Biology II Final

Pheasants do not feed their chicks. Immediately after hatching, a pheasant chick starts pecking at seeds and insects on the ground. How might a behavioral ecologist explain the ultimate cause of this behavior?
A. Pheasants learned to peck, and their offspring inherited this behavior.
B. Pecking is the result of imprinting during a critical period.
C. Pheasants that pecked survived and reproduced best.
D. Pecking is a fixed action pattern (FAP).
E. None of the listed responses is correct.
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Pheasants do not feed their chicks. Immediately after hatching, a pheasant chick starts pecking at seeds and insects on the ground. How might a behavioral ecologist explain the ultimate cause of this behavior?
A. Pheasants learned to peck, and their offspring inherited this behavior.
B. Pecking is the result of imprinting during a critical period.
C. Pheasants that pecked survived and reproduced best.
D. Pecking is a fixed action pattern (FAP).
E. None of the listed responses is correct.
C. Pheasants that pecked survived and reproduced best.
Selection favors those traits that increase fitness (reproductive success).
Ants carry dead ants out of an anthill and dump them on a "trash" pile. If a chemical from a dead ant is applied to a live ant, other ants will carry it, kicking and struggling, from the anthill, until the substance wears off. Which of the following explains this behavior?
A. The ants can only learn by operant conditioning.
B. The ants have become imprinted on the chemical.
C. The ants are responding to a circadian clock.
D. The ants are following a stimulus-response chain.
E. The chemical is a sign stimulus for a fixed action pattern.
E. The chemical is a sign stimulus for a fixed action pattern.
The chemical is a trigger for a stereotyped behavior that is rarely interrupted once it has begun.
Which of the following is a fixed action pattern?

A. A blackback gull returns to the same island breeding grounds each year.
B. A robin eats a distasteful bug, spits it out, and never eats a bug that looks like that again.
C. A hamster becomes active at the same time each evening.
D. A wolf tracks its prey.
E. A stickleback fish attacks a wood block with a red bottom.
E. A stickleback fish attacks a wood block with a red bottom.
A red underside is a sign stimulus that provokes aggressive behavior in stickleback
Which of the following pairings of causation with Tinbergen's questions is accurate?
A. Ultimate; "How does the animal's experience during growth and development influence the response?"
B. Ultimate; "What stimulus elicits the behavior, and what physiological mechanisms mediate the response?"
C. Proximate; "What is the behavior's evolutionary history?"
D. Proximate; "How does the behavior aid survival and reproduction?"
E. None of the listed responses is correct.
None of the listed responses is correct.
Watching squirrels in the park, you start to wonder why they act so oddly. One squirrel bit the tail of another. Which of the following is a question about the proximate cause of this behavior?
A. Does the presence of a tail close by cause a squirrel to bite?
B. Does biting help keep other squirrels from stealing food?
C. Is this biting behavior a form of courtship?
D. Was the squirrel defending a mate from an intruder?
E. None of the listed responses is correct.
A. Does the presence of a tail close by cause a squirrel to bite?
What signals might be best employed by a nocturnal forest animal seeking to identify its territory?
A. Tactile and olfactory
B. Visual and olfactory
C. Visual and auditory
D. Auditory and olfactory
E. Tactile and auditory
D. Auditory and olfactory
These two modes are not impeded by darkness or vegetation
Pheromones are examples of __________.
A. instinctive behavior
B. chemical signals
C. visual signals
D. hormones
E. homeostasis
B. chemical signals
Chemical signals called pheromones are used in communications among members of a species.
Honeybees have a remarkable way of transferring information about the location of a food source to other members of the hive. The worker bees conveying this information use __________ communication to relay this information.
A. pheromonal
B. chemical
C. auditory
D. tactile
E. visual
E. visual
The round and waggle dances performed by the returning bee relay information to the other worker bees about the distance and location of a newly discovered food source.
Graylag geese learn to follow their mothers. This is an example of __________.
A. imprinting
B. associative learning
C. classical conditioning
D. cognitive mapping
E. operant conditioning
A. imprinting
During the critical period, graylag geese respond by following any object moving away from them.
