Animal Behavior. Behavior Behavior is what an animal does and how it does it Behavior is a result of...
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Transcript of Animal Behavior. Behavior Behavior is what an animal does and how it does it Behavior is a result of...
Animal Behavior
Behavior
Behavior is what an animal does and how it does it
Behavior is a result of GENETIC and ENVIRONMENTAL factors (nature vs nurture)
The field of study that looks at how behavior is controlled and how it develops, evolves and contributes to survival and reproductive success
2 types Innate/Instinctive – preprogrammed, developmentally
fixed Learned – developed throughout life
Ethology
Ethology is the study of animal behavior A FIXED ACTION PATTERN is a sequence
of innate behaviors that is largely unchangeable and usually carried to completion once it is initiated. Ex. Geese with eggs and male sticklebacks
These are triggered by SIGN STIMULI
IMPRINTING
A combination of learned and innate components that is limited to a sensitive period in an organism’s life and is generally irreversible
Directed Movement
Kinesis – a simple change in activity in response to a stimulus (speed up or slow down)
Taxis – an automatic movement toward or away from a stimulus
Migration – cyclic movement over long distances
Kinesis increases the chance that a sow bug will encounter and stayin a moist environment.
Dry openarea
Moist siteunder leaf
Positive rheotaxis keeps trout facing into the current, the directionfrom which most food comes.
Directionof rivercurrent
Nature vs. Nurture?
In biology, it’s not an either/or scenario Genes and the environment both influence
behavior Exception - Innate behavior is behavior
that is developmentally fixed, regardless of the environment
Animal Signals & Communication
A signal is a behavior that causes a change in another animal’s behavior
Communication involves the transmission of, reception of, and response to signals between animals Chemical Communication:
• Pheromones – particularly important in reproduction behavior, but other things as well
Auditory Communication Visual Tactile
Learning Learning is the modification of behavior
based on specific experiencesHabituation: loss of responsiveness to
stimuli that convey little or no information• “crying wolf”
Spatial Learning: the modification of behavior based on experience with the spatial structure of the environment, including the location of nest sites, hazards, food, and prospective mates
NestNo nest
Nest
SPATIAL LEARNING
COGNITIVE MAP – an internal representation of spatial relationships among objects in an animal’s surroundings
ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING – ability of many animals to associate one feature of their environment with another feature
Associative Learning2typesClassical Conditioning
• an arbitrary stimulus is associated with a reward or punishment
• involves learning to associate certain stimuli with reward or punishment
• Pavlov’s ExperimentOperant Conditioning
• “trial-and-error learning”• occurs as a animal learns to associate one of its
behaviors with reward or punishment• Mouse eating distateful caterpillar
Cognition & Problem Solving
Cognition is the ability of an animal’s nervous system to perceive, store, process, and use information gathered by sensory receptors
Example: monkeys & bananas on
string
Natural Selection & Behaviorism
The genetic components of behavior evolve through natural selection
Natural selection favors behaviors that increase survival and reproductive successForaging behavior – Balance between
benefits of nutrition and cost of finding food (predation, energy, etc.)
Mate selection – selecting and competing for a mate • Most animals are promiscuous• Monogamous• Polygamous
Environmental Influence on Behavior
By interacting with an animal’s genetic makeup, the environment can influence the development of behaviors
AGONISTIC BEHAVIORSRitualized contests that determine which
competitor will gain access to a resource such as food or mates
Social Interactions
Benefits of Social Groups Everything is a competition (cost vs benefit)
Cooperative Predator Avoidance – social groups are formed to “protect” individuals
Dominance Hierachies – social groups are formed for protection and mating, but there are definite dominant individuals. Subordinate individuals stay for protection, food and a maybe a chance to mate.
Selfish Herd – social groups held together for reproductive self interests but some individuals are protected just because of their position in the group.
Altruism & Inclusive Fitness
Most social behaviors are selfish Altruism = when an animal
behaves in a way that reduces its individual fitness but increases the fitness of the other individuals in the population Example: worker bees
Helps close relatives (children, siblings, etc.), thereby increasing the individual’s genetic representation in the next generation – “inclusive fitness” or kin selection
*Courtship
– “Dating” relationships/behaviors. Courtship in the animal kingdom is the process in which the different species select their partners for reproduction purposes.
-May include dances, “beauty” displays, vocalizations, fighting/dominance
displays, etc.-Sexual Selection – competition for
mates