Chapter 29, Problem 25A

Summary Introduction

To hypothesize:

Ornithologists hypothesized that the long-term memory of certain migratory birds would be better than that of nonmigrants.

Introduction:

Bird migration is a seasonal movement done on a regularly between breeding and wintering season towards north and south. These migration increases the rate of predation and mortality because of the unavailability of food and hunting by human.

Explanation of Solution

Ornithologists hypothesized that the long-term memory of certain migratory birds would be better than that of nonmigrants. To test this hypothesis, two rooms were decorated-one with ivy and one with geraniums. Food was placed in only one room. Both migrant and nonmigrant birds were allowed to explore both of the rooms. One year later, the same birds were allowed to explore the rooms. Migrant birds spent significantly more time exploring the room hat had contained food than the nonmigrants. The conclusion that can be drawn is that:

The migrant birds have better long-term memories because of the extra brain power that helps them not to go lost on their way to any destination. These long distances flying birds use some celestial cues like their sense of smell or the magnetic field of Earth as a navigation. They remember their landmarks like bushes and trees they passed through their last trips. They do a lot of learning during their migration and comes back to same place even after one year.

Conclusion

The conclusion about the long-term memories of these birds is because of the extra brain power that helps them not to go lost on their way to any destination.