When Drosophila were exposed to a particular odor and electric shock at the same time, they started to avoid the odor. This is an example of __________.
A. operant conditioning
B. imprinting
C. cognitive mapping
D. classical conditioning
E. social learning
D. classical conditioning
A type of associative learning called classical conditioning is learning to associate an arbitrary stimulus with reward or punishment.
In __________, an animal learns to associate one of its behaviors with reward or punishment. A. classical conditioning B. fixed-action-pattern (FAP) learning C. imprinting D. operant conditioning E. problem solvingD. operant conditioningWhich of the following best illustrates optimal foraging? A. Bats emerge to feed at about the same time each night. B. A blackbird will warn others in the flock if it senses danger. C. A sunbird will more fiercely defend flowers that produce more food. D. A robin will repeatedly attack any red object near its territory. E. Musk oxen will form a circle to fend off a wolf attack.C. A sunbird will more fiercely defend flowers that produce more food. The energy cost of defending this high-energy food source is less than the energy required to find another food source that may provide less energy.In some species, it is difficult to distinguish the sexes based on external characteristics. Which type of mating behavior is likely to occur in such species? A. Promiscuous B. Agonistic C. Monogamous D. Polygamous E. PolygynousC. Monogamous The sexes of monogamous species are often hard to distinguish based on external characteristicsWhen animals engage in __________, they often perform displays that make them look as large and dangerous as possible A. courtship rituals B. altruism C. kin selection D. mate-choice copying E. agonistic behaviorE. agonistic behavior Agonistic behavior refers to competitive behavior that is intended to establish dominance among individuals of the same species.Off in the distance, on the side of a mountain, you spot four female deer and a single male deer. If this reflects the mating system of this species, it would be an example of what type of mating system? A. Monogamy B. Monogyny C. Polygyny D. Polyandry E. None of the listed responses can be applied to this mating system.C. Polygyny Polygyny is one male mating with more than one female.Which of the following is true of innate behaviors? A. Their expression is only weakly influenced by genes. B. They occur with or without environmental stimuli. C. They are expressed in most individuals in a population. D. They are limited to invertebrate animals. E. They occur in invertebrates and some vertebrates but not mammals.C. They are expressed in most individuals in a population.Female spotted sandpipers aggressively court males and, after mating, leave the clutch of young for the male to incubate. This sequence may be repeated several times with different males until no available males remain, forcing the female to incubate her last clutch. Which of the following terms best describes this behavior? certainty of paternity A. monogamy B. polygyny C. polyandry E. promiscuityC. polyandry in which a woman has more than one husbandTo calculate the human population density of your community, you would need to know the number of people living there and __________. A. whether population growth is logistic or exponential B. the size of the area in which they live C. the birth rate of the population D. the carrying capacity E. the dispersion pattern of the populationB. the size of the area in which they live Density is the number of individuals of a population per unit area or volume.Which of the following choices is an expression of a population density? A. 100 sea stars, barnacles, and mussels per 25 m2 of a tide pool B. The number of Paramecium caudatum in a 250-mL solution in a glass flask C. The total number of sturgeon per cubic meter in San Francisco Bay and in Tomales Bay D. The total dry mass of trout in a lake E. 255 dogfish sharksb. The number of Paramecium caudatum in a 250-mL solution in a glass flask. Population density is the number of individuals of a species per unit area or volumeWhen needed resources are unevenly distributed, organisms often show a(n) __________ dispersion pattern. A. density-dependent B. exponential C. clumped D. uniform E. randomC. Clumped Individuals will be found in proximity to resources.Organisms that live in a homogenous abiotic environment and cooperate to avoid being eaten would likely show a(n) __________ A. pattern of dispersion. B. continuous C. uniform D. random E. even F. clumpedF. Clumped This pattern results from an uneven distribution of resources or from a certain social behavior.Herring gulls fiercely defend the areas around their nests in cliff-top breeding colonies. Within the colony they would show a __________ A. dispersion pattern. B. random C. dense D. clumped E. density-independent F. uniformF. uniform Territorial behavior often results in a uniform distribution.Pine trees in a forest tend to shade and kill pine seedlings that sprout nearby. This causes the pine trees to __________. A. grow in a uniform pattern B. increase exponentially C. grow in a clumped pattern D. exceed their carrying capacity