The problems in this document may be used as extra review or practice for quizzes and exams. They are organized by chapter and are very similar in spirit to those found in the text. When referring to problems in this document, we will use the chapter number followed by the problem number. For example, Problem 1.3 refers to the third problem in the problem set for Chapter 1. The answers to these problems may be found in a companion document at this website.

Problems for Chapter 4

1. The brown-headed cowbird, Molothrus ater, is a predator of eggs and nestlings of the least flycatcher, Empidonax minimus. In a behavioral study of this parasitic relationship, a freeze- dried model of a cowbird was place 0.5 m from the nest cups of n = 40 flycatchers and the responses of the flycatchers were recorded once they returned to the nest. (Based on data reported in James V. Briskie and Spencer G. Sealy, 1989, Changes in nest defense against a brood parasite over the breeding cycle, Ethology, 82, 61 - 67.)
   1. The mean number of "whits" (alarm calls) per minute of the flycatcher when the model cowbird was present was = 22.4 and the standard deviation was s = 18.9. Find 95% confidence intervals for the population mean and the population standard deviation.
   2. For comparison purposes, a control model of a fox sparrow, Passerella iliaca, which is not a brood parasite, was also introduced to 40 flycatchers. The mean number of whits per minute recorded was = 11.8 and the sample standard error was 1.87. Find 95% confidence intervals for the population mean and the population standard deviation.

   

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