Animal Behaviors

Behaviors Definition: An action, or series of actions, performed by an animal in response to a stimulus. Stimulus: Change in the environment such as a sound or smell. It can also be internal such as hunger.

Questions How is the behavior triggered? What is the mechanism? What is the reasoning for the behavior? Why questions look at evolution. Often the reason an animal performs a behavior is because it will increase its longevity or ability to reproduce.

Why example… Lions Male lions can only keep control of a pride for a couple of years. In this time they have to have cubs of their own. Females though will not reproduce if they already have cubs. If their cubs die they will want to reproduce immediately. They kill other males cubs to have their own.

Natural Selection Natural Selection will always favor the traits that ensure the survival and reproduction of an individual not the group. It is all about competition!!!

Where do they come from? Genetic? Some traits animals are born with such as chirping in crickets. An experiment was done where they took 2 types of crickets: 1 chirps a lot, the other group chirped less. They mated with the extreme males in both groups and by the 4th generation the difference between the 2 groups was huge.

Learned through experience? Learning: the development of behaviors through experience. Imprinting: learning to recognize the mother. Konrad Lorenze He was able to imprint the young geese to himself.

Conditioning… Conditioning is when an animal is taught to associate behaviors with a learned stimulus. Ivan Pavlov taught dogs to associate the ringing of a bell with food. They would salivate on cue.

Communication Animals use signals to communicate and read their environment. Signal: posture, call, scent, movement, or facial change. To be effective the signal must be able to travel through the environment.

Language Language is used by primates including humans. Primates: use vocabulary they associate with the presence of a predator. Chimpanzees do this all the time. Odor and other non-verbal cues are also apart of communication.

Sexual Selection The evolutionary mechanism where the traits that enhances an animal’s ability to get mates increases in number.

Sexual Selection Monogomy: When 1 female and 1 male mate for long period of time. An example is humans, some birds, and the dwarf African antelope. Very few mammals practice monogomy. Alpha and Beta pairings. They alpha pair is the main couple, but both the male and female may have other mates on the side (beta pairing).

Sexual Selection Polygyny: When 1 male mates with more than one female. They do this to ensure their genes get passed on to the next generation. There are lots of examples of this found in nature. Elk Deer Prairie Chickens Wild Horses Deer do this also. The evolutionary view of life is just to pass on your genes. The more they mate the more chance their offspring will survive to have their own offspring.

Sexual Selection Polyandry: When 1 female mates with more than 1 male. Do this to ensure survival of their offspring. There are also lots of examples of this found in nature. Chimpanzees Squirrels Frogs Dragonflies Squirrels will often mate with dozens of males, but usually only the first mate will fertilize her eggs. She mates with the other males so they all think they have a chance at being the father of her offspring. This way all of the males will protect her offspring and not kill these new competitors.

Sexual Selection Choosing A Mate Each species usually produces its own sound to ensure they mate with their own species. Most females and some males shop around for the best mate. Males are often limited in evolutionary success by mates. The whole point of survival is to pass on their genes. Males need a mate, but if the female gets to pick its mate some males never get the chance to pass on their genes.

Sexual Selection There are physical indicators of an animals genes. Females will determine who has the best genes through their physical traits. Example: Female frogs listen to many males calls and then pick the best call. The frog’s call is related to size. Most often she will pick the largest frog. They have the best chance for survival.

Sexual Selection/Courtship What gender is often in charge of courtship? Why? The next generations are likely to have the genes selected for by mates. So if big tails are selected for my females over the years the tails of these animals will only get bigger.

Locating, obtaining, and consuming food. Foraging Locating, obtaining, and consuming food. How an animal finds and keeps its resources.

What are some pros and cons of both situations? Foraging Example: squirrels Some squirrels put all their food in one place. Some squirrels bury it all over. What are some pros and cons of both situations? If the stash of food gets found and it is in all one place the squirrel has nothing left for winter. If the squirrels hides its food all over it has to venture out in winter to get its food and can be taken by predators. Also, the squirrel may forget where it buried some of its food.

Why would migration be evolutionarily advantageous? What are some examples of animals that migrate? Answer: birds, whales, monarch butterflies.

Territorial Behavior Resources=Mates This makes defensive strategies vital! Examples: food, mates, killing their young. Wolves, as a pack, will defend their territory. Not all defense of territory is done in groups. Red-winged black bird will chase out males that are trying to mate with their female.

Is kin selection an altruistic behavior? When an individual helps its relatives reproduce instead of having its own offspring. Altruism is a self-sacrificing behavior. Is kin selection an altruistic behavior? No. For some organisms only the alpha female is allowed to reproduce so the other females (sisters) will assist in raising the offspring. Helping their sibling ensures at least ¼ of their genes makes it into the next generation. We share half of our genes with our siblings.

Kin Selection Examples are ants, bees, wasps, and termites. Worker bees spend their entire life assisting the queen bee (the only female that can reproduce).

Parental Care Only necessary if you have a few offspring.

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