E. grow in a random patternA. grow in a uniform pattern The area shaded by each tree will determine pine tree distribution.An oak tree produces thousands of acorns, but very few grow into mature oak trees. The oak tree exhibits a __________ survivorship curve. A. Type III B. Type II C. Type I D. Type I or II E. Type I or IIIA. Type III This is the name given to the survivorship curve that displays high rates of juvenile mortality.Chimpanzees have a relatively low birth rate. They care for their young, and most chimps live a long life. The chimp survivorship curve would look like __________. A. a line that slopes gradually downward B. a line that slopes gradually upward C. a relatively flat line that drops steeply at the end D. a horizontal line E. a line that drops steeply at first and then flattens outC. a relatively flat line that drops steeply at the end There is a high probability of survival through adulthood, with the probability of death increasing significantly in old age.Which of the following describes the distribution of survivorship or mortality for a population that has a Type II survivorship curve? A. Survivorship is greatest in individuals that are intermediate in age. B. The chance of death is roughly constant over all ages. C. Survivorship is greatest in younger individuals. D. Little death occurs until late in life. E. Most of the mortality occurs among younger individuals.B. The chance of death is roughly constant over all ages. The curve is intermediate between Type I and Type III survivorship curves.When the per capita birth rate equals the per capita death rate, __________. A. a population is in danger of extinction B. a population goes through up and down cycles C. density-dependent limiting factors do not affect the population D. the size of a population remains constant E. a population grows rapidlyD. the size of a population remains constantA population will always grow exponentially under what circumstances? A. If it is limited only by density-dependent factors B. If it is a population with a Type I survivorship curve C. Until it reaches carrying capacity D. If there are no limiting factors E. None of the listed responses is correct.D. If there are no limiting factors Limiting factors determine the maximum number of individuals that can be supported by a given environmentWhich of the following populations probably exhibits exponential growth? A. A fruit fly population that recently arrived on a lush mid-oceanic island previously inhabited only by plants B. A redwood tree population in a forest C. A population of deer in an area with many hungry wolves D. A population of deer in an area with few palatable food plants E. A protozoan population grown in a sealed glass culture flaskA. A fruit fly population that recently arrived on a lush mid-oceanic island previously inhabited only by plantsNo population can grow indefinitely. The ultimate size of any population is limited by __________. A. its death rate B. the carrying capacity of its environment C. reproductive isolation D. its birth rate E. its rB. the carrying capacity of its environmentA newly mated queen ant founds a nest in an unoccupied patch of suitable habitat. Assuming that no disasters strike the nest, which of the following types of equation is likely to best describe the population growth of the new colony? A. Logistic B. Linear C. Exponential D. Circular E. None of the listed responses is correct.A. Logistic The logistic model of population growth assumes there is a maximum population size that the environment can support and that population growth slows as the population approaches that carrying capacity.In an equilibrium population (at its carrying capacity), thousands of eggs and hundreds of tadpoles are produced by a single pair of frogs. On average, about how many offspring per pair will live to reproduce? A. 2 B. 0 C. 100 D. more than 100 E. 10 to 20A. 2 Ecologists define "carrying capacity" as the maximum population size that a particular environment can support. A single pair of frogs would be expected only to replace itself.A wildlife biologist is trying to predict what will happen to a bear population if bear hunting is banned. He had the equations all worked out but then realized that he had grossly underestimated the amount of food available to the bears. To make his prediction more accurate he should __________ the value of __________ in his equation. (Consider food to be a factor that limits the size of the bear population.) A. decrease; r B. decrease; K C. decrease; N D. increase; KD. increase; K Because food is a factor that limits the size of the particular bear population, the increased food availability would increase carrying capacity.assuming that r has a positive value, in the formula dN/dt = rmaxN(K - N)/K, the factor rN tends to cause the population to do what? A. Grow increasingly rapidly B. Remain stable at the carrying capacity C. Decrease in size D., Grow at a slower rate than the (K - N/K) factor E. None of the listed responses is correct.A. Grow increasingly rapidly The difference between birth rates and death rates is represented by r. N is the population size. Therefore, rN is the population growth rate.A population that grows rapidly