ANSWER KEY Final Exam 2013 NREM/ZOOL Ornithology

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1 ANSWER KEY Final Exam 2013 NREM/ZOOL Ornithology Welcome to your final exam. Please read all questions carefully and take your time. If you encounter something you don t understand, simply ask me for clarification. The last three questions require answers in grammatically correct, complete sentences. There are 46 questions and 109 pts. Good luck! MULTIPLE CHOICE (2 pts. each) Circle the letter corresponding with best response. 1. On average, how does brain size of birds compare to that of mammals? a) Avian brains are 6 11% larger than those of comparably sized mammals. b) Avian brains are 2 9% smaller than mammalian brains. c) Avian and mammalian brains are about the same size in comparably-sized species. d) Avian brains are much smaller than those of mammals, but birds compensate by having vastly more neural connections in their brains than mammals do. 2. Why do birds that cache seeds in autumn for consumption in winter and early spring use a large number of cache locations as opposed to just a few? Select the best answer. a) Using multiple locations ensures that some seeds will be available even if some of the caches spoil or are discovered by another hungry seed-eating animal. b) The trees that provide the seeds are widely scattered, and the birds simply make a cache very near each tree that provides seeds. c) As a display of fitness, females select males for breeding based largely on the male s demonstration that he is capable of finding hundreds of caches of seeds. d) The birds hope that they will forget where some of their caches are in an effort to ensure that some trees will be around to provide seeds in perpetuity. 3. What portion of the avian brain is directly involved in the long-term storage of spatial memories of cached food locations? a) Hypothalamus b) Hippocampus c) Cerebellum d) Telencephalon 4. In a study of innate circannual rhythms of male Stonechats kept in a laboratory under conditions of constant photoperiod, temperature, and food availability, the birds did show evidence of a circannual rhythm. Which one or more of the following helped to confirm the existence of the circannual rhythm? a) The birds laid clutches of eggs during May, just as they would if living in the wild. b) The birds followed annual molt cycles for several years. c) The birds synchronized their annual molt to occur at the same time as nesting. d) Both b) and c) are correct. e) None of the above is correct. 5. In physiological preparation for migration, the hormone stimulates hyperphagia and the hormone helps to convert food to fat. a) testosterone, prolactin b) corticosterone, estrogen c) corticosterone, prolactin d) prolactin, corticosterone 6. The HVC region of the avian brain is important in the development of song in birds that must learn their songs to sing them correctly. About 3 weeks after hatching, what happens to the neural connections to the HVC in the brains of male and female birds? a) The number of connections in males and females begins to increase. b) The number of connections in male and females begins to decrease. c) The number of connections in females increases, while the number of connections in males decreases. d) The number of connections in males increases, while the number of connections in females decreases. 7

2 7. Among the Passerines, song is used for which one or more of the following? a) Territory defense b) Mate attraction c) Species recognition d) All of the above e) Only b) and c) are correct 8. According to Dick Holmes and Scott Sillett, about what proportion of annual mortality in Black-throated Blue Warblers occurs in migration? a) 35% b) 65% c) 85% d) 95% 9. In the syrinx, pressure from the interclavicular air sac on the permits the production of sound. a) internal labium b) external tympaniform membrane c) external labium d) hyoid apparatus 10. Among the Old World warblers, the Chiff-Chaff and the Willow Warbler are virtually identical in plumage. How do these closely related species tell each other apart to avoid hybridization? a) Although the two species look identical to us, they actually reflect patterns in the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum that serve as species-specific signals. b) Due to differences in their diets, the two species have different odors and they rely on olfactory cues to tell each other apart. c) The two species have species-specific songs. d) Hybridization is avoided through a combination of all three mechanisms. 11. Who developed the Emlen Funnel as a device to analyze Zugunruhe? a) Steve Emlen b) Steve Irwin c) Steve McQueen d) Stevie Nicks 12. In monogamous Passerines as the hatching date for their nest approaches, males typically become less overtly aggressive and they hang around their mate more often, even bringing food to her while she is on the nest. This increasing broodiness is associated with an increase in which one of the following hormones in the bloodstream? a) Testosterone b) Luteinizing hormone c) Follicle stimulating hormone d) Prolactin 13. The three countries supporting the highest bird species richness are located on what continental land mass? a) Africa b) Asia c) Indonesia d) South America 14. What essential function occurs in the avian uterus? a) Albumen is wrapped around the egg. b) Ovulation c) The shell is laid down around the egg. d) Fertilization e) All of the above occur in the avian uterus. 8

3 15. As a result of captive breeding to increase populations and establish new flocks of Whooping Cranes, there are at least three separate populations today. The original flock breeds in Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta and winters at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas Coast. There is a non-migratory flock in Louisiana. Finally, there is a population that winters in Florida and migrates north to breed in... a) Alabama b) Ontario c) Ohio d) Minnesota e) Wisconsin 16. Assuming a similar physiological response in diving birds and diving mammals, which organ/tissue would you predict to have the greatest blood flow maintained on a long dive in an Emperor Penguin? a) Liver b) Gonads c) Brain d) Pectoralis muscle (for flippers) e) None of the above 17. Which of the following environmental contaminants today poses the biggest threat to recovering populations of the California Condor? a) DDT b) Eutrophication c) Legal pesticides d) Lead poisoning e) Both (a) and (b) are correct. 18. The only nest site of an Ivory-billed Woodpecker ever photographed was in a swamp in which U.S. state? a) Oklahoma b) Florida c) Mississippi d) Louisiana 19. About 90% of bird extinctions over the last 2000 years have involved birds from... a) forests. b) oceanic islands. c) the Amazon basin. d) Belgium. 20. A homeotherm expends energy on thermoregulatory behaviors... a) below its upper critical temperature and above its lower critical temperature. b) below its lower critical temperature and below its upper critical temperature. c) above its lower critical temperature and above its upper critical temperature. d) above its upper critical temperature and below its lower critical temperature. 21. Among birds grouped by major habitat uses (e.g., wetlands, forests, shrublands, and grasslands) in North America, which group has experienced the greatest population increases and which group has experienced the most severe population declines over the past 40 years? a) Greatest increase: grassland birds, greatest decrease: forest birds b) Greatest increase: desert birds, greatest decrease: forest birds c) Greatest increase: forest birds, greatest decrease: wetland birds d) Greatest increase: wetland birds, greatest decrease: grassland birds 22. You capture a sparrow in a mist net in October in Oklahoma and suspect it might be HY. Which one of the following provides the best support for your assessment? a) The bird shows a molt limit. b) The rectrices are tapered. c) The bird s skull is incompletely ossified. d) The iris is dark. 9

