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Ants & Instincts: Decoding Chemical-Triggered Fixed Action Patterns
Chapter 35, Problem 5(choose chapter or problem)
Ants carry dead ants out of the anthill and dump them on a trash pile. If a live ant is painted with a chemical from dead ants, other ants repeatedly carry it, kicking and struggling, to the trash pile, until the substance wears off. Which of the following best explains this behavior?
a. The chemical triggers a fixed action pattern.
b. The ants have become imprinted on the chemical.
c. The ants continue the behavior until they become habituated.
d. The ants can learn only by trial and error.
e. The chemical triggers a negative taxis.
Questions & Answers
QUESTION:
Ants carry dead ants out of the anthill and dump them on a trash pile. If a live ant is painted with a chemical from dead ants, other ants repeatedly carry it, kicking and struggling, to the trash pile, until the substance wears off. Which of the following best explains this behavior?
a. The chemical triggers a fixed action pattern.
b. The ants have become imprinted on the chemical.
c. The ants continue the behavior until they become habituated.
d. The ants can learn only by trial and error.
e. The chemical triggers a negative taxis.
ANSWER:Step 1 of 2
A fixed action pattern is an innate, unchangeable behavior caused by some stimulus. In the case of the ants, the chemical of the dead ant is the stimulus, causing the other ants to carry it to the trash pile.
Since the chemical was painted onto the ant, it was not present when newborn ants would have imprinted on it. Also, no evidence exists that ants exhibit imprinting behavior, as exemplified by ducks and geese.
To habituate to a stimulus causes the organism to stop responding to it when it presents itself. Since the chemical caused the ants to carry the painted live ant repeatedly, they did not habituate to it.
In addition, the ants do not exhibit negative taxis because they continually bring the painted ant to the trash pile. If it were negative, then they would bring the ant away from the pile.
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Ants & Instincts: Decoding Chemical-Triggered Fixed Action Patterns
Want To Learn More? To watch the entire video and ALL of the videos in the series:
Discover the intriguing behavioral responses of ants, triggered by chemical cues. This video explains how ants instinctively handle their dead, highlighting the significance of fixed action patterns in animal behavior. Learn how biology and behavior seamlessly connect in the complex world of ants.