BEHAVIOR OF ORGANISMS

What is Behavior? Anything an animal does in response to a stimulus in the environment

Mimicry, Camouflage and Protective Coloration Mimicry is a structural adaptation that allows one species to look like another. A harmless species may resemble a harmful species, so predators will ignore them. Camouflage allows species to blend in with its surroundings. Hiding in plain sight ! Hiding in plain sight ! Amazing Octopus!

PARENTAL BEHAVIOR Parental care is a behavior in which adults give food, protection, and warmth to eggs or young. Often a female responsibility but males do help Fewer young, more important parental care to ensure survival.

FEEDING STRATEGIES Do you think feeding strategies innate or learned? Honeybees: complex feeding behavior, talk to each other indicating food location. “Talk” is the waggle dance, moving in a figure 8, bee faces direction of food, # abdomen wags indicates distance Waggle Dance

INHERITED BEHAVIOR An animal’s genetic makeup ultimately determines how it reacts to certain stimuli Behavior pattern is often the result of natural selection Individuals having certain behavior patterns that are adapted better for their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. The offspring will have inherited the basic behaviors for success. Examples include: Taxis Reflexes Instincts Aggression Heirarchy Japanese Hornets vs Bees

- Taxis - Taxis is “a motion or orientation of a cell, organism, or part in response to an external stimulus” Phototaxis - Response to light (video)(video) Chemotasxis – Response to chemicals (video)(video) Hydrotaxis? Moving away from a stimulus is considered a negative response – towards is a positive response.

Reflexes Simple, automatic response involving no conscious control Blinking, knee jerk Withdrawal from hot object Fight-or-flight response (automatic, adrenalin hormone controlled) Adaptive values: protection and survival Scientists have shown that the average person blinks times per minute. That's up to 1,200 times per hour and a whopping 28,800 times in a day--much more often than we need to keep our eyeballs lubricated. In fact, we spend about 10 percent of our waking hours with our eyes closed

INSTINCTS A complex pattern of innate behavior taking longer to perform may involve several parts and take weeks to complete. Young’s survival may depend on the behavior Ie. Suckling behavior in young animals

SUBMISSION LEADS TO DOMINANCE HIERARCHIES Social ranking within group in which some individuals are subordinate to others One dominant individual other ranked below Chickens, wolves

LEARNED BEHAVIORS Behavior that changes through practice or experience Has survival value in changing environment because it allows behavior to change to varied conditions (Adaptation!).

Habituation When an animal is repeatedly given a stimulus that is not associated with any punishment or reward and eventually ignores stimulus.

Imprinting An animal at a specific critical time of its life forms a social attachment to another object Usually occurs early in life and is irreversible. Ex: Ducks, geese Mom leads the way!

CONDITIONING LEARNING BY ASSOCIATION Learning to response to a stimulus that does not use usually produce that response Pavlov's Dogs

Trial and Error Animal receives a reward for making a particular response. Motivation an internal need causing an animal to act is a requirement for learning to occur Crow Experiments Squirrels

Insight Animals use previous knowledge to respond to a new situation

MIGRATION Behavior in which animals move from one place to another in response to seasonal changes, therefore an annual rhythm. Animals migrate in search of food, better temperatures, more suitable reproductive areas. Animals use the sun, stars and landforms to help with direction. Innate and learned behavior

Animals That Migrate. Freshwater eels and salmon migrate to their spawning ground Monarch butterflies and ruby throated hummingbirds fly south for the winter Caribou migrate north to the tundra for the summer

HIBERNATION A state in which the body temperature drops, oxygen use decreases, and breathing rate slows. Physiological changes conserves energy. Eat large amounts before hibernation to build up body fat for fuel during period.

ESTIVATION A state of reduced metabolism when animals live in intense heat Response to drought or lack of food Associated with desert animals Innate behavior dependent upon internal and external cues.