Animal Behavior, Fall, 2001
Bi 376, Hour Exam I
Instructions:
1) After receiving the exam, you are free to work on the answers in any classroom in Boyd Hall.
2) You may not use any information other than what you have stored in your brain (no notes, books, etc.)
3) Please limit your answers to the space provided beneath each answer. Feel free to use labeled diagrams (i.e. - graphs) to enhance your answers. Write clearly and concisely.
4) You have 1.5 hours to complete this examination. Remember that you have agreed not to discuss this examination with anyone else in the class until all have taken it (I will let you know in class).
5) Please sign below if you agree to the above policies.
GOOD LUCK!
Honor Statement: I have read the above instructions and agree to them. I promise to neither give nor receive any help on this examination.
Signed,
Choose 6 out of the following 7 - Short Answer. These questions can be answered in 2-4 sentences or a labeled diagram and 1-2 sentences. @ 10 points
1) Briefly outline the evidence that supports the theory that species-specific male bird song is adaptive.
2) List the important conclusions that can be made on the basis of the table below.
3) Define in one or two sentences. Choose 4/5:
a) critical period
b) echolocation
c) ZENK
d) Wynne-Edwards
e) Donald Griffen
4) When we observe a behavior in an animal, many questions may come to mind. These questions (or "levels of analyses") can be generally separated into "How" and "Why" questions. Using a behavior that we have discussed in class, list a few how and why questions and also generally describe what these two groups of questions are addressing.
5) Draw and label the song production system of Passeriformes as typified by the zebra finch. Briefly describe the importance of three of the areas labeled.
6) In a spider that lives in the deserts of the Middle east, web-building females guard an egg sac until the spiderlings emerge from the fertilized eggs within; the young spiders then consumes their mother. Males search for females, finding very few in their lifetime; if they encounter an egg-guarding female, they will try to remove her egg sac. Females fight back and sometimes kill (and eat) the male. But males sometimes succeed in destroying the egg sac. Such behavior reduces the potential for population growth in this species. Does this mean that the male behavior is maladaptive? If not, how can you account for male behavior in this species, and what predictions follow from your experiment?
7) Briefly describe Darwin's theory of natural selection.
Choose 2 out of the following 3: - Essay Questions: Answer the following questions in essay format (a paragraph or two with topic sentences followed by information supporting the topic sentence. Labeled figures or graphs are encouraged but be sure to explain these with text. You can also use the back side of the sheets of paper. @ 20 points
1) Describe a few of the studies on the homing behavior of Beewolves. Be sure to state the conclusions of the studies as well as any researcher(s) involved.
2) The type of song that a male bird will sing when it is of breeding age is dependent on experience. Defend or refute this statement
3) You are a Nobel Prize winning animal behaviorist in the field of circadian biology. In order to perpetuate your fame and fortune you are trying to locate the biological clock in a new species of flightless bird that you discovered on your latest expedition to the tropical rain forest of Australia. You have named this bird Lizardus chabotii in appreciation of your old behavior professor at PSC. Describe a series of experiments that you might perform in order to locate the clock in Lizardus chabotii. Be sure to also mention what results you might expect from each and how its' system might compare to other species.