Animal Behavior S.HS – Understand that animals have behavioral responses to internal changes and to stimuli

Students need to understand: 1.That animals have behavioral responses to internal changes and to external stimuli. 2. That the response of animals can be innate and/or learned.

Vocabulary: Innate behavior: behavior performed correctly and in the same way by all individuals of a species, without previous experience. Ex: instincts Internal changes: changes that occur inside an organism. Ex: hunger & hormone levels

Animals have behavioral responses to internal changes. Hormone levels in organisms affect their behaviors. For example, estrogen and androgen levels determine when a species will reproduce.

Animals have behavioral responses to external stimuli. External stimuli include temperature, seeing a predator, or the amount of sunlight. Organisms including plants, animals, fungi and bacteria respond to the environmental conditions around them. Ex: flower petals close at night, mice hide in fear of a hawk overhead.

Students need to understand that the response of animals can be innate and/or learned.

Innate behaviors are performed correctly and in the same way by all individuals of a species, without previous experience For example: The graylag goose responds to an egg outside her nest with a set of specific actions. Even when the egg is removed, the goose will continue to push at the air with her beak until she completes the movements. This is an instinct that the graylag goose has.

Learned behaviors are actions or responses that an organism learns by either observation or modeling. Chimpanzees for example learn how to use tools by observation.

In review… Students need to understand: 1.That animals have behavioral responses to internal changes and to external stimuli. 2. That the response of animals can be innate and/or learned.