Test 3

Question 1

Which species can spray a hot caustic liquid from its abdomen as a defense mechanism?

Answer 1

Bombardier Beetles

Question 2

Two noxious species have evolved to look similar. They will most likely be ______.

Answer 2

Aposematic coloration ( a bright, easily recognizable coloration that warns predators of a harmful/poisonous prey)

Question 3

These birds were shown to share a winter territory along European streams at certain times?

Answer 3

Pied Wagtails

Question 4

Non-venomous black rat snakes act like venomous rattlesnakes when threatened. This is:

Answer 4

Batesian mimicry (when a harmless species mimics a harmful species)

Question 5

A shark can eat herring (E = 320 Calories, h = 8 minutes) and/or grouper (E = 1000 C, h = 10 minutes). Which option is more profitable?

Answer 5

Grouper ( herring = 320 cals/ 8 mins = 40 cals per minute vs grouper= 1000 cals/10 mins= 100 cals per minute)

Question 6

If the herring above are encountered once every 10 minutes and grouper once every 40 minutes which should the shark include in its diet?

Answer 6

Both

Question 7

Blackberry bushes are in peek fruit in July. In August the same number of bushes is present but each has less fruit. A robin maximizing its energy gain foraging on blackberries should stay longer in the same bush in which month?

Answer 7

August ( reduced fruit in each bush) allows the robin to stay longer, saving energy. ex of diminishing returns which means when food is limited, foragers must adapt their strategies to optimize energy)

Question 8

In which scenario would you most expect to find territorial behavior?

Answer 8

Intermediate resources clumped

Question 9

A mountain lion that sees “tail flagging” behavior of a deer should be ________ to attack the deer than if deer is not
“tail flagging”.

Answer 9

Less likely (tail flagging happens when the prey wants to tell the predator that they have been detected, making an attack less likely to succeed, decreasing the chance that the predator will still choose to attack the prey)

Question 10

Term for migratory restlessness. It was described after observing caged birds at night during migration season

Answer 10

Zugunruhe (birds are anxious and restless behavior, they show increased activity as they prepare for migration)

Question 11

Red-eyed tree frog embryos hatch sooner when exposed to:

Answer 11

Wasp predators

Question 12

The proximate reason for red-eyed tree frogs hatching sooner is:

Answer 12

Responding to vibration

Question 13

Young male Anolis lizards were experimentally-shown to choose to establish territories based on

Answer 13

Conspecific cueing (when animals use the presence/behavior of members of their species to guide decisions. Researchers found that lizards were more likely to establish territories in areas where other Anolis lizards have been previously)

Question 14

On a park bench Ed is throwing birdseed at a rate of 30g per minute to 6 pigeons. On a nearby bench Al is throwing birdseed to 4 pigeons. How many grams per minute do you expect Al to be throwing out?

Answer 14

20g ( 30 g / 6= 5 g per min per pigeon 5g per pigeon x 4 pigeons= 20 g per min)

Question 15

Which behavioral model can be used to predict density of sparrows in two different habitats of varying quality?

Answer 15

Ideal free distribution (used to predict how animals distribute themselves across habitats of varying quality)

Question 16

What is an ultimate explanation for a male Barn Swallow giving false alarm calls?

Answer 16

Disrupt extra-pair copulations (creates a distraction to prevent other males from mating with their new partners . This increases the distracter’s reproductive success)

Question 17

What is an ultimate explanation for young ravens to “yell” upon discovering a food bonanza?

Answer 17

To recruit more young ravens to overwhelm territorial ravens

Question 18

Animals that blend into their surroundings are:

Answer 18

Cryptically colored (this adaptation helps them avoid detection by predators or prey, allowing them to survive and thrive in their environment, camouflage)

Question 19

Type I male toadfishes reduce calling rates when they detect sounds produced by:

Answer 19

Dolphins

Question 20

The behavior of toadfish is an example of a(n) __________ explanation.

Answer 20

Proximate (this is a proximate cause because it explains “how” the behavior occurs, rather than “why” it evolved, which would be an ultimate explanation.

Question 21

The nationwide Breeding Bird Survey takes advantage of ____ to detect changes in bird populations.

Answer 21

Singing behavior

Question 22

An area of regular use by an animal (not defended) is its ________.

Answer 22

Home range

Question 23

In the research described in the textbook & in class, gray treefrogs laid the most eggs in ponds with

Answer 23

A few snails

Question 24

What is an ultimate explanation for frogs acting as in #23 above?

Answer 24

Avoid parasites (less snails is better because more snails increases the likelihood of parasitic infections which can affect frog embryo success)

Question 25

Bigger male toads can produce _______ compared to smaller toads.

Answer 25

Lower-pitch song (pitch is influenced by body size)

Question 26

How were RFID tags used to study Mountain Chickadees (by Pitera et al. 2018) ?

Answer 26

To track their feeding behaviors and measure their spatial learning and memory. Showed how they learn and remember food cache locations, particularly in challenging environments like high elevations.

