Learned Behaviors Vs. Inherited Behaviors (Instincts)

The life cycles of a butterfly and a chigger are shown. How is the life cycle of chiggers different from the life cycle of butterflies?

• Chigger larvae have legs.
• Chiggers have a nymph phase.
• Chiggers go through metamorphosis.
• Chigger larvae hatch from eggs.

The ocotillo is a desert plant with long, straight branches. Its leaves are small and appear for only a short time after a rain. Most of the time, the branches of the ocotillo do not have leaves. Maple trees grow in areas where water is more abundant than in the desert. Maple leaves can be very large and are present for most months of the year. Ocotillo plants are better adapted for surviving in the desert than maple trees because the characteristics of ocotillo leaves...

• allow more sunlight to reach the soil
• prevent the plant from producing flowers
• encourage the release of carbon dioxide from the stems
• reduce the amount of water lost through evaporation

A prickly pear cactus is shown. The roots of the prickly pear cactus spread out in a wide underground network. How does this type of root system benefit a prickly pear cactus?

• By producing fruit and storing water
• By capturing sunlight and getting rid of waste materials
• By absorbing water and supporting the plant in loose, sandy soil
• By releasing nutrients into the sandy soil and taking in oxygen

Fox squirrels live in the trees of city parks throughout Texas. Each spring they build nests of twigs and leaves in the tops of the trees. Fox squirrels are often found near park benches, waiting to be fed by visitors. For fox squirrels, which of these is a learned behavior?

• Building a nest each spring
• Taking food from people
• Having a long, bushy tail
• Having sharp claws

A scientist observes sea otters using rocks to break open clamshells. Which of these investigations would best help the scientist determine whether this skill is a learned or an inherited behavior?

• Determining what sizes and kinds of rocks are used most often by sea otters
• Determining whether shellfish are an important food source in the diet of sea otters
• Raising young sea otters away from adult otters that use rocks and observing whether the young otters use rocks
• Observing families of sea otters over time to see whether adults that use rocks have offspring that use rocks

The stages in the development of an insect are shown. Which observation best supports the conclusion that this insect undergoes incomplete metamorphosis?

• The insect changes color when it becomes an adult.
• The first stage of the insect's development is as an egg.
• The insect undergoes more than four stages in its development.
• The insect has similar body parts throughout its development.

Crayfish live in water and often hide under rocks or plants. They come out to look for food and will eat both plants and animals. Which of these is a trait that a crayfish most likely inherits from its parents?

• The average distance it travels each day
• The number of legs it has
• The amount of food it eats each day
• The type of plants in its habitat

The whiskers of a river otter and the antennae of a cockroach are shown. How do structures such as whiskers and antennae benefit organisms?

• They help the organisms detect their surroundings
• They help the organisms eat food quickly
• They help the organisms fight predators
• None of these

Some animals, such as lions, have pointed teeth, while other animals, such as cattle, have flat teeth. The difference in the shape of these animals' teeth is most closely related to...

• the type of organisms the animals consume
• the sounds the animals make
• the habitat the animals live in
• the type of predators the animals have

Some species of rain forest frogs reproduce in the moist leaf litter on the forest floor. These frogs do not need a nearby body of water to complete their life cycle. Which stage of the typical frog life cycle is most likely missing from their life cycle?

• Egg

• Tadpole

• Froglet

• Adult frog