at first and then levels off at carrying capacity can be modeled __________. A. as dN/dt = b - d B. as being relatively unaffected by limiting factors C. by a logistic equation D. by an exponential equation E. as dN/dt = rNC. by a logistic equation The logistic equation dN/dt = rmaxN(K - N)/K describes such a curve.A population that is growing logistically __________. A. grows fastest as it approaches carrying capacitY B. grows fastest when density is lowest C. has a high r D. is always slowed by density-independent factors E. grows fastest at an intermediate population densityE. grows fastest at an intermediate population density At very small population sizes the population growth rate will be low, but it will increase as the population increases, up to a point. At this point the population growth rate slows as carrying capacity is approached.The logistic growth model differs from the exponential growth model in that it __________. A. never shows the effects of population-limiting factors B. implies that population size stabilizes at K when the birth rate is zero C. implies that a population's growth rate will be highest when the population is small D. is J-shaped and the exponential growth model is S-shaped E. expresses the effects of population-limiting factors on exponential growthE. expresses the effects of population-limiting factors on exponential growth In the logistic model, the term (K - N)/K represents the effects of population-limiting factors that depress the exponential growth tendency, rN, to a greater degree as population size approaches the carrying capacity.If you wanted to determine what percentage of the population of Thailand is less than 10 years old, you could look at __________. A. the population's survivorship curve B. a logistic curve for the population C. a life table for the population D. a plot of population density E. the population's age structureE. the population's age structure A population's age structure is a plot that illustrates the number of individuals in each age group.An ecologist would suspect a population to be growing rapidly if it __________. A. is limited only by density-dependent factors B. contains many more prereproductive than reproductive individuals C. shows a clumped pattern of dispersion D. is near its carrying capacity R. is far below its carrying capacityB. contains many more prereproductive than reproductive individuals Such an age structure would result in many individuals becoming reproductive and producing many offspring.A population's carrying capacity: A. can never be exceeded. B. can be accurately calculated using the logistic growth model. C. increases as the per capita growth rate (r) decreases. D. may change as environmental conditions change.D. may change as environmental conditions change.The observation that members of a population are uniformly distributed suggests that A. resources are distributed unevenly. B. the density of the population is low. C. the members of the population are neither attracted to nor repelled by one another. D. the members of the population are competing for access to a resource.D. the members of the population are competing for access to a resource.According to the logistic growth equation A. the number of individuals added per unit time is greatest when N is close to zero. B. the per capita growth rate (r) increases as N approaches K. C. the population grows exponentially when K is small. D. population growth is zero when N equals K.D. population growth is zero when N equals K.A community is best described as the collection of A. populations of different species that live in a particular area. B. biotic interactions that occur in a particular area. C. ecosystems found in a particular area. D. abiotic resources found in a particular area.A. populations of different species that live in a particular area.Consider two very distantly related species, Species A and Species B. These species live in distinct but similar environments and share a trait that improves their survival and reproduction in their respective environments. Which of the following is the most likely reason that Species A and Species B share this trait? A. genetic drift B. descent from a common ancestor C. convergent evolution D. gene flowC. convergent evolutionWhich of the following types of organisms is an example of a producer? A. zooplankton B. phytoplankton C. herbivore D. decomposerB. phytoplanktonUnder which of the following circumstances would interspecific competition be most obvious? A. When organisms have quite different ecological niches B. When a non-native organism is introduced to a community C. When resources are most abundant D. In the presence of a keystone species E. Among species whose trophic levels are differentB. When a non-native organism is introduced to a community Non-native species, which have not evolved with the members of the community into which they are introduced, may have the potential to outcompete native species.The niche of an animal is __________. A. the number of individuals of the species the environment will support B. its position in the food chain C. its den or nest D. the same as its habitat E. the way the animal fits into its environmentE. the