Animal Behavior ‑ First Midterm Examination ‑ Fall 2011

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS: The test has three sections. You will answer one question from each section. You are free to use your textbook, your class notes, PDFs of scientific papers, and your brains. Do not consult with other students while writing the exam.

For every question, don’t assume I can make the same leaps in logic you might make. Explain yourself. You won’t get rewarded for volume of words, but you need to tell me everything I need to know to understand your argument. If you can answer the question in a single word (doubt it), great. However, if you need more space for an answer, it should not exceed two page DOUBLE SPACED pages. Your exam may not be hand-written.

Separate your answers with page breaks (i.e., don’t put 2 answers on the same page) and put the letter of the question at the top of your essay so I will know which question you have chosen. You will submit a HARD COPY to me in class on Wednesday, September 28, 2011.

Section I (33 points). Everyone must answer this question:

A. Explain Karl Popper’s ideas about “proof” in science. To illustrate Popper’s notion of science, examine Figure 2 from the Mathews paper (right) we read (but did not discuss) for class. Illustrate Popper’s logic by restating in your own words the hypotheses and predictions that led to this figure. Be sure to write your answer in terms that would make Popper say that you are more like Einstein than like Marx.

Section II (33 points). Everyone must answer this question:

B. Choose another paper you have read this term (do not use the Mathews paper). Decide whether the study in that paper is addressing an "ultimate" or a "proximate" hypothesis to explain the behavior under investigation. Explain why. Then propose a hypothesis to explain the behavior from the other point of view (i.e., if the paper addresses an ultimate hypothesis, propose a proximate hypothesis, and vice versa).

Section III (33 points). Answer of ONE the following:

C. Explain the idea of the “Umwelt” and filtering systems and how it relates to the concept of “nerve cell thresholds” described in your textbook. Use the figure at right to illustrate your points. This figure illustrates the sound intensity (volume/power) at which a certain species of moth can detect various frequencies of sound.

D. Figure 3 shows naturally occurring variation in testosterone concentration in the blood of male white-crown sparrows in Alaska. The shaded area is the breeding season, starting when males first set up territories and begin to attract mates. What might testosterone have to do with male behavior during the months of May, June, July? How would you test your hypothesis with (1) an “observational study” and with (2) a manipulative study? Clearly state how both studies together, in conjunction with the data from Figure 3, will refute or support your hypothesis. NOTE: I am not only asking about biological clocks here, per se. Think about hormones more generally.

Figure 3. X axis is time (month) and Y axis is testosterone concentration in the blood.