Practice Test Geeks(ACE) Associate Certified Entomologist Practice Test
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Animal Behavior & Psychology Flashcards

7 cards from real ACE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Animal Behavior & Psychology flashcards as text

  1. Which sensory modality do male moths primarily use to locate females for mating over long distances?

    Answer: Olfaction via sex pheromones

    Male moths detect female-produced sex pheromones with highly sensitive olfactory receptors on their antennae to locate mates over distances of kilometers.

  2. What is 'thigmotaxis' in insects?

    Answer: Preference for contact with solid surfaces

    Thigmotaxis is the behavioral tendency of insects to maintain contact with solid surfaces, which explains why many pests are found in cracks and crevices.

  3. The 'alarm-defense' system in social insects typically involves:

    Answer: Workers releasing alarm pheromones that recruit nestmates and trigger defensive responses

    Alarm pheromones released by workers rapidly recruit nestmates and switch the colony into defensive mode.

  4. Which learning paradigm is demonstrated when a bee associates a floral scent (conditioned stimulus) with a nectar reward (unconditioned stimulus)?

    Answer: Classical (Pavlovian) conditioning

    Classical conditioning pairs a neutral stimulus (scent) with a biologically meaningful one (nectar reward) until the neutral stimulus alone elicits a response.

  5. An insect that adjusts its speed of random movement in response to stimulus intensity, but shows no directional orientation, is displaying:

    Answer: Kinesis

    Kinesis is undirected movement whose speed or turning rate varies with stimulus intensity, unlike taxis which is directed.

  6. Kin selection theory predicts that eusocial behavior evolves more readily when workers share a high coefficient of relatedness (r). In Hymenoptera, what elevates r among full sisters?

    Answer: Haplodiploidy with single mating (monogyny and monandry)

    In haplodiploid Hymenoptera with a singly mated queen, full sisters share 75% of their genes (r = 0.75), promoting altruistic worker behavior.

  7. In integrated pest management, monitoring traps baited with aggregation pheromones are most useful because they:

    Answer: Indicate pest presence and help determine action thresholds

    Pheromone-baited traps detect pest presence and population trends, informing decisions about whether and when to apply control measures.