Lecture 19

Question 1

Redirected behaviors can become _________.

Answer 1

ritualized

Question 2

Give an example of redirected behavior?

Answer 2

When two herring gulls are
fighting they sometimes pull
large tufts of grass

Question 3

What does the autonomic processes control?

Answer 3

fight or flight response

Question 4

What is piloerection?

Answer 4

voluntary erection or bristling of hairs due to a sympathetic reflex usually triggered by cold, shock, or fright or due to a sympathomimetic agent.

Question 5

Piloerection is typically used for _________.

Answer 5

thermoregulation

Question 6

Ritualized piloerection is localized to what?

Answer 6

to a smaller section of the coat

Question 7

Feathers or fur become ____________ to help accentuate the display.

Answer 7

elongated

Question 8

Describe the characteristics of autonomic feather movement

Answer 8

Sleeked body feathers are
associated with aggressive
behavior 
 Limiting heat trapping and
preventing overheating in
aggressive encounters 
 Fluffed body feathers are
associated with fearful displays

Question 9

Describe the characteristics of ritualized feather movement?

Answer 9

Fluffed display feathers are
associated with aggression  Sleeked display feathers are associated with submission/fear
 Indicates an emancipation of this signal from the original cue

Question 10

Sensory systems that are trained to separate signal from noise tend to prefer what?

Answer 10

Tend to prefer signals that exaggerate this difference.

Question 11

Define supernormal stimulus

Answer 11

Signal pattern that is exaggerated beyond the normal range needed for detection.

Question 12

Supernormal stimuli are selected due to _______ ________

Answer 12

hidden preferences

Question 13

Sensory preferences exist but are not expressed. Why?

Answer 13

Due to lack of available choices.

Question 14

Given an example of super normal stimulus

Answer 14

Lorenz placed various sized artificial eggs around a bird’s
nest
 The birds always tried to retrieve the larges eggs; ignoring their own eggs (cuckoo bird thing)

Question 15

Describe characteristics of supernormal stimulus

Answer 15

 Larger than normal stimulus elicits a stronger than normal response pattern
 If there is a genetic link to the increasing size of
stimulus, the change will be reflected in the population

Question 16

Describe characteristics of the handicap principle.

Answer 16

Large signals are costly
and indicate reliable
information

Question 17

Mate attraction signals
have to provide four main
types of information

Answer 17

Species identification
location
sex recognition
receptivity

Question 18

What do cuckoo birds do?

Answer 18

•They lay their eggs in other species’ nests and transfer the burden of care to the parasitized species

Question 19

Most species that are parasitized are ______ ______ providers.

Answer 19

site specific

Question 20

Cuckoo hatchlings do what?

Answer 20

immediately remove any remaining eggs or existing nestlings

•The nest owners may even be present when this occurs.

Question 21

What in the cuckoo nestling is considered a supernormal stimulus?

Answer 21

sight of a gaping cuckoo nestlings mouth is considered a supernormal stimulus
•Parent birds will work to provide for the cuckoo
The sight of a gaping mouth is a trigger to provide food.

Question 22

The simplest forms of mate attraction result in what?

Answer 22

•one sex signaling
•Signaling only during receptive times
(these signals must be species specific and localizable)

Question 23

Signals improve localizability by?

Answer 23

• Covering large distances
• Improving detection of source
• Occurring frequently in time

Question 24

Signals should allow for?

Answer 24

•Species identification

of Differing levels of complexity in frequency, time or structure when compared.

Question 25

Why are signals arbitrary in form?

Answer 25

Since they function to communicate identification and location
•Sender and receiver are unlikely to be in conflict.

Question 26

What are some visual signals for mate attraction?

Answer 26

• Brightness contrast, movement contrast
• High repetition rate; rapid moves
• Species specific color patters or shape.
• Exploit sensory biases

Question 27

Mate attraction signals should maximize what?

Answer 27

Distance of transmission

Question 28

Wiley said forested habitats use what?

Answer 28

pure song whistles

Question 29

How to females tend to signal?

Answer 29

Olfactory modalities (pheromones or scent marks)

Question 30

Auditory and visual signaling is more ________ than olfactory signaling

Answer 30

costly.

Question 31

Females of some species emit mate attraction calls. What are some examples?

Answer 31

• Elephants emit ultralow frequency sounds
• Females cats will calls during estrus
• Females mosquitos attract mates with near field created wing beats.

Question 32

The signaling sex is stationary while the non-signaling sex does what?

Answer 32

moves to locate the sound source

Question 33

What was found with African Guenons?

Answer 33

Rely on distinct shapes,
patches, and color
features on facial skin
and hair for species
identification

Question 34

What did Wiley find?

Answer 34

species differences based on habitat in North American song birds