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UNC BIOL 278 Final Exam Questions With 100%
Correct Answers. 2025 Latest Update
On a stroll through your neighborhood one evening, you notice that robins are
feeding in eveyone's yard, except for the three houses with sloping very lush, and
weed free lawns. Everyone else has patchy, flat lawns with lots of dandelions.
What can be correctly stated about the use of your neighbors' lawns by robins? -
(answers)There is a correlation in the neighborhood between robins and flat
lawns. Remember, correlation does not equal causation, so do not answer
anything definite without proper experimentation.
A study was done on crab eating macaques return to the same tree to sleep every
night. Which of the answers below describe the study and its conclusions? -
(answers)Researchers did an observational study and found a correlation
between having another sleeping tree in sight and where their travel routes were.
Suppose that two sets of fish were raised in an oxygen rich or oxygen poor
environment. Each set was tested for aggression by their response to their own
reflection. The fish raised in oxygen poor environments were more aggressive
than their oxygen-rich counterparts. What do these results tell us? - (answers)The
experience of being oxygen starved can increase aggressive behavior
(notice the language, CAN increase. Correlation does not equal causation)
As Chief Animal Behaviorist of the Galaxy, you are summoned to Planet X to
consider the behavior of the male backup bug, which approaches potential mates
backwards. You are asked to explain this with an experimental design - which is
best? - (answers)Use a phylogenetic approach and compare the courtship
behaviors of backing bugs to other, closely related creatures
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When adult seagulls arrive at their nests, they feed the waiting chicks only if the
chicks actively beg for food. Because all chicks beg for food in the same way, it
was initially thought that begging was innate behavior. What results
demonstrated this was only partly true? - (answers)Observation showed that the
chicks know how to approach their parents and close mouth to indicate that they
need to be fed, but chicks raised by humans and presented to fake parents could
not appropriately grasp the parents' bill like those raised with parents
If the older bees in a hive suddenly failed to transfer ethyl oleate to younger bees
when providing them with food, what would happen? - (answers)The younger
bees would develop into foragers prematurely
In his studies on how bats could fly in the dark, why did Spallanzani perform the
experimental manipulation in which he placed brass tubes in the ears of bats? -
(answers)to control for the presence of an object in the ears of deafened bats
Which of the following studies is an example of a comparative approach to animal
behavior? - (answers)The mating displays of several different species of
hummingbirds are examined with regard to hummingbird phylogeny to see if the
origin of their "dive bomb" display can be understood
Tyron's Rat experiment produced two strains of maze running rats ("maze bright"
and "maze dull") through artificial selection and thus proved that there was a
genetic component to maze running ability. How did scientists discover that there
was also an environmental component to this behavior? - (answers)They raised
rats from each strain in environments that differed in the number and variety of
toys (restricted, normal, enriched) and then compared maze-running ability when
the rats were adult
UNC BIOL 278 Final Exam Questions With 100%
Correct Answers. 2025 Latest Update
On a stroll through your neighborhood one evening, you notice that robins are
feeding in eveyone's yard, except for the three houses with sloping very lush, and
weed free lawns. Everyone else has patchy, flat lawns with lots of dandelions.
What can be correctly stated about the use of your neighbors' lawns by robins? -
(answers)There is a correlation in the neighborhood between robins and flat
lawns. Remember, correlation does not equal causation, so do not answer
anything definite without proper experimentation.
A study was done on crab eating macaques return to the same tree to sleep every
night. Which of the answers below describe the study and its conclusions? -
(answers)Researchers did an observational study and found a correlation
between having another sleeping tree in sight and where their travel routes were.
Suppose that two sets of fish were raised in an oxygen rich or oxygen poor
environment. Each set was tested for aggression by their response to their own
reflection. The fish raised in oxygen poor environments were more aggressive
than their oxygen-rich counterparts. What do these results tell us? - (answers)The
experience of being oxygen starved can increase aggressive behavior
(notice the language, CAN increase. Correlation does not equal causation)
As Chief Animal Behaviorist of the Galaxy, you are summoned to Planet X to
consider the behavior of the male backup bug, which approaches potential mates
backwards. You are asked to explain this with an experimental design - which is
best? - (answers)Use a phylogenetic approach and compare the courtship
behaviors of backing bugs to other, closely related creatures
, 2|Page
When adult seagulls arrive at their nests, they feed the waiting chicks only if the
chicks actively beg for food. Because all chicks beg for food in the same way, it
was initially thought that begging was innate behavior. What results
demonstrated this was only partly true? - (answers)Observation showed that the
chicks know how to approach their parents and close mouth to indicate that they
need to be fed, but chicks raised by humans and presented to fake parents could
not appropriately grasp the parents' bill like those raised with parents
If the older bees in a hive suddenly failed to transfer ethyl oleate to younger bees
when providing them with food, what would happen? - (answers)The younger
bees would develop into foragers prematurely
In his studies on how bats could fly in the dark, why did Spallanzani perform the
experimental manipulation in which he placed brass tubes in the ears of bats? -
(answers)to control for the presence of an object in the ears of deafened bats
Which of the following studies is an example of a comparative approach to animal
behavior? - (answers)The mating displays of several different species of
hummingbirds are examined with regard to hummingbird phylogeny to see if the
origin of their "dive bomb" display can be understood
Tyron's Rat experiment produced two strains of maze running rats ("maze bright"
and "maze dull") through artificial selection and thus proved that there was a
genetic component to maze running ability. How did scientists discover that there
was also an environmental component to this behavior? - (answers)They raised
rats from each strain in environments that differed in the number and variety of
toys (restricted, normal, enriched) and then compared maze-running ability when
the rats were adult
