UNC BIOL 278 FINAL EXAM 2025
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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? - ANS 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? - ANS 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
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,poor environments were more aggressive than their oxygen-rich counterparts. What do these
results tell us? - ANS 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? - ANS Use a phylogenetic
approach and compare the courtship behaviors of backing bugs to other, closely related
creatures
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? -
ANS 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
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, If the older bees in a hive suddenly failed to transfer ethyl oleate to younger bees when
providing them with food, what would happen? - ANS 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? - ANS 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? -
ANS 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? - ANS 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
COPYRIGHT © 2025 FYNDLAY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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? - ANS 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? - ANS 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
COPYRIGHT © 2025 FYNDLAY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,poor environments were more aggressive than their oxygen-rich counterparts. What do these
results tell us? - ANS 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? - ANS Use a phylogenetic
approach and compare the courtship behaviors of backing bugs to other, closely related
creatures
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? -
ANS 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
COPYRIGHT © 2025 FYNDLAY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
, If the older bees in a hive suddenly failed to transfer ethyl oleate to younger bees when
providing them with food, what would happen? - ANS 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? - ANS 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? -
ANS 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? - ANS 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
COPYRIGHT © 2025 FYNDLAY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
