Ants carry dead ants out of the anthill and dump them on a "trash pile." If a live ant is painted with a chemical from dead ants, other ants repeatedly carry it, kicking and struggling, to the trash pile, until the substance wears off. Which of the following best explains this behavior? a. The chemical triggers a fixed action patternb. The ants have become imprinted on the chemicalc. The ants continue the behavior until they become habituatedd. The ants can learn only by trail and errore. The chemical triggers a negative taxis

A. the chemical triggers a fixed action pattern

Explanation:

Konrad Lorenz, who is the founder of the fixed action pattern, described it as an instinctive behavioral sequence that is highly stereotyped and species-characteristic. Fixed action patterns are said to be produced by the innate releasing mechanism, a "hard-wired" neural network, in response to a sign stimulus or releaser. Once released, a fixed action pattern runs to completion.

Fixed action patterns have been observed in many species, but most notably in fish and birds

Fixed action patterns have been shown to be evolutionarily advantageous as they increase both fitness and speed. However, as a result of their predictability, they may also be used as a means of exploitation. An example of this exploitation would be brood parasitism.