certain stimuli? Are there some environmental circumstances in which being able to respond "correctly" the first time would have a big payoff?

In Chapters \(51,54,\) and \(55,\) you learned about some of the environmental changes associated with global warming. What effects might global warming have on animal species that undertake seasonal migrations?

Using an example from your own experience, explain why habituation to a frequent stimulus might be beneficial. Also describe an example in which habituation might be harmful or even dangerous.

Although females provide parental care far more often than males in the animal kingdom as a whole, exceptions exist, especially among birds and fishes. Develop three evolutionary hypotheses to explain why male birds are so likely to involve themselves in caring for their offspring.

You find that some fruit flies in your lab are quick to come to a dish containing citrus oils, but others are not as responsive. How could you test whether these behavioral differences are caused by genetic differences among the flies or environmental differences in their prior experience?

Some birds that are frequently kept as pets, such as parrots and myna birds, have the ability to imitate human speech faithfully. Develop a hypothesis that explains why the ability to be a good mimic might have evolved in these species. What features of the birds brains might be involved in this behavior?