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Problem 1
What do proximate explanations of behavior focus on? a. how displays and other types of behavior have changed through time, or evolved b. the 'adaptive significance' of a behavior c. genetic, neurological, and hormonal mechanisms of behavior d. appropriate experimental methods when studying behavior
Problem 2
What do ultimate explanations of behavior focus on?
Problem 3
A behavior is considered adaptive if it increases an individual's fitness. How is fitness measured? Select True or False for each statement.
T/F Strength
T/F Body size
T/F Speed
T/F Number of viable offspring
Problem 4
Why does altruism seem paradoxical?
a. Sometimes altruistic behavior is actually selfish.
b. Altruism does not actually help others.
c. Alleles that cause an organism to behave altruistically should be selected against since these alleles should lower the organism's fitness.
d. Animals behave altruistically to help the species, but sometimes their behavior harms the species.
Problem 5
Is it true that all organisms forage optimally? Why or why not?
Problem 6
The male cuttlefish in the chapter-opening photo can rapidly change their skin colors (under nerve control) to flash warning patterns to rivals. Predict the proximate and ultimate causes of this behavior.
Problem 7
Propose an evolutionary hypothesis to explain the observation that some bird populations do not migrate if people supply food for them in feeders.
Problem 8
Hamilton's rule states that an altruistic allele could spread in a population if Br > C, where B represents the fitness benefit to the recipient, r is the coefficient of relatedness between altruist and recipient, and C represents the fitness cost to the altruist. If r = 0.5 between the altruist and the recipient, what would the ratio of costs to benefits have to be for the altruistic allele to spread?
a. C/ B > 0.5
b. C/ B > 0
c. C/ B < 0.5
d. C/ B < 0
Problem 9
Evolutionary biologist Hopi Hoekstra and colleagues have hypothesized that the burrow-digging behavior of mice (and the resulting shape of their underground burrows) is heritable—innate and not learned. Design an experiment to test this hypothesis.
- J. B. S. Haldane once remarked that he'd be willing to lay down his life to save two brothers or eight cousins. Explain what he meant.
Problem 10
Problem 11
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Mass strandings of whales occur on beaches near military exercises where sonar is used, raising concerns about the effects of human-generated underwater sounds on animal behavior. Scientists are collecting behavioral data on several species of whales to find out how sonar affects them.
Whales communicate with one another using sound. What is one benefit and one cost to whales of using sound to communicate underwater?
Problem 12
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Mass strandings of whales occur on beaches near military exercises where sonar is used, raising concerns about the effects of human-generated underwater sounds on animal behavior. Scientists are collecting behavioral data on several species of whales to find out how sonar affects them.
Researchers followed tagged blue whales to observe how they respond to simulated military sonar—using sound levels much lower than those typically used during military exercises. Analyze the sample of data below for one individual blue whale and summarize the behavioral effect of the sound exposure.
Problem 13
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Mass strandings of whales occur on beaches near military exercises where sonar is used, raising concerns about the effects of human-generated underwater sounds on animal behavior. Scientists are collecting behavioral data on several species of whales to find out how sonar affects them.
Using the graph, estimate the number of minutes of foraging per hour before and after the sound exposure. Then predict the effect of sonar on the fitness of blue whales. Explain your reasoning.
Problem 14
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Mass strandings of whales occur on beaches near military exercises where sonar is used, raising concerns about the effects of human-generated underwater sounds on animal behavior. Scientists are collecting behavioral data on several species of whales to find out how sonar affects them.
Predict why the whale foraged at a depth of 100–170 m.
a. The whale learned to forage at this depth from its mother.
b. The whale had an innate instinct to feed at this depth.
c. The whale's food was most plentiful at this depth.
d. The whale could not dive any deeper than this depth.
Problem 15
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Mass strandings of whales occur on beaches near military exercises where sonar is used, raising concerns about the effects of human-generated underwater sounds on animal behavior. Scientists are collecting behavioral data on several species of whales to find out how sonar affects them.
The researchers also measured the speed and direction of whale swimming in response to the sound exposure. Whales increase their speed and swim away from the direction of sound. Design a study to test the hypothesis that this behavior leads to beach strandings. Note that you will not receive permission to conduct the study if your actions are likely to cause strandings to occur.
Problem 16
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Mass strandings of whales occur on beaches near military exercises where sonar is used, raising concerns about the effects of human-generated underwater sounds on animal behavior. Scientists are collecting behavioral data on several species of whales to find out how sonar affects them.
There are debates about what action the military should take to avoid harming the whales. How could you apply cost–benefit analysis to address this problem?