BEHAVIOR OF ORGANISMS

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

MIMICRY A structural adaptation that allows one species to look like another. A harmless species may resemble a harmful species, so predators will ignore them.

PROTECTIVE COLORATION Harmful species resemble each other in coloration and predators learn to avoid. Camouflage allows species to blend in with its surroundings. In each example the organism is more likely to survive and reproduce Can you find me?

Why is parental care important to animals that produce few young?

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. Fish produce 1000’s of eggs, offer little parental support, few survive to reproduce. Humans, wolves, birds, squirrels produce few offspring, so offer plenty of parental support to ensure some survive and reproduce

FEEDING STRATEGIES Ant lions catch food by building a pit, and the prey falls in. Honeybees: complex feeding behavior, talk to each other indicating food location. “Talk” is the waggle dance. Bee faces direction of food, abdomen wags indicates distance Spiders: build webs to personal design Lions: hunt

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 behavior patterns adapting them better for their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. The offspring will have inherited the basis behavior for success, those that don’t die.

PHOTOTAXIS Response of animals to light

CHEMOTAXIS Response of animals to chemicals Animals move towards chemical is a positive chemotactic response Animals moving away from chemicals is a negative chemotactic response. Helps them find food or move away from dangerous chemicals Ameba moving towards food

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

INSTINCTS A complex pattern of innate behavior taking longer to perform, and may involve several parts and take weeks to complete. Greylag goose retrieval of egg Young’s survival may depend on the behavior

TERRITORIALITY Territory is the space an animal defends against another of its species. Reduces conflicts, controls population growth providing more efficient uses of environmental resources Improves chances of young surviving, and therefore survival of the species. Animals mark territory with pheromones or physical displays Pheromones are chemicals for communication

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR Behavior use to intimidate another member of the same species Done to defend young, territory, or resources Fighting Bird calling Teeth baring Animals of the same species rarely fight to the death

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

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

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. Ducks, geese

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

TRIAL AND ERROR VERUS INSIGHT

TRIAL AND ERROR Animal receives a reward for making a particular response. Motivation an internal need causing an animal t o act is a requirement for learning to occur Mini lab page 900

INSIGHT Animals use previous knowledge to respond to a new situation Solving math problems

ANALYZE THE BIOLOGICAL CLOCKS AND RHYTHMIC BEHAVIOR OF ORGANISMS 1.Behavior resulting from internal and external cues 2.Cues may be hormonal or environmental changes such as temperature or length of day

CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS A 24 hour cycle of behavior Instinctive behavior in response to internal biological rhythms. Humans sleep at night awake during the day Owls reverse the pattern they are nocturnal. Pattern continues without external cues Jet lag

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. Some birds have built in compasses, indicating the direction of the magnetic north pole. 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 reduce 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.

EVALUATE AND EXPLAIN THE EVOLUTION OF BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS AND SURVIVAL OF POPULATIONS

COURTSHIP RITUALS

Behaviors used by males and females to attract another of the same species for mating Male frogs and crickets make sounds. Male peacock spreads tail Female silk moths give off PHEROMONES, carried by the wind, she picks one male from the suitors. Some male spiders bring nuptial gifts to prevent being eaten before mating

COEVOLUTION Occurs when two or more species evolve in response to each other. Rafflesia smells of rotting meat attracting flies for pollination Bahama woodstar takes nectar from a Hibiscus flower. It’s long narrow bill coevolved with long narrow floral tubes. Smell s great Here I go!

PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS Alaskan musk oxen live together in a herd for protection. Form a ring around young when attacked by wolves. Older larger animals fight if necessary.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR Social insects: bees, termites, and ants live in groups dividing the work between them. Bees: Workers: non reproductive females who gather food, clean and protect the queen Drones: males that mate with the female. Queen: only female in hive that reproduces. Ants and termites also have soldiers to protect to whole colony. (Use pheromones to communicate.) Social insects live together for protection