OpenSAT

Question #N499

A team of researchers has been studying the habits of a small species of bird, the blue-footed booby, in order to determine how the birds choose their mates. The researchers found that, in general, blue-footed boobies prefer to mate with individuals that have the largest feet. The researchers theorize that larger feet may be an indicator of health and fitness. In order to further their research, the team wanted to determine whether the birds’ preference for large feet is a learned behavior or an instinctive one. To this end, the researchers conducted an experiment in which some blue-footed boobies were raised in captivity and then released into the wild. To measure the birds’ preference for large feet, the researchers observed whether the birds, when given a choice between two potential mates, would choose the mate with the larger feet. Of the twenty birds that were raised in captivity, fourteen chose the mate with the larger feet. This finding suggests that the blue-footed booby’s preference for large feet may be an instinctive behavior, rather than a learned one. Although the researchers’ findings do not prove their hypothesis, the results are suggestive. However, the researchers acknowledged that their experiment had a significant limitation. The birds were only allowed to choose between two potential mates, so it is not possible to know for certain that the birds would choose the mate with the larger feet if given more options. Furthermore, the researchers did not consider other factors that may have influenced the birds’ mate selection, such as the birds’ age or the availability of food. Despite these limitations, the researchers’ findings suggest that there is a genetic component to blue-footed boobies’ preference for large feet.