4 23. The Lacey Act (1900) specifically outlaws what practice? a) Trade in wildlife parts b) Collecting eggs from nesting bird colonies c) Hunting waterfowl out of season d) Use of lead shot in the range of the California Condor 24. What is the globular protein in muscle tissue with a high affinity for binding Oxygen? a) Hemoglobin b) Glucagon c) Progesterone d) Myoglobin 25. What is the best term to describe a species of North American bird whose occurrence outside the normal winter range tracks periodic food shortages in the boreal forest? a) Nomadic b) Migratory c) Sessile d) Volcanic e) Irruptive 26. What is defined as the number of complete cycles of a sound wave per unit time (unit = Hertz or kilohertz)? a) Frequency b) Amplitude c) Duration d) Volume DEFINITIONS (2 pts. each) 27. Roughly 24-hour cycle of behavior that operates independent of environmental cues: circadian rhythm. 28. One-way movement from one home range to another: dispersal. 29. Relative allocation of energy or resources that contributes directly to the survival of one s offspring: parental investment. 30. Primary route through which most birds will travel in migration: flyway. 31. German term for the period of restlessness in migratory birds prior to and during migration: Zugunruhe. 32. Study of plant and animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate: phenology. 33. The duration of an organism's daily exposure to light, considered especially with regard to the effect of such exposure on growth and development: photoperiod. 34. Organ of cartilage and muscle unique to birds that modulates air flow through the primary bronchi and trachea to produce sound: syrinx. 35. Monogamous mating system in which individuals pair with a single mate within any specific mating attempt but are likely to take different mates for subsequent attempts: serial monogamy. 10

5 36. Type of polygynous mating system in which males travel through the area seeking matings with receptive females, but defend neither a territory nor a harem of females: scramble polygyny. 37. Unwittingly providing parental care to offspring who are not your own: cuckoldry. 38. For nonmigratory species, what are the two most energetically expensive periods in the annual cycle? reproduction and molt 39. Site of fertilization in the female reproductive tract of birds: infundibulum SHORT ANSWER (4 5 pts each) 40. The following figure is adapted from Ron Mumme s study in which he experimentally trapped and removed helpers at the nest from select territories of Florida Scrub-Jays. Interpret the result reflected in the figure. The nests that lacked helpers produced fewer offspring, thus helpers at the nest are important for individual fitness. 41. In most sexually reproducing organisms, females expend a far greater parental investment than do males. Considering a typical socially monogamous songbird, e.g., Northern Cardinal, list four important investments in the next generation that are exclusively or at least primarily, the job of the female. Females must invest in egg production itself, which includes all the nutrition the developing embryo will need while in the egg, plus a significant calcium investment in secreting the shell. Females invest energy in incubation. Females brood and care for the young after they hatch and fledge. Females are more likely than males to be the last line of defense against nest predators. 42. Seasonal migration in birds involves at least four important components. List those four. To begin migration, birds must first engage in hormonally-mediated, physiological preparation. This involves nutritional changes and exercise of flight muscles. Birds must also have a destination to which they are migrating. Next they must be able to find that destination reliably through navigation and orientation. Finally, all but the most extreme migrants rely on crucial stopover sites that provide them with the nutrition necessary to replenish energy reserves. 11

6 43. Most migratory songbirds fly at night. List four potential advantages a night-migrant could gain relative to a diurnal migrant. Migrating at night means flying in generally cooler and more humid conditions that during the day. Given the physical exertion involved, migrating at night reduces the risks of overheating and dehydration. In addition, night migrants are generally free from the threat of aerial predators and they have the stars to offer important cues in navigation. 44. What is the single most significant anatomical difference between the avian syrinx and the mammalian larynx that allows birds to make sounds at two different frequencies simultaneously? Use complete sentences to explain your answer. (5 pts) In both mammals and birds, the trachea bifurcates into paired bronchi. In mammals, the larynx is located near the top of the trachea, so it modifies air passing through a single tube to produce sound. In contrast, the avian syrinx is located at the point of bifurcation, so it produces sounds by modifying sounds through both bronchi. 45. Describe two, specific fitness benefits to Red Knots that get plenty of food at their traditional spring stopover location on the Delaware Bay. Use complete sentences to explain your answer. (5 pts) In a series of studies, Red Knots that arrived on their breeding grounds nice and plump after stopover at the Delaware Bay laid larger clutches and had greater survivorship than individuals that arrived undernourished. 46. In your well-supported opinion, what species of bird makes the most impressive annual migrations? (Be sure to thoroughly describe that migration in your answer.) Use complete sentences to explain. (5 pts) You had several great examples. Good ones will get 5 points. Total Points: (109 possible) Never for a day give up listening to the songs of our birds, or watching their peculiar habits. 12