NameTest Bank Chapter 01DescriptionInstructionsThe following questions challenge you to think about how ecologists study andlearn about the natural world. The emphasis of these questions is on applicationof the scientific method. Imagine that you are following up on some pioneeringresearch carried out in the 1930s by the entomologist V. G. Dethier on feedingbehavior of swallowtail butterflies. Dethier observed that larvae of certainswallowtail butterfly species feed selectively on plants belonging to the carrotfamily (Apiaciae). He wondered how the larvae were able to locate such plants.Using simple but cleverly designed experiments, Dethier was able todemonstrate that these larvae recognize their preferred food plants based ontheir odors.Question1EssayQuestionDethier and other entomologists have spent considerable timewatching the behaviors of butterfly larvae as they move about in naturalhabitats and select different plants to eat. Dethier recorded his observationsuntil he felt he could identify trends that might lead to an understanding of theprocesses underlying larval food selection. Which component of the scientificmethod did this aspect of Dethier's research represent?Answerobservation and descriptionQuestion2EssayQuestionDethier proposed that swallowtail larvae locate their preferred foodplants using their sense of smell. In other words, he believed that the larvaewere able to discriminate among various kinds of plants by detectingparticular kinds of volatile chemicals released by the plants. Whichcomponent of the scientific method did this aspect of Dethier's researchrepresent? Answer: development of hypotheses and explanationsAnswerdevelopment of hypotheses and explanationsQuestion3EssayQuestionDethier conducted experiments to determine if his explanation ofhow swallowtail larvae locate their host plants might be correct. Whichcomponent of the scientific method did this aspect of Dethier's researchrepresent?Answertesting of hypothesesQuestion4EssayQuestionYou are interested in studying the role of olfaction (using the senseof smell) in location of host plants by larvae of a particular species ofswallowtail butterfly. You hypothesize that these larvae detect their preferredhost plants in the carrot family by olfaction. Following Dethier's methodology,Preview Mode
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