1. Animal Behavior- anything an animal does in response to a stimulus

2. The genetic components of behavior evolve through natural selection.
Natural selection favors behaviors that increase survival and reproductive success.
Foraging behavior – Balance between benefits of nutrition and cost of finding food (predation, energy, etc.)
Mate selection
Most animals are promiscuous
Monogamous vs. Polygamous

3. Nature vs. Nurture?
In biology, it is not an either/or scenario both influence behavior
Innate behavior is behavior that is developmentally fixed, regardless of the environment
Learned behavior is a behavior that has been developed in response to an environmental stimulus.

4. Imprinting
Imprinting is a type of behavior that includes both learning and innate components and is irreversible
There is a limited phase in an animal’s development which is the only time when certain behaviors can be learned
Konrad Lorenz

5. Directed Movements What about hibernation and estivation?
Directed movements are innate
Kinesis = a change in activity or turning rate in response to a stimulus
Example: pillbugs live best in moist conditions; they move around more in dry areas and less in moist/humid areas
More movement increases likelihood they will encounter a moist area
Example: Reflex
Taxis = oriented movement toward or away from a stimulus
Example: fish swimming against the current, euglena swimming toward light
Example: migration
What about hibernation and estivation?

6. Earthworm Behavior Lab
Purpose:
Determine what behaviors an earthworm will exhibit in an environment.
Relate the behavior of the earthworm to adaptation and survival.
Before you start:
Write a purpose statement AND hypothesis (if..then..)
Decide how you will collect/record your data

7. Earthworm Lab- On whiteboard or poster-group:
Write a formal procedure for your group’s lab.
Scientists need to be able to recreate other’s work.
Data
Should be organized, labeled and easy to read.
Conclusion statement
What behavior was observed and what is the environment/survival connection for this behavior?
Q and A/ Gallery Walk of Variables-individual

8. Animal Signals & Communication
Communication involves the transmission of, reception of, and response to signals between animals.
Chemical Communication:
Pheromones – particularly important in reproduction behavior
Auditory Communication:
Drosophila males produce a characteristic “song” by beating their wings
Visual Communication: Remember the bees?

9. Environment & Genetics
Environmental factors, such as the quality of the diet, the nature of social interactions, and opportunities for learning can influence the development of behaviors in every group of animals
Example: Article: Hyena Cubs and Aggression
Drosophila diet determines mating preferences.

10. Learned Behavior
Habituation: loss of responsiveness to stimuli that convey little or no information
“crying wolf”

11. Learned Behavior
Associative learning is the ability of many animals to associate one feature of the environment with another
Classical Conditioning
an arbitrary stimulus is associated with a reward or punishment
Pavlov’s Experiment
Operant Conditioning
“trial-and-error learning”
Mouse eating distasteful caterpillar, rats learning a maze

12. Learned Behavior
Cognition is the ability of an animal’s nervous system to perceive, store, process, and use information gathered by sensory receptors
Example: monkeys & bananas on
string, Andrew’s crow video

13. Social Behaviors Territoriality Mate Selection Communication Hierarchy
Altruism

14. Altruism & Fitness Most behaviors are selfish
Altruism does exist = when an animal behaves in a way that may reduce individual fitness but increases the fitness of the other individuals in the population
Example: squirrels, worker bees, bystander intervention 
“Inclusive Fitness” Helps close relatives (children, siblings, etc.), increases the individual’s genetic representation in the next generation.

15. Altruism: Bystander Intervention Activity
Read through and complete your assigned scenarios. 5 minutes/Do Not Talk
Share the scenario and your ratings with your tablemates. Were they similar?
Paste this in your notebook and record your group’s ideas for factors that affect your choices about bystander intervention and why.
As a table try to record at least 4 factors. We will share out in 8 minutes.

16. Plants have behaviors too.
Tropisms
Plant movements toward or away from a stimulus
Ex. Roots grow down even when plants are grown upside down.
Nastic Movement
Plant movement because of a stimulus
Ex. Flowers open in daylight