Animal Behavior- anything an animal does in response to a stimulus

The genetic components of behavior evolve through natural selection. Natural selection favors behaviors that increase survival and reproductive success. Foraging behavior – Balance between benefits of nutrition and cost of finding food (predation, energy, etc.) Mate selection Most animals are promiscuous Monogamous vs. Polygamous

Nature vs. Nurture? In biology, it is not an either/or scenario both influence behavior Innate behavior is behavior that is developmentally fixed, regardless of the environment Learned behavior is a behavior that has been developed in response to an environmental stimulus.

Imprinting Imprinting is a type of behavior that includes both learning and innate components and is irreversible There is a limited phase in an animal’s development which is the only time when certain behaviors can be learned Konrad Lorenz

Directed Movements What about hibernation and estivation? Directed movements are innate Kinesis = a change in activity or turning rate in response to a stimulus Example: pillbugs live best in moist conditions; they move around more in dry areas and less in moist/humid areas More movement increases likelihood they will encounter a moist area Example: Reflex Taxis = oriented movement toward or away from a stimulus Example: fish swimming against the current, euglena swimming toward light Example: migration What about hibernation and estivation?

Earthworm Behavior Lab Purpose: Determine what behaviors an earthworm will exhibit in an environment. Relate the behavior of the earthworm to adaptation and survival. Before you start: Write a purpose statement AND hypothesis (if..then..) Decide how you will collect/record your data

Earthworm Lab- On whiteboard or poster-group: Write a formal procedure for your group’s lab. Scientists need to be able to recreate other’s work. Data Should be organized, labeled and easy to read. Conclusion statement What behavior was observed and what is the environment/survival connection for this behavior? Q and A/ Gallery Walk of Variables-individual

Animal Signals & Communication Communication involves the transmission of, reception of, and response to signals between animals. Chemical Communication: Pheromones – particularly important in reproduction behavior Auditory Communication: Drosophila males produce a characteristic “song” by beating their wings Visual Communication: Remember the bees?

Environment & Genetics Environmental factors, such as the quality of the diet, the nature of social interactions, and opportunities for learning can influence the development of behaviors in every group of animals Example: Article: Hyena Cubs and Aggression Drosophila diet determines mating preferences.

Learned Behavior Habituation: loss of responsiveness to stimuli that convey little or no information “crying wolf”

Learned Behavior Associative learning is the ability of many animals to associate one feature of the environment with another Classical Conditioning an arbitrary stimulus is associated with a reward or punishment Pavlov’s Experiment Operant Conditioning “trial-and-error learning” Mouse eating distasteful caterpillar, rats learning a maze

Learned Behavior 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, Andrew’s crow video

Social Behaviors Territoriality Mate Selection Communication Hierarchy Altruism

Altruism & Fitness Most behaviors are selfish Altruism does exist = when an animal behaves in a way that may reduce individual fitness but increases the fitness of the other individuals in the population Example: squirrels, worker bees, bystander intervention  “Inclusive Fitness” Helps close relatives (children, siblings, etc.), increases the individual’s genetic representation in the next generation.

Altruism: Bystander Intervention Activity Read through and complete your assigned scenarios. 5 minutes/Do Not Talk Share the scenario and your ratings with your tablemates. Were they similar? Paste this in your notebook and record your group’s ideas for factors that affect your choices about bystander intervention and why. As a table try to record at least 4 factors. We will share out in 8 minutes.

Plants have behaviors too. Tropisms Plant movements toward or away from a stimulus Ex. Roots grow down even when plants are grown upside down. Nastic Movement Plant movement because of a stimulus Ex. Flowers open in daylight