Question 1

Which of the following does NOT provide clear evidence for a genetic basis of behavior?

Accepted Answer

Epistatic behaviors refer to the interaction of different genes (epistasis), which complicates the direct attribution of behavior to specific genetic bases. Unlike instinct, innate, reflex, and fixed action pattern behaviors, which are directly linked to genetic programming and provide clear evidence of a genetic basis for behavior, epistatic behaviors involve interactions that make it difficult to pinpoint a clear genetic basis for specific behaviors.

Question 2

What data allowed Bastock to conclude that a single gene mutation affected fruit fly behavior?

Accepted Answer

Bastock's conclusion that a single gene mutation affected fruit fly behavior was based on the observation that mutant flies displayed less courtship behavior than wild-type flies. This behavioral difference directly linked the mutation to a change in behavior.

Question 3

Which of the following observations prompted Margaret Bastock's research on fly courtship in "yellow" flies

Accepted Answer

Margaret Bastock's research on fly courtship was prompted by the observation that yellow flies, although rare in nature, were able to reproduce successfully in the laboratory setting. This anomaly sparked curiosity about the genetic and behavioral aspects of these flies, leading to further scientific investigation.

Question 4

In Margaret Bastock's research examining the courtship behavior of wild type and "yellow" forms of fruit flies she interbred wild type and "yellow" flies to create inbred flies. What was the purpose of this?

Accepted Answer

The purpose of interbreeding wild type and "yellow" flies to create inbred flies was to create populations that were genetically very similar except for the specific gene of interest, in this case, the "yellow" gene. This approach helps in isolating the effects of the gene on behavior by minimizing genetic variability in other aspects.

Question 5

Which of the following could Margaret Bastock conclude from her research examining the courtship behavior of wild type and "yellow" forms of fruit flies?

Accepted Answer

Margaret Bastock's research concluded that variation in genotypes was associated with variation in behavioral phenotypes, indicating a genetic basis for the observed differences in behavior.

Question 6

Which of the following is required in order to conduct a QTL analysis?

Accepted Answer

A linkage map is essential for QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) analysis because it provides the framework for locating the genetic regions associated with quantitative traits on chromosomes.

Question 7

Which of the following statements best reflects the work of Kenneth Ross (1997) on fire ants?

Accepted Answer

Kenneth Ross (1997) identified a major gene, Gp-9, that significantly affects the social organization of fire ants.

Question 8

Which of the following is true about the Gp-9 gene in fire ants?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is true about...

Question 9

Which of the following is true about the knockout technique?

Accepted Answer

The knockout technique involves disabling a gene to observe the difference in phenotype between organisms (or cells) with the gene disabled (knockout organisms) and those with the gene functioning normally (wild-type). This comparison helps in understanding the role and function of the specific gene.

Question 10

You measure the narrow-sense heritability of two behavioral traits. For trait A, heritability is 0.1. For trait B, it is 0.6. For both traits, phenotypic variation is identical. Which of the following can be concluded from these data?

Accepted Answer

Heritability is a measure of how much of the phenotypic variation in a trait is due to additive genetic variance. A higher heritability for trait B (0.6) compared to trait A (0.1) indicates that the variance due to additive effects is higher for trait B.

Question 11

You measure narrow-sense heritability for three traits and find that it is 0.1 for trait A, 0.5 for trait B, and 0.8 for trait C. Which of the following can you conclude from your data?

Accepted Answer

Narrow-sense heritability estimates the proportion of the phenotypic variance that can be attributed to additive genetic variance. A higher heritability (closer to 1) means a greater proportion of the trait's variation is due to additive genetic factors, which implies that a parent-offspring regression for trait C (with the highest heritability of 0.8) will have the highest slope among the traits, indicating a strong genetic influence on the trait's variation.

Question 12

Which of the following was used as evidence by Dingemanse and colleagues (2002) to conclude that exploratory behavior in great tits was a heritable trait?

Accepted Answer

Dingemanse and colleagues (2002) used artificial selection experiments to demonstrate that selection on exploratory behavior resulted in significant changes in the population over generations, indicating heritability.

Question 13

Dingemanse and colleagues (2002) found a positive correlation between a mother's exploratory behavior and that of her offspring. Which of the following can be concluded from this result?

Accepted Answer

The positive correlation between a mother's exploratory behavior and that of her offspring suggests that such behavior can be inherited, allowing natural selection to potentially act on it. This does not directly imply the specific type of selection (dominant, stabilizing, or sexual) or that the behavior is an adaptation.

Question 14

Both Kenneth Ross's research on social behavior in fire ants (1997) and Isadora Bielsky's research on the function of the AVPRiA receptor in mice……

Accepted Answer

Examined the effect of a single gene on behavior

Question 15

What approach did Marks et al. (2005) use to study the environmental influence on aggression in zebrafish?

Accepted Answer

Marks et al. (2005) exposed genetically similar zebrafish to different environments and compared their aggression to study the environmental influence on aggression.

Question 16

Which of the following allows a researcher to conclude that environmental factors affect behavior?

Accepted Answer

A) Genetically similar individuals raised in different environments behaving differently indicates that the differences in behavior can be attributed to the differences in their environments, since their genetic makeup is similar. This supports the conclusion that environmental factors affect behavior.

Question 17

Microarray analysis allows researchers to examine which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Microarray analysis is a tool used to examine gene expression across thousands of genes simultaneously, allowing researchers to understand how genes are turned on or off in different conditions.

Question 18

To investigate environmental effects on gene expression, Ellis and Carney (2011) did which of the following?

Accepted Answer

They allowed males to interact with either males or females and examined the genes that were expressed in each group.

Question 19

What is the important distinction between closed-ended and open-ended learners?

Accepted Answer

Closed-ended learners have a fixed sensitive period during which they can learn songs or other behaviors, after which learning new songs or significantly altering existing ones is very difficult or impossible. Open-ended learners, on the other hand, can continue to learn new songs or modify existing ones throughout their lives, not being limited to a specific sensitive period for learning.

Question 20

Which of the following genes is expressed in the song circuit of the avian brain?

Accepted Answer

FoxP2 is known to be expressed in the song circuit of the avian brain and is associated with song learning in birds.

Quiz 4: Behavioral Genetics