Question 1

Why must an organism's behavior occasionally change?

Accepted Answer

Environments are constantly changing, so organisms also need to adapt

(squirrel's fur can change in the winter; not to be confused with natural selection)

Question 2

What is an organism's evolutionary goal?

Accepted Answer

Gain the most energy possible while using the least, in order to reproduce as efficiently as possible

Question 3

What are endotherms?

Accepted Answer

Animals that generate body heat through their metabolism

(casually known as "warm-blooded"; nearly all mammals are endotherms)

Question 4

What are ectotherms?

Accepted Answer

Animals that can't control their own body temperature

They rely on outside sources, such as the sun

(commonly known as "cold-blooded"; most lizards are ectotherms)

Question 5

What is behavior?

Accepted Answer

How an organism acts in its environment

Question 6

What is an instinct?

Accepted Answer

A behavior an organism is born with - it doesn't have to be learned

(Different types of bees doing their work)

Question 7

What is learning?

(in the context of biology and behavior)

Accepted Answer

Changing a behavior, due to some event or experience

Question 8

What is imprinting?

Accepted Answer

The act of certain young animals coming to trust something as their parent

(newly-hatched goslings will imprint upon the first thing they see, declaring it their mother)

Question 9

What is a critical period?

(in the context of behavior)

Accepted Answer

A short period of time after some animals are born where imprinting can occur

Question 10

What is habituation?

Accepted Answer

A form of learning where an animal learns not to respond to a repeated stimulus

(if your pet notices something weird, it may freak out at first, but overtime it will get habituated)

Question 11

What are circadian rythms?

Accepted Answer

Internal clocks, that let an organism get a rough sense of the time of day

(circadian rhythms allow roosters to know when to start crowing; doesn't refer to seasonal changes)

Question 12

What are common types of signals organisms use to communicate?

Accepted Answer

Chemical, visual, electrical, and tactile

Question 13

Why do organisms use signals?

Accepted Answer

Communicate with each other, influencing social and mating behavior

(fireflies flashing their lights)

Question 14

What are pheromones?

Accepted Answer

Chemical signals between members of the same species that are used for communication

(stimulate olfactory receptors, which affect behavior)

Question 15

What is agonistic behavior?

Accepted Answer

Aggressive behavior between organisms

Occurs as a result of competition for food or other recources

Question 16

What are dominance hierarchies?

Accepted Answer

A form of animal social structure

Animals are more dominant than the ones below it and are submissive to the ones above it

(commonly known as "pecking order")

Question 17

What is territoriality?

Accepted Answer

Tendency of organisms to defend their territory when resources are in short supply

(common in birds)

Question 18

What is altruistic behavior?

Accepted Answer

Unselfish behavior where an organism puts the group's needs first

(squirrels giving warning calls about predators - puts the individual squirrel at danger, but helps the group)

Question 19

What are symbiotic relationships?

Accepted Answer

Close relationships between two species, where at least one species benefits

(remoras attaching themselves to sharks)

Question 20

What is mutualism?

Accepted Answer

A symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit

Question 21

What is commensalism?

Accepted Answer

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits, but the other is not harmed

Question 22

What is parasitism?

Accepted Answer

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of the other

Question 23

What is photoperiodism?

Accepted Answer

The flowering of plants depending on how much daylight and darkness they recieve

(plants are actually controlled by the amount of uninterrupted darkness, not sunlight)

Question 24

What is tropism?

Accepted Answer

An organism (often a plant) turning itself in response to a stimulus

Question 25

What is phototropism?

Accepted Answer

Plants turning towards sunlight

Question 26

What is gravitropism?

Accepted Answer

Plants orienting themselves with gravity

Stems grow away from gravity; roots grow towards gravity

Question 27

What is thigmotropism?

Accepted Answer

The way plants turn in response to physical touch

(ivy wraps itself around posts)

Question 28

What are auxins?

Accepted Answer

A class of plant hormones that promote growth

(auxins help a plant turn towards sunlight)

Question 29

What are gibberellins?

Accepted Answer

A type of plant hormone that promotes stem elongation

Question 30

What are cytokinins?

Accepted Answer

A type of plant hormone that promotes cell division and differention

Question 31

What is ethylene?

Accepted Answer

A type of plant hormone that makes plants ripen and spread seeds

(if mutations occur in ethylene receptors that cause the receptors to lose function, ripening will not occur)

Question 32

What is abscisic acid?

Accepted Answer

Plant hormone that controls leaf abscission and promotes bud/seed dormancy

(controls when the plant buds and releases seeds)

Question 33

What is leaf abscission?

Accepted Answer

The process where leaves turn dry and fall off

Behavior, AP Biology Flashcards