1. Chapter 39.3 – 39.6 ~ Animal Behavior

2. Why do we do the things we do?
Ethology - study of animal behavior
Behavior – everything an animal does and how it does it
-response to environmental stimulus
2 Types:
Innate – inherited or developmentally fixed
Learned – develop during animal’s lifetime
Why study behavior?
Part of phenotype
Acted upon by natural selection
- effects reproductive success, genetic fitness, survival rate
Supernormal stimulus

3. What questions do we ask?
Causes:
proximate~ physiological & genetic mechanisms of behavior IMMEDIATE “How & What” of behavior
 What triggers singing?
ultimate~ evolutionary significance of behavior – survivial, reproduction, adaption LONG TERM “Why” of behavior
 Why does he sing?
What, How, and Why of courtship behavior?

4. Pioneers of Ethology
1973 Nobel Prize: Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen, Karl von Frisch
Originated “proximate” & “ultimate” causations. Studied “supernormal stimulus”
Studied instinctual behaviors “Imprinting”
Studied sensory perception in honey bees
“waggle dance”

5. Innate vs. Learned – a closer look
Learned behaviors
Innate behaviors
Automatic/Built – in
Despite different environments, all individuals exhibit the behavior
Triggered by stimulus
Modified by experience
Variable
Triggered by a stimulus

6. Innate Behaviors
Fixed Action Patterns (FAP): sequence of acts; unchangeable; carried to completion
(Dog circling bed, eyebrow flash humans and other primates, egg retrieval in birds, male stickleback aggression & red)
Circadian Rhythm – Daily behavior cycles, light/dark response
Migration – complex navigation via sun, stars, earth’s magnetic field
Imprinting – limited learning social attachments at ‘critical period’
Directed Movements –
TAXIS: specific, directed movement (cockroaches scattering away from light, drosophila crawling to top of container)
KINESIS: random, undirected (pillbugs
wandering to find moist side of choice chamber)

7. Learned Behavior LEARNING: change in behavior as result of experience
HABITUATION~ loss of responsiveness to stimuli; learn NOT to respond
- simple learning (annoying sounds, lights, etc)
ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING: •classical conditioning~ Pavlov’s dogs behavior associated neutral stimulus with significant stimulus. Works with involuntary behavior.
•operant conditioning (trial and error)~ “Skinner’s box” behavior associated with reward or punishment. Works with voluntary behavior.

8. Behaviors in Action
2 types: Innate/Instinctive (genetic not learned): Fixed Action Pattern Baby Joey in Pouch Interaction of innate & learned: Duck & Dog - Imprinting Learned (result of experience): Classical Conditioning “The Office” Operant Conditioning “The Big Bang” Causes of each? Proximate? Ultimate?

9. Learned behavior II: Social behavior
Interactions between individuals.
-Develop as evolutionary adaptations
Agonistic behavior~ contest behavior determining access to resources; submissive and threatening rituals usually no harm done
Dominance hierarchy~ social ranking/linear “pecking order” that establishes an individual’s place in social group. Division of labor makes cooperation more efficient and effective.
Altruistic behavior~ unconscientiously selfless behavior that may be disadvantageous to individual but beneficial others.
??? Cats play patty cake

10. Reconciling altruism & natural selection
Natural selection works on populations NOT individuals
Altruism may hurt individual but helps population
Kin selection-increase probability of survival of relatives at expense of individual
Why do Belding ground squirrels make alarm call? Why females more than males?

11. Lab 12: Fruit Fly Behavior
Construct choice chamber from 2 plastic 1 L soda bottles & toss in 10 – 20 fruit flies. Count flies inside. Wait 5 minutes.
Expose specific areas to different treatments of your choice & record # flies on each side over period of time
Graph results and perform chi square analysis. 11

12. Experimental Design 101 State Hypothesis Identify All Variables
Identify a Sample Organism
Identify the control(s)
Explain how you will to measure data
Provide expected data
Interpret your data (with a sentence & graph)
Understand importance of repetition & sample size.