Scenario The Collared Lizard Is a Species Found in the Desert

question 20

Multiple Choice

Scenario
The collared lizard is a species found in the Desert Southwest. Male collared lizards show considerable color variation, ranging from brightly colored to a very dull pattern. Your goal is to determine the function, if any, of male color patterns in collared lizards, using the scientific method. Your tentative explanation is that male color plays a role in attracting females for mating purposes. You predict that females will preferentially choose brightly colored males over dull-colored ones. To test your prediction, you observed the interactions of female collared lizards with their male counterparts. You selected males that were the same age and size, and that differed only in their coloration pattern. You placed equal numbers of the two types of male lizards, bright and dull, in aquariums, along with one female lizard per aquarium. Out of 350 aquariums observed, the female chose to mate with the brightly colored male 277 times, and the dull-colored male 70 times. In three instances, the females did not mate with either type.
Create a bar graph of your data, plotting the type of male (dull-or brightly colored) on the x-axis. On the y-axis, plot the frequency with which each type of male was chosen by females. Using this graph
-If the proportion of brightly colored male lizards increased steadily in future generations, this would ________.

• A)reject the original hypothesis
• B)be an example of evolution due to natural selection
• C)illustrate the relationship between structure and function
• D)demonstrate the flow of energy through a system

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Definitions:

Cognition

The cognitive process of gaining awareness and comprehension via thinking, experiencing, and sensory perception.

Nucleus Accumbens

A region in the brain involved in the reward circuit, associated with pleasure, reinforcement learning, addiction, and fear.

Drug-related Reinforcers

Stimuli associated with drug use that increase the likelihood of future drug-related behaviors due to their pleasurable or rewarding effects.

Emotional Independence Hypothesis

A theory suggesting that individuals' ability to maintain emotional self-sufficiency contributes to their psychological well-being.