E3 Innate and learned behavior

Innate and learned behavior Instinctive (Fixed Action Pattern), based on genetics Based on experience Not modified by individual & unaffected by environment Modified by individual by trial and error & affected by environment Low variation in population High variation in population Evolved through natural selection Capacity to learn is a product of natural selection Examples: Newborn instincts Migration of blackcaps Acquisition of language and social skills Domesticated behavior in pets Training dolphins to perform

Design of innate behavior experiments Taxis = locomotion of an organism in a particular direction in response to an external stimulus Positive taxis = towards stimulus, Negative taxis = away from stimulus Examples: Planaria (flatworm) moves towards food = positive chemotaxis Euglena (protist) moves towards light = positive phototaxis

Design of innate behavior experiments Kinesis = the movement (as opposed to growth) of an organism or a cell in response to a stimulus Intensity affects the rate of kinesis Example: Orthokinesis: speed of movement altered as response to stimulus Klinokinesis: rate of turning altered as response to stimulus Porcello scaber (woodlice) move about less in optimum, humid, conditions, and more in unfavorable, dry conditions

Today Read pill bug experimental design (p. 475 -477) Looking ahead Create a schedule for mock exam study Unit Test (E1, E2 and E3)

E3 Innate and learned behavior

Innate and learned behavior Instinctive (Fixed Action Pattern), based on genetics Based on experience Not modified by individual & unaffected by environment Modified by individual by trial and error & affected by environment Low variation in population High variation in population Evolved through natural selection Capacity to learn is a product of natural selection Examples: Newborn instincts Migration of blackcaps Acquisition of language and social skills Domesticated behavior in pets Training dolphins to perform

Classical conditioning Classical conditioning = process of learning which pairs a stimulus with a response Pavlov's dog: classical conditioning in dog salivation in response to food paired with a ringing bell innate: unconditioned stimulus (US), smell of food --> unconditioned response (UR), salivation experience: food (US) + conditioned stimulus (CS), bell -- salivation (UR) generalization: bell (CS) --> salivation (UR becomes CR, conditioned response) http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/pavlov/pavlov.html

Operant conditioning Operant conditioning = process of learning in which positive behaviors are rewarded (positive reinforcement) and negative are punished (negative reinforcement ) BF Skinner’s experiment Rats and pigeons were trained to push levers and perform actions to receive food rewards Electrical shock punished incorrect actions http://www.kscience.co.uk/animations/anim_5.htm

Imprinting Imprinting = process by which young animals become attached to their mother within the first day or soon after Konrad Lorenz Sign stimulus (moving object) at a critical period  triggers innate releasing mechanism

Learning and Natural Selection Goslings vary in their ability to imprint (variation) Goslings that are able to imprint on their mother, will avoid predators by remaining close to her, increasing their chances of survival (natural selection) Alleles allowing imprinting are passed on to their offspring at a higher rate than alleles without imprinting ability (heritability) Thus, imprinting alleles accumulate (evolution) and the trait becomes common in the population (adaptation)

Bird Song Uses song to deter males from entering territory or attract other mates Both inherited and innate Species specific crude template (innate) Adult song (inherited) Sensitive period in which imprinting takes place Captive birds may not be reproductively successful in the wild because they were not imprinted with the correct mature song.