way the animal fits into its environment The niche describes a set of resources and the degree to which they are used by an organism.When goats were introduced to an island off the California coast, the goats inhabited the same areas and ate the same plants as the native deer. The deer population dwindled and finally disappeared. This is an example of __________. A. succession B. a food chain C. commensalism D. competitive exclusion E. coevolutionD. competitive exclusion The niches of the goats and deer overlapped so much that they could not coexist.Flounder is a type of fish that looks like the seafloor. This is an example of __________. A. Batesian mimicry B. character displacement C. warning coloration D. cryptic coloration E. Müllerian mimicryD. cryptic coloration The organism's coloration allows it to blend into the background, making it difficult to see.The flower fly resembles a honeybee, but the flower fly has no stinger. This is an example of what natural phenomenon? (Concept A. Cryptic coloration B. Interspecific competition C. Müllerian mimicry D. Batesian mimicry E. None of the listed responses is correct.D. Batesian mimicry In Batesian mimicry, a palatable or harmless species mimics an unpalatable or harmful model.The poison-arrow frogs Dendrobates of tropical America are all brightly colored and have very similar patterns. Although each species is distasteful to predators and all possess toxic skin secretions, some of the species live quite separately from the others. The adaptive relationship among these species is best termed __________. A. cryptic coloration B. commensalism C. Müllerian mimicry D. parasitism E. Batesian mimicryC. Müllerian mimicry In Müllerian mimicry, two or more unpalatable species resemble each other.Certain species of acacia trees in Central and South America have hollow thorns that house stinging ants, which attack anything that touches the tree. The ants feed on nutrients produced by the acacias. This is an example of __________. A. commensalism B. predation C. mutualism D. parasitism E. facilitationC. mutualismA field contains 950 kg of plant material. How many kilograms of tertiary consumers could be supported? A. 9.5 B. 95 C. 950 D. 0.95 E. 9,500D. 0.95 this area would support approximately 95 kg of primWhat is the key difference between a dominant species and a keystone species? A. The removal of a dominant species from a community has more impact than removing a keystone species. B. Dominant species alter the structure or dynamics of the environment; keystone species are the most abundant. C. There is no difference. The two terms are synonymous. D. Dominant species are the most abundant; keystone species exert control through important roles or niches. E. Keystone species are more successful at evading their predators and the impacts of disease.D. Dominant species are the most abundant; keystone species exert control through important roles or niches.A species of malaria-carrying mosquito lives in a forest in which two species of monkeys, A and B, coexist. Species A is immune to malaria, but species B is not. The malaria-carrying mosquito is the chief food for a particular kind of bird in the forest. If all these birds were suddenly eliminated by hunters, which of the following would be an immediately observable consequence? A. Increased mortality in monkey species B B. Increased mortality (death rate) in monkey species A C. Increased mortality in the malaria-carrying mosquitoes D. Emergence of malaria-sensitive strains in monkey species A E. Emergence of malaria-resistant strains in monkey species BA. Increased mortality in monkey species BThe feeding relationships among the species in a community determine the community's A. ecological niche. B. species-area curve. C. secondary succession. D. trophic structure. E. species richness.D. trophic structure.The principle of competitive exclusion states that A. two species that have exactly the same niche cannot coexist in a community. B. two species will stop reproducing until one species leaves the habitat. C. competition in a population promotes survival of the best-adapted individuals. D. two species cannot coexist in the same habitat. E. competition between two species always causes extinction or emigration of one species.A. two species that have exactly the same niche cannot coexist in a communityKeystone predators can maintain species diversity in a community if they A. reduce the number of disruptions in the community. B. competitively exclude other predators. C. allow immigration of other predators. D. prey on the community's dominant species. E. prey only on the least abundant species in the community.D. prey on the community's dominant species.Food chains are sometimes short because A. most of the energy in a trophic level is lost as it passes to the next higher level. B. only a single species of herbivore feeds on each plant species. C. predator species tend to be less diverse and less abundant than prey species. D. most producers are inedible. E. local extinction of a species causes extinction of the other species in its food chain.A. most of the energy in a trophic level is lost as it passes to the next higher level.Which of the following could qualify