Explore the Biological Bases of Behavior Test. Prepare with engaging flashcards and multiple choice questions, each featuring explanations. Start practicing today!

Multiple Choice

Which Russian geneticist bred tame foxes through artificial selection to study behavior?

The question taps into how artificial selection can shape behavior and physical traits over generations. Dmitry Belyaev carried out famous experiments in Siberia where he bred foxes for tameness, choosing the individuals least fearful of humans to reproduce. Across many generations, the foxes became increasingly tame and started showing dog‑like behaviors such as seeking human attention and wagging their tails, and they also developed physical changes like altered coat colors and ear shapes. This demonstrates that selecting for a social/behavioral trait can produce correlated changes through genetics and development, illustrating how domestication can unfold in predictable ways. Pavlov is known for classical conditioning experiments with dogs rather than breeding for tameness; Popper was a philosopher of science, not a geneticist; Vavilov was a plant geneticist focused on crop origins.

The question taps into how artificial selection can shape behavior and physical traits over generations. Dmitry Belyaev carried out famous experiments in Siberia where he bred foxes for tameness, choosing the individuals least fearful of humans to reproduce. Across many generations, the foxes became increasingly tame and started showing dog‑like behaviors such as seeking human attention and wagging their tails, and they also developed physical changes like altered coat colors and ear shapes. This demonstrates that selecting for a social/behavioral trait can produce correlated changes through genetics and development, illustrating how domestication can unfold in predictable ways.

Pavlov is known for classical conditioning experiments with dogs rather than breeding for tameness; Popper was a philosopher of science, not a geneticist; Vavilov was a plant geneticist focused on crop origins.