Animal and plant behaviour

Question 1

Innate releaser mechanism

Answer 1

Neural network which produces a specific type of behaviour in response to an external sensory stimulus.

Question 2

Categories for innate behaviour

Answer 2

1) Kineses
2) Taxes
3) Simple reflexes
4) Instinctive behaviour

Question 3

Taxis

Answer 3

Simple response whose direction is determined by direction of stimulus.
- A taxic response is movement of organism toward or away from a directional stimulus.

Question 4

Operant conditioning

Answer 4

Reinforces appropriate behaviour and eliminates inappropriate behaviour

Question 5

Variations of intermittent reinforcement

Answer 5

• Reinforcement is delivered after fixed number of responses are made.
• Fixed-interval schedule
• Variable-interval schedule
• Schedules of reinforcement affect rate of response, acquisition of a behaviour, and resistance to extinction

Question 6

Exploratory learning

Answer 6

Involves storing information for later. Enables animals to survive long after learning occurs

Question 7

Insight learning

Answer 7

Highest form of learning. Involves animals using past experiences and synthesising them to solve a problem. Involves thought and reasoning

Question 8

Extended Parental Care

Answer 8

In primates, few offspring are produced and parental care occurs over a long period. Provides opportunity for learning various behaviours for survival and socialisation.

Question 9

Endogenous rhythms

Answer 9

Controlled internally and have nervous and hormonal components.

Question 10

Exogenous rhythms

Answer 10

Controlled by external environmental factors such as photo-periods and lunar cycles

Question 11

Courtship change examples in secondary sexual characteristics and behaviour

Answer 11

1. More reproductive hormones & maturation of gonads
2. Colouration changes
3. Increase in size of parts of the body
4. Mating calls
5. Postural displays
6. Use of chemical sex attractants

Question 12

How does courtship behaviour help animals reproduce?

Answer 12

• Species recognition.
• Identify mate of sexual maturity
• Attract/identify mate
• Synchronise mating so there is maximum probability of sperm & egg meeting

Question 13

Pheromones

Answer 13

Secretion & release of small amounts of highly volatile chemical substances of low mr, leads to specific physiological or behavioural responses in members of the same species, for courtship and mating

Question 14

Altruism

Answer 14

Form of social behaviour whereby one organism puts itself either at risk or personal disadvantage for the good of other individual members of the species

Question 15

Kin selection

Answer 15

Evolutionary strategy that favours the reproductive success of an organism’s relatives, even at a cost to the organism’s own survival and reproduction

Question 16

Eurosociality

Answer 16

Describes social systems with 3 characteristics:

• Overlap in generations between parents and offspring
• Cooperative brood care
• characteristicis specialized castes of non-reproductive individuals.

Question 17

Reciprocal altruism

Answer 17

Altruism where an organism benefits another without expecting any immediate compensation

Question 18

Tropism

Answer 18

Growth movement of part of a plant in response to a directional stimulus. Can be positive/negative depending on growth in relation to stimulus.

Question 19

Plant growth regulators

Answer 19

Chemicals used by plants for internal coordination of growth and development.

Question 20

Photoperiod

Answer 20

Length of the day

Question 21

Photoperiodism

Answer 21

Response of organism to changes in day length

Question 22

Gibberellins

Answer 22

Promote cell elongation and so increase growth, also cell differentiation and division.
Involved in breaking dormancy in seeds, mobilizing food reserves for germination by stimulating synthesis of enzymes (gene expression)

Question 23

Cytokins

Answer 23

Derivative of adenine, so likely involved in nucleic acid metabolism.
Found in dividing tissues, promoting cell division in the presence of auxins.
Also delay ageing in leaves.

Question 24

Abscisic acid

Answer 24

Inhibits growth, working antagonistically to other growth hormones. Causes abscission.

Question 25

Abscission

Answer 25

Organised shedding of parts of the plant. Abscission zone forms at base of organ by cells breaking down middle lamellae. Vascular strands break by wind action.

Question 26

Lamellae

Answer 26

Layer of magnesium and calcium salts of pectins that holds neighbouring cell walls together

Question 27

In the lead up to abscission what occurs to growth hormone levels in the plant?

Answer 27

Auxin decreases, ABA levels may increase leading to abscission.

Question 28

What occurs to growth hormones during ripening of fruit?

Answer 28

Auxin levels decrease, ABA and ethene levels will rise.

Question 29

Ethene as a growth hormone

Answer 29

• Produced by senescing leaves and ripening fruits
• Always stimulates abscission
• Induces ripening in tomatoes, bananas & citrus fruits.
• Increases respiration rate & acts as growth inhibitor

Question 30

Even if light hits the plant, why might biomass not be formed?

Answer 30

Wrong wavelength of light
Misses chlorophyll
Used for evaporation of water
Light is reflected

Question 31

What might cause plant stuff to be indigestible?

Answer 31

Contains cellulose or lignin (cell wall components), and lack enzymes necessary to digest them.

Question 32

How are saprophytic fungi able to make use of so many nutrients of faceces?

Answer 32

Extracellular digestion and release of enzymes and uptake of nutrients.

Question 33

Fixed-interval schedule

Answer 33

Type of intermittent reinforcement

Reinforcer delivered after fixed amount of time

Question 34

Variable-interval schedule

Answer 34

Type of intermittent reinforcement

Reinforcer delivered after average amount of time