as a top-down control on a grassland community? A. influence of temperature on competition among plants B. effect of humidity on plant growth rates C. influence of soil nutrients on the abundance of grasses versus wildflowers D. effect of grazing intensity by bison on plant species diversity E. limitation of plant biomass by rainfall amountD. effect of grazing intensity by bison on plant species diversityThe gas carbon dioxide (CO2) is an A. input to photosynthesis and an end product of cellular respiration. B. end product of both photosynthesis and cellular respiration. C. end product of photosynthesis. D. input to cellular respiration.A. input to photosynthesis and an end product of cellular respiration.Which of the following is an ecosystem? A. All of the angelfish on the planet B. All of the organisms living in your aquarium C. The water, temperature, rocks, and other abiotic components of the aquarium D. All of the angelfish in your aquarium E. All of the organisms living in your aquarium and the abiotic factors with which they interactE. All of the organisms living in your aquarium and the abiotic factors with which they interacthe biggest difference between the flow of energy and the flow of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem is that __________. A. nutrients are recycled but energy is not B. energy is recycled but nutrients are not C. organisms always need energy but they don't always need nutrients D. the amount of energy is much greater than the amount of nutrients E. organisms always need nutrients but they don't always need energyA. nutrients are recycled but energy is not Chemical nutrients can be recycled within ecosystems through biogeochemical cycles. Energy is lost from an ecosystem in the form of heat.In an ecosystem, what will eventually happen to all incoming energy? A. It will be used in photosynthesis. B. It will be dissipated as heat. C. It will be transferred to the decomposers. D. It will be transferred from one trophic level to the next. E. None of the listed responses is correct.B. It will be dissipated as heat. Solar radiation is the ultimate energy source for most ecosystems, and respiratory heat loss is the ultimate sink.Which of the following is a primary producer? A. Nonphotosynthetic bacteria B. Detritivores C. Fungi D. Green plants E. HumansD. Green plantsPhotosynthetic organisms are called __________. A. autotrophs B. heterotrophs C. carnivores D. herbivores E. consumersA. autotrophsWhen you eat an apple, you are a __________. A. primary producer B. secondary consumer C. carnivore D. detritivore E. primary consumerE. primary consumerThe main decomposers in an ecosystem are __________. A. prokaryotes and plants B. plants and animals C. plants and fungi D. fungi and prokaryotes E. prokaryotes and animalsD. fungi and prokaryotesIn the transition from each trophic level of the food chain to the next trophic level, there is about a __________. A. 5% loss of energy B. 2% loss of energy C. 90% loss of energy D. 2% gain of energy E. 90% gain of energyC. 90% loss of energy Ecological efficiencies vary greatly among organisms, but they are estimated to be about 5-20%, meaning that 80-95% of the energy in one level is not available to the next.Which of the following best describes the base of a pyramid of net production? A. It represents the energy available to secondary consumers. B. It contains the energy left after the producers have died. C. It contains the energy captured by photosynthesis. D. It receives energy from the primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers. E. Its size depends on the energy available from detritivores.C. It contains the energy captured by photosynthesis. The trophic level that ultimately supports all others in an ecosystem consists of primary producers, which use light energy to synthesize organic molecules in photosynthesis.In general, the biomass in an ecosystem will be greatest at the trophic level comprising __________. A. herbivores B. producers C. primary consumers D. carnivores E. secondary consumersB. producersIn ecosystems, organisms at the highest trophic levels usually contain less collective biomass than the organisms at lower trophic levels because __________. A. biomass shrinks as it rises B. organisms are inefficient at converting the energy they consume into biomass C. top-level predators use so much energy to catch their food D. most of the solar energy hitting Earth is reflected back into space E. producers (for example, plants) tend to be heavier than consumers (for example, birds)B. organisms are inefficient at converting the energy they consume into biomassWhich of the following is a key part of the carbon cycle? A. Return of CO2 to the atmosphere by animal and plant respiration B. Breakdown by decomposers of carbon-containing dead plants and animals C. Return of CO2 to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels D. Assimilation of atmospheric CO2 by plant photosynthesis E. All of the listed responses are correct.E. All of the listed responses are correct.By which process is carbon dioxide released from plants back to the atmosphere? A. Respiration B. Evaporation C. Phosphorylation D. Ammonification E. PhotosynthesisA. Respiration