Question

Suppose a hypothetical bird species (species Gamma) differs from a closely related bird species (species Delta) in several ways, including being much more aggressive. How would you set up an experiment to determine if environment or genetics plays a larger role in the Gamma bird species aggression?

You would relocate some adult Gamma birds to a Delta bird habitat and some adult Delta birds to a Gamma habitat and compare the aggressive behaviors in their new environment to their aggressive behaviors in their original environment.

You would attempt to socialize newly hatched Gamma birds and see if their aggressive behaviors decreased over time.

You would remove the offspring of Gamma birds and Delta birds from their parents, raise them in the same environment, and then compare the outcomes.

You would hybridize Gamma birds with Delta birds, and hand-rear the offspring to see if any grew up to be aggressive.

You would place newly hatched Gamma birds with Delta bird parents, place newly hatched Delta birds with Gamma bird parents, and let some newly hatched birds of both species be raised by their own species. Then you would compare the outcomes.

Answer 1

(1)You would relocate some adult Gamma birds to a Delta bird habitat and some adult Delta birds to a Gamma habitat and compare the aggressive behaviors in their new environment to their aggressive behaviors in their original environment.

Environment can surely be a reason for many specific characters. On doing the above mentioned experiment if the delta birds become aggressive in the new environment, it clearly indicates that environment plays a greater role in aggressive character of the birds. But if gamma birds continue to be agressive in the new enivironment then aggression is clearly due to genes carried by the species

(2)You would attempt to socialize newly hatched Gamma birds and see if their aggressive behaviors decreased over time.

Useless experiment as it doesnt show whether genetics or enivironment played a role for the aggressive character of the bird

(3)You would remove the offspring of Gamma birds and Delta birds from their parents, raise them in the same environment, and then compare the outcomes.

Changing parents donot alter genes carried by the offspring. Hence wrong experiment

(4)You would hybridize Gamma birds with Delta birds, and hand-rear the offspring to see if any grew up to be aggressive.

In this experiment role of environment not justified

(5)You would place newly hatched Gamma birds with Delta bird parents, place newly hatched Delta birds with Gamma bird parents, and let some newly hatched birds of both species be raised by their own species. Then you would compare the outcomes.

Changing parents donot alter genes carried by the offspring. Hence wrong experiment. Parents have no role in experiment. Only genes and environment needs to be tested