Animal Behavior Behavior  What an animal does and how it does it  Influenced by genes and environment (“nature and nurture”)  Proximate and ultimate causes Environmental stimuli or underlying genetics/physiology Evolutionary significance or adaptive benefit

Innate Behavior Innate behavior  Developmentally fixed behaviors  “Instincts”  Example: in cliff-dwelling birds, chicks turn away from ledges

Innate Behavior How do animals “find their way?” Kinesis  Change in activity in response to stimulus  Example: sow bugs are more active in dry areas and less active in moist areas  Result:

Innate Behavior How do animals “find their way?” Kinesis  Change in activity in response to stimulus  Example: sow bugs are more active in dry areas and less active in moist areas  Result: sow bugs remain in moist habitats

Innate Behavior How do animals “find their way?” Kinesis  Change in activity in response to stimulus  Example: sow bugs are more active in dry areas and less active in moist areas  Result: sow bugs remain in moist habitats Taxis  Automatic movement toward or away from stimulus  Example: trout orient themselves facing upstream to avoid being swept away

Learned Behavior Learning  Modification of behavior resulting from specific experiences Modification of behavior  Example: young chimps learn to use sticks to collect termites by watching adults Example Maturation  Behavior changes because of development (brain and muscle)  Example: birds prevented from flying until maturity will fly without awkward attempts of baby birds

Learned Behavior Habituation  Loss of responsiveness to common stimuli  Example: you no longer hear the loud fish tank at the back of the room! Imprinting  Learning that is restricted to a certain time period  Example: geese who spend their first few hours with humans identify humans as their species

Associative Learning Operant conditioning  Animals learn through trial and error (consequences)  Example: coyotes learn to avoid porcupines as prey Classical conditioning  Animals learn to associate a stimulus with reward/punishment  Example: Pavlov rang a bell before he fed his dogs; they were conditioned to salivate at the sound of the bell

Social Behavior Cooperation Competition Agonistic  Threatening or submissive behaviors/displays, part of a “contest”  Example: one dog bares its teeth, another tucks its tail Reconciliation  Example: chimps comfort each other after aggressive male behavior

Social Behavior Dominance hierarchies  Alpha (high-ranking) animal is assured access to food, mates Territoriality  Territories are established and defended Mating behaviors  Maximize quantity or quality of partners  Examples: courtshipcourtship

Social Behavior Communication  Visual, auditory, chemical, tactile, electrical signals  Example: dance of the honeybees communicates direction and distance of food sourcesdance of the honeybees

Social Behavior Altruism  Unselfish behavior – decreases individuals chance of survival but increases survival of others  Example: ground squirrel’s alarm call warns others, but “caller” risks being killed Why?

Social Behavior Altruism  Unselfish behavior – decreases individuals chance of survival but increases survival of others  Example: ground squirrel’s alarm call warns others, but “caller” risks being killed Why?  Animals can increases their genetic fitness by helping close relatives and offspring that share their genes  Often called “kin selection”  Other animals may return the favor – this could be an adaptive benefit