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← Theoretical A

Q19 — Cumulative Cultural Evolution in Rock Pigeons

Theoretical A Real exam question — full text reproduced under IBO's CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
Development & Learning

Individual progress and subsequent social learning are important aspects of group living. The progressive accumulation of culture within a group over time is called Cumulative Cultural Evolution (CCE). The following study aimed to investigate the interplay between CCE and collective decision-making. Rock pigeons (Columba livia) building routes between two distant points were taken as a model system.

Panel A: schematic of the experimental pair (one bird replaced each round of 12 flights, shown as a sequence of differently colored birds), plus solo control and pair control (same birds for all 60 flights). Panel B: line graph of route efficiency across 5 rounds of 12 flights for the experimental pair (red), solo control (black), and pair control (blue), with the experimental pair pulling significantly ahead of both controls after rounds 4 and 5 (marked with asterisks). Figure 1. A In solo and pair controls the same birds fly all 60 times while in the experimental group, one of the birds is replaced every round (12 flights) with a new one. After each round, the performance on the last flights of the experimental pair and both controls were compared (asterisks mark a significant difference). Route efficiency is calculated relative to the straight line connecting two points. B Change in route efficiency across flights, grouped by rounds.

On your answer sheet, indicate “T” for true statements and “F” for false ones.

A. There is evidence of social learning in the pigeon community.
B. Comparing the mean performance of each group within each round may lead to incorrect interpretations of the experimental results.
C. In the experimental group, the new pigeon takes an active part in developing the route.
D. Collective decision-making is the main reason for the difference between the effectiveness of the routes of the experimental group and control groups.
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Question reproduced from IBO 2024, Theoretical Exam Part A, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — attributed to the International Biology Olympiad. Open the full exam PDF · Community solutions (unofficial)