Animal Behavior Chapter 34

Animal Behavior Behavior: the way an organism reacts to changes in its environment Stimulus: signal that carries detectable information Response: reaction to stimulus

2 types of behavior Innate behavior Learned behavior

1) Innate Behavior Instinctive, inborn behavior Animal “knows” behavior without previous experience to the stimuli in which it responds Ex: Salmon swimming upstream, dogs barking at snakes/intruders

1) Innate Behavior Animals carry on behaviors with adaptive value: Getting food Avoiding predators Caring for young Finding shelter Attracting mates Enable reproduction & survival of species

1) Innate Behavior Automatic responses Instincts Reflexes No conscious control Fight/Flight/Freeze response Instincts

1) Innate Behavior Fixed Action Patterns Quick automatic response Animal recognizes stimulus & continues until all parts of behavior are accomplished

2) Learned Behavior When behavior changes due to practice or experience Allows animals to adapt to change Ex: Not putting hand on a hot stove  4 main types of learning: habituation, classic conditioning, operant conditioning, and insight learning Black bears have learned to choose minivans as targets for raiding food! (Nat. Geo)

2) Learned Behavior A) Habituation An animal becomes habituated when it no longer responds to a stimulus. The gorillas shown here are habituated to the presence of humans.

B) Classic Conditioning Pairing an unconditioned stimulus to with a neutral stimulus to eventually produce a conditioned response.-all based on innate behavior Ex: Dog gets excited for walk when owner picks up leash. Classic experiment: Pavlov’s dogs

C) Operant Conditioning When an animal makes a mental connection and CHOOSES to behaves in a certain way through repeated practice, in order to receive a reward or avoid punishment O.C. focuses on strengthening or weakening voluntary behaviors

D) Insight Learning Most complicated form of learning When an animal applies something it already learned to a new (novel) situation

E) Imprinting Imprinting: Form of learning that occurs at a specific critical time forming a social attachment to an object or individual Birds imprint within a day or two of hatching Usually irreversible https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UIU9XH-mUI

Patterns of Behavior Behavioral Cycles Some behaviors are cyclical and follow their environment. Migration: behavior influenced by seasons Circadian rhythms: behavior influenced by time of day (sleep at night, active in day)

Courtship Ritualistic behavior regarding mating shows the overall health of potential mates Courtship: One individual sends out stimuli (sounds, dances, chemicals) to attract mate

Social Behavior Animals frequently interact with members of their own species when hunting, grazing Greater chances of survival: protect themselves/offspring from predators, work together to find food.

Competition Behavior displayed when animals fight for resources (food, territory) or mates. May lead to aggression: threatening behavior one animal uses to out-compete another

Communication Seen when animals behave socially Used to convey information from one animal to another Types of communication: visual, chemical, sound, language (language is likely the most complex)