CLEP CLEP Biology Animal Behavior and Reproduction 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A fixed action pattern (FAP) is best described as:
- A learned behavior requiring repeated reinforcement
- An innate stereotyped behavior triggered by a specific sign stimulus (Correct answer)
- A flexible behavioral response to environmental change
- A behavior acquired through classical conditioning
Correct answer: An innate stereotyped behavior triggered by a specific sign stimulus
Fixed action patterns are genetically programmed, invariant behavioral sequences triggered by specific stimuli that run to completion once initiated, regardless of outcome.
Question 2: The waggle dance of honeybees communicates which information to the colony?
- Mating readiness of the queen
- Alarm signals indicating a predator nearby
- Direction and distance to a food source (Correct answer)
- Location of the queen bee in the hive
Correct answer: Direction and distance to a food source
The waggle dance performed by scout bees encodes the direction relative to the sun and distance to food sources through dance angle and duration, respectively.
Question 3: Imprinting is a form of learning that differs from other learning because it:
- Can occur at any point in an animal's life
- Occurs during a critical period and is largely irreversible (Correct answer)
- Requires repeated reinforcement to maintain
- Is based entirely on operant conditioning principles
Correct answer: Occurs during a critical period and is largely irreversible
Imprinting occurs during a sensitive critical period in early development and creates lasting behavioral attachments, as demonstrated by Lorenz's goslings following him as their parent.
Question 4: Altruistic behavior in animals is best explained by which evolutionary concept?
- Individual selection favoring only self-preservation
- Kin selection increasing an individual's inclusive fitness (Correct answer)
- Sexual selection for attracting mates
- Disruptive selection within populations
Correct answer: Kin selection increasing an individual's inclusive fitness
Kin selection explains altruism because assisting relatives who share copies of genes can increase an individual's inclusive fitness even when the behavior is personally costly.
Question 5: Which type of learning involves forming an association between a neutral stimulus and a biologically meaningful stimulus?
- Operant conditioning
- Classical conditioning (Correct answer)
- Habituation
- Latent learning
Correct answer: Classical conditioning
Classical conditioning, demonstrated by Pavlov's experiments, involves pairing a neutral stimulus with a significant stimulus until the neutral stimulus alone elicits the conditioned response.
Question 6: Territorial behavior in animals primarily functions to:
- Increase genetic diversity within the population
- Secure exclusive access to resources and regulate local population density (Correct answer)
- Promote cooperative foraging among group members
- Enable long-distance mate recognition
Correct answer: Secure exclusive access to resources and regulate local population density
Territorial behavior gives an individual exclusive access to food, mates, and nesting sites, and can regulate population density by excluding competitors from an area.
CLEP CLEP Biology Animal Behavior and Reproduction 1
A fixed action pattern (FAP) is best described as: