1. Animal Behavior CVHS Chapter 51

2. Behavior What an animal does and how it does it Proximate causation – “how” –environmental stimuli, genetics, anatomy and physiology Ultimate causation – “why” –evolutionary significance of the behavior –Survival and reproduction

4. Example Observation – Blue gill sunfish breed in spring and early summer –Proximate cause – breeding is triggered by day length activating the pineal gland Pineal gland regulates sleep and cycles –Ultimate cause –reproductive success is greater when temperature is optimal and food is abundant

5. Ethology The study of how animals behave in their natural environments

6. Instinct Innate – behavior that is genetically fixed –Inherited circuitry that guides behavior –Example – Dogs digging and burying food –Example – waggle dance of bees

7. FAP Fixed Action Pattern – unlearned behavior act (instinct) that is unchangeable and once initiated is carried to completion –Sign stimulus – external stimulus required to trigger the response –Example – Protective behavior of hen turkeys FAP – mothering behavior Sign stimulus – cheeping sounds of chicks –Deaf hen turkey = no mothering  kills chicks

8. Imprinting Behavior that involves learned and innate components and once done is irreversible –Sensitive (critical) period – time during which the behaviors must be learned. –Example – Geese Young geese will follow their mother and learn her behaviors Lorenz experiments – geese imprinted on him instead of their mother –Example – Gulls If parent does not bond will offspring during the first 2 day she will not recognize them as her own and they will most likely not survive.

9. Nature vs. Nurture Nature – genetic component Nurture – environmental component Both affect behavior Innate behaviors – STRONG genetic component yet still requires an environment to be expressed

10. Movement Kinesis – change in activity or turning rate in response to a stimulus Taxis – automatic orientation toward or away from a stimulus –Positive taxis – toward the stimulus –Negative taxis – away from the stimulus Migration – movement over long distances Sandpipers move away from water as the wave comes in

11. Migration Behaviors Piloting – moves from one familiar location to another until it reaches its destination Orientation – can detect compass directions and travels in a straight line until the destination is reached Navigation – uses current location and compass directions to determine what direction to go

12. Communication Signal – behavior that elicits a response Transmission, reception, and response to the signal = communication Chemical – pheromones Different species have heightened senses which are used for communication. –Visual –Auditory –Tactile

13. Learning Modification of behavior based on specific experiences Habituation – learning to ignore irrelevant stimuli –“Cry wolf” Imprinting – sensitive “critical” time period Maturation – development of neuromuscular system that allows for behavioral improvement –Birds “learning to fly” – wings must mature first

14. Associative Learning Ability of an animal to associate one stimulus with another event or outcome Classical conditioning – learning through repeated instances –Pavlov’s dogs – ringing a bell induced salivation in dogs even when there was no food External neutral stimulus begins to have meaning Operant conditioning – trial and error learning –Reward system – animals behavior determines

16. Animal Cognition The ability of an animals nervous system to perceive and make judgments about its environment Insight learning – reasoning or innovation –problem solving –Ability to approach a new problem and figure out a way to deal with it

17. Feeding Behavior Foraging – essential to survival and reproduction Herds, flocks, packs, and schools Generalists – optimal foraging –Choose the most nutritious available that will be the least energetically expensive to consume Specialists - highly adaptive behaviors specific for their food

18. Social Behavior Interaction between 2 or more animals usually within the same species Agnostic – aggressive or submissive –Competition for a resource or mate Dominance hierarchy – top ranking system –Pecking order of hens – top hen controls the rest –Wolves – top female allows other to mate when food is abundant Only she mates if food is scarce

19. Social Behavior Territoriality – defending and excluding other individuals –Used for feeding, mating, raising young Altruistic – behaviors the reduce the fitness of the organism and increase another’s fitness –Kin selection – family members tend to be more altruistic to one another Coefficient of relatedness

20. Mating Systems Promiscuous – no strong bond between members Monogamous – one male and one female mate for long periods of time Polygamous – one individual mates with many –Polygyny – one male w/ many females –Polyandry – one female w/ many males