Question 27

Define conspecific cueing

Answer 27

A behavioral situation where animals use the presence or behavior of individuals of the same species (conspecifics) as a cue to make decisions about their environment

Question 28

In the Wang et al. (2104) study, summarize the experiment that used quinine

Answer 28

Setup: Bees were tested in a controlled laboratory environment using artificial flowers. Some flowers contained a bitter quinine solution as a gustatory punishment, while others offered nectar rewards. Predation risk was simulated using robotic crab spiders, which could be either conspicuous or cryptic. Findings: Bees could efficiently avoid conspicuous predators while foraging adaptively. However, when faced with cryptic predators, they prioritized predator avoidance over maximizing energy intake. Interestingly, when the safe flower type (free of predators) contained the bitter quinine solution, bees still managed to discriminate between flower types and avoid cryptic predators. This behavior came at a cost, as bees spent more time inspecting flowers. Conclusion: Bees can simultaneously engage in adaptive foraging and attend to cryptic predators, but only when the cost of not doing so (e.g., gustatory punishment) justifies the increased effort.

Question 29

What is code-breaking? Provide an example.

Answer 29

A behavior where one species exploits the signals of another species. Example: Cuckoos laying eggs in the nests of other birds.

Question 30

Define mobbing

Answer 30

A behavior where birds/ another animal collectively attack or harass a predator.

Question 31

What is risk-sensitive foraging?

Answer 31

Is when animals make choices about where to find food based on how consistent or unpredictable the food source is If they're doing okay and don’t need extra energy, they might play it safe and go for food that’s always available (even if it’s a small amount). But if they're really hungry and need more energy, they might take a chance on a food source that’s unpredictable—sometimes it has a lot, and sometimes it has nothing.

Question 32

In an aquarium, fish are fed flakes from 2 taps. At one end of the tank a tap is dropping 18 flakes per minute. At the other end a tap is dropping 15 flakes per minute. Use the ideal free distribution model to predict how 11 fish will be distributed. If 3 more fish are then added to the tank, what prediction does the IFD make about the distribution of fish, and WHY?

Answer 32

Total number of flakes = 33 flakes per min Tap 1 : 18 flakes / 33 = 0.545 Tap 2: 15 flakes/33 = 0.455 For 11 fish: Tap 1: 11 x 0.545= 6 fish Tap 2 : 11 x 0.455 = 5 fish For 14 fish Tap 1 : 14 x 0.545= 8 fish Tap 2: 14 x 0.455 = 56 fish Why: In this case, as more fish are added, they distribute themselves to maintain equal food intake, ensuring that neither tap becomes overcrowded relative to its flake production.

Question 33

If you capture monarch butterflies in Ohio in October. After a night in the lab (with no windows), you simulate the rising sun by using a powerful light source illuminated from the north side of the lab at 6:00 AM. Which direction do you think the butterflies will start flying? And WHY?

Answer 33

South because Monarch butterflies are triggered by a combination of environmental cues, including the decreasing daylight hours and cooler temperatures so they naturally know it's time to fly south to Mexico for winter. If you shine a light from the north in a lab, they think it's the sunrise coming from the east which allows them to know it is time to fly south for the winter time.

Question 34

Describe a possible proximate explanation for why Chipping Sparrows migrate south for winter. Describe an ultimate explanation as well. Why don’t Song Sparrows migrate as well?

Answer 34

Proximate explanation: environmental cues like decreasing daylight hours and dropping temperatures. Ultimate: Chipping Sparrows migrate south because it increases their chances of survival and reproduction. By moving to areas with more favorable conditions during winter, they avoid harsh climates and find better access to food resources, ensuring their survival and the continuation of their species. Song Sparrows: have adaptations that help them to survive in colder climates. Therefore moving is unnecessary.

Question 35

What species of bird did Dr. Farnsworth and Sumita Prasad study for optimal foraging?

Answer 35

Mockingbirds

Question 36

Summarize article on territoriality

Answer 36

Investigated the "dear-enemy effect" in territorial interactions between two sympatric bird species: the water rail (Rallus aquaticus) and the little crake (Zapornia parva). Dear-Enemy Effect: This phenomenon describes reduced aggression toward familiar neighbors compared to unfamiliar strangers. The study explores this effect in interspecific interactions. Experimental Design: Researchers used a cross-species playback experiment. Water rails were exposed to calls from stranger and neighboring little crakes, while little crakes were exposed to calls from water rails. Control calls from little grebes (Tachybaptus ruficollis). Findings: Both species showed stronger vocal responses to strangers in different species than to neighbors, aligning with the dear-enemy effect. Little crakes exhibited more aggressive non-vocal behaviors, such as approaching and attacking loudspeakers, particularly in response to stranger water rail calls. Both species could distinguish individuals of the other species and adjust their territorial responses based on the intruder's familiarity. Implications: The findings suggest that interspecific territoriality can involve strategic discrimination, similar to conspecific interactions. This adaptive behavior helps allocate resources and manage risks in shared habitats.