Animal Behavior Notes!

Behavior What an animal does & How an animal does it! Think of all of the behaviors of your pet...or a friends’ pet. List them and classify them as either being genetically “innate” or learned.

Behavioral Ecology Behavioral Ecology emphasizes evolutionary hypothesis. Based on the fact that animals will act in a way that will increase their Darwinian fitness. What does “fitness” refer to in Darwinian terms?

What questions can we ask? Proximate causes –immediate stimulus & mechanism –“how” & “what” questions Ultimate causes –evolutionary significance –how does behavior contribute to survival & reproduction adaptive value –“why” questions male songbird  what triggers singing?  how does he sing?  why does he sing? male songbird  what triggers singing?  how does he sing?  why does he sing?  how does daylength influence breeding?  why do cranes breed in spring?  how does daylength influence breeding?  why do cranes breed in spring? Courtship behavior in cranes  what,…how… & why questions Courtship behavior in cranes  what,…how… & why questions

P & E Practice Human Sweet-tooth Sonar Clicks in Bats

ETHOLOGY Pioneers in the Study of An. Behavior Karl von Frisch Niko TinbergenKonrad Lorenz

Two Classifications of Behavior – Who cares??? ADAPTIVE ADVANTAGE 1.innate behaviors automatic, fixed, “built-in”, no “learning curve” despite different environments, all individuals exhibit the behavior ex. early survival, reproduction, kinesis, taxis 2.learned behaviors modified by experience variable, changeable flexible with a complex & changing environment

Innate behaviors Fixed action patterns (FAP) –sequence of behaviors essentially unchangeable & usually conducted to completion once started –sign stimulus the releaser that triggers a FAP

Innate: Fixed Action Patterns (FAP) Do humans exhibit Fixed Action Patterns? Digger wasp egg rolling in geese

Innate: Directed movements

Innate: Migration

Innate & Learned Behavior: Imprinting Who???

I & L: Imprinting CRITICAL PERIOD

Learned Behavior Associative learning –learning to associate a stimulus with a consequence

Operant Conditioning

Classical Conditioning

Learning: Habituation

Learning: Problem-solving Do other animals reason? crow

Social Behavior Communication/Language Agonistic Behaviors Dominance Hierarchy Cooperation Altruistic Behavior

a. Language

Communication by song

Communication by scent Female mosquito use CO 2 concentrations to locate victims Spider using moth sex pheromones, as allomones, to lure its prey

b. Agonistic behaviors Lizard Behavior

c. Dominance hierarchy

d. Cooperation

e. Altruistic Behavior kin selection increasing survival of close relatives passes these genes on to the next generation How can this be of adaptive value? Warning Calls