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Taylor, Simon, Dickey, Hogan 10th EditionCh. 35 Behavioral Adaptations to the EnvironmentProblem 1
Complete this map, which reviews the genetic and environmental components of animal behavior and their relationship to learning.
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Problem 2
Although many chimpanzee populations live in environments containing oil palm nuts, members of only a few populations use stones to crack open the nuts. The most likely explanation for this behavioral difference between populations is that
a. Members of different populations differ in manual dexterity.
b. Members of different populations have different nutritional requirements.
c. Members of different populations differ in learning ability.
d. The use of stones to crack nuts has arisen and spread through social learning in only some populations.
Problem 3
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. Pecking is an innate behavior
b. Pheasants learned to peck, and their offspring inherited this behavior
c. Pecking by newly hatched chicks is the result of trial-and-error learning
d. Pecking is a result of imprinting during a sensitive period.
Problem 4
A male redwing blackbird will chase predatory birds away from his breeding territory during nesting season. Which hypothesis best explains his behavior?
a. He is acting for the good of the species. He may die, but other birds of his species will be saved.
b. He knows this will increase his fitness, so he chases away the predator.
c. He carries a gene that causes fathers to protect their offspring, which increases inclusive fitness.
d. He has imprinted on the offspring in his nest, so he knows that they are his.
Problem 5
Some airports have attempted to scare geese off by playing goose alarm calls over loudspeakers. This tactic kept the geese away initially, but soon the geese ignored the alarm calls. How would you explain this outcome?
a. The alarm calls are a social signal that geese ignore unless they can see the other geese.
b. The geese became imprinted on the alarm calls.
c. The geese used spatial learning to navigate the environment of the airport.
d. The geese became habituated to the alarm calls when no danger was present.
- Almost all the behaviors of a housefly are innate. What are some advantages and disadvantages to the fly of innate behaviors compared with behaviors that are mainly learned?
Problem 6
- In Module 35.3, you learned that Norway rat offspring whose mothers don't interact much with them grow up to be fearful and anxious in new situations. Suggest a possible ultimate cause for this link between maternal behavior and stress response of offspring. (Hint: Under what circumstances might high reactivity to stress be more adaptive than being relaxed?)
Problem 7
Problem 8
A chorus of frogs fills the air on a spring evening. The frog calls are courtship signals.
What are the functions of courtship behaviors?
How might a behavioral ecologist explain the proximate cause of this behavior?
The ultimate cause?
Problem 9
Crows break the shells of certain molluscs before eating them by dropping them onto rocks. Hypothesizing that crows drop the molluscs from a height that gives the most food for the least effort (optimal foraging), a researcher dropped shells from different heights and counted the drops it took to break them. a. The researcher measured the average drop height for crows and found that it was 5.23 m. Does this support the researcher's hypothesis? Explain. b. Describe an experiment to determine whether dropping molluscs from an optimal height is learned or innate.
- Scientists studying scrub jays found that it is common for 'helpers' to assist mated pairs of birds in raising their young. The helpers lack territories and mates of their own. Instead, they help the territory owners gather food for their offspring. Propose a hypothesis to explain what advantage there might be for the helpers to engage in this behavior instead of seeking their own territories and mates. How would you test your hypothesis? If your hypothesis is correct, what kind of results would you expect your tests to yield?
Problem 10
Problem 11
Researchers are very interested in studying identical twins who were raised apart. Among other things, they hope to answer questions about the roles of inheritance and upbringing in human behavior.
Why do identical twins make such good subjects for this kind of research?
What do the results of such studies suggest to you? What are the potential pitfalls of this research?
What abuses might occur in the use of these data if the studies are not evaluated critically?
- SCIENTIFIC THINKING Jane Goodall's work revealed that in areas of abundant food, chimpanzees may live in groups of several dozen individuals. State a hypothesis about the chimpanzee mating system that could be tested by observing one of these groups. What data would you collect to test your hypothesis? How would you interpret the results? (Note: A sexually mature female chimpanzee undergoes a hormonal cycle about 36 days long that is reflected in easily observed changes in the appearance of her genital area. Females are most sexually receptive, and males are most attracted to them, for about a week during the middle of the cycle.)
Problem 12