1. Animal Behaviour –Part I
SBI3UP

2. What is Animal Behaviour?
Everything an animal does and how it does it, including:
Muscle-powered activities
EX.singing
Non-muscular activities
EX.secreting hormones
Learning
EX.Memory of song

3. What Causes Animal Behaviour?
Can be explained based on :
Proximate questions “how?”
Ultimate questions “why”?

4. Ex. Each year, Emperor penguins lay 1 egg, pigeons lay 1-2 eggs, gulls lay 3 eggs, the Canada goose lays 4-6 eggs, and the American merganser lays eggs. What determines clutch size in birds? We must distinguish between the proximate and ultimate causes…

5. Proximate Questions
Focus on environmental stimuli that triggers a behaviour
The “how” questions
Ex:
“How” does each individual bird have a different clutch size?
Based on physiological factors that control ovulation and egg laying

6. Ultimate Questions Address evolutionary significance of a behaviour
The “why” questions
Ex:
“Why” do individual birds produce different clutch sizes?
Based on selective factors, and always involve evolutionary arguments about adaptations.

7. Proximate vs. Ultimate Factors
Proximal factors that determine clutch size are affected by how an individual bird decodes its genetic info on egg laying
Ultimate factors have to do with changes in this genetic program through time and the reason for the change
E.g. modified by age of female, spring weather, habitat sustainability

8. Ethology scientific study of animal behavior
Conceptual foundations established by:
Niko Tinbergen (1963)
Karl von Frisch
Konrad Lorenz

9. Tinbergen suggested 4 questions that must be answered to fully understand any behavior…
Causation: What is the mechanistic basis of the behaviour (ie.chemical, anatomical & physiological mechanisms)?
Development: How does development of the animal from zygote  mature individual, influence the behaviour?
Evolution: What is the evolutionary history of the behaviour?
Function: How does the behaviour contribute to survival and reproduction (fitness)?

10. PROXIMATE
ULTIMATE

11. Fixed Action Patterns (FAP)
Type of animal behavior
Sequence of unlearned behavioral acts,essentially unchangeable
Once initiated, usually carried to completion
Triggered by an external sensory stimulus: sign stimulus

12. Proximal Explanation: Ultimate Explanation:
Ex. Male stickleback fish attacks other male sticklebacks that invade its nesting territory Stimulus=red underside of intruder
Proximal Explanation:
red belly  sign stimulus  releases aggression
Ultimate Explanation:
chasing away other fish  decreases chances of eggs being fertilized by another male

13. Imprinting Type of behavior including learning & innate components
irreversible
Has a sensitive period; limited phase
Where bahaviour can be learned
Example: young geese following mom

14. Behavioural Traits results of complex interactions of:
genetic factors (nature)
environmental factors (nurture)
“NATURE VS. NURTURE”

15. Innate behaviour Behaviour that is developmentally fixed
Under strong genetic influence
Ex. Suckling, hunting instincts

16. Directed Movements: Many animal movements are influenced by genetics…
Kinesis (non-directional response)
change in activity / turning rate in response to a stimulus
ex. Pill bugs are more active in dry vs. moiste area
Taxis (directional response)
Automatic/ oriented movement toward/away a stimulus
ex. trout facing toward the current in direction of food

17. Migration Movement of animals over a long distance
Research shows that migration is under genetic control and follows a polygenic inheritance pattern

18. Animal Communications & Signals
SIGNAL= a behavior that causes a change in another animals behavior
Animal communication is due to genetics & environment
Animals communicate through visual, auditory, chemical, tactile & electrical signals

19. Chemical Communication
Animals secrete chemical substances called Pheromones ( relates to reproductive behaviours)
Phermones are effective at low con’c
EX.. Canadian lynx urinates on trees and may leave claw marks to mark territory
EX. Male drones attracted to queen bee pheromones outside the hive

20. Auditory Communication
Mating rituals in insects and birds include characteristic song that are under strong genetic control/selective pressure
EX: Drosophila’s mating song
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21. Prairie Voles & Genetic Influences
Prairie voles are monogamous ( only 3% of mammalian species)
Male P.V. help mates care for young-this is relatively uncommon
Monogamous prairie voles
Neurotransmitter(AVP) released during mating mediating pair-bond formation &aggression
Produces feelings of pleasure and make them “addicted” to partner
Promiscuous montane voles
Different distribution of brain receptor
Do not have same feelings of pleasure

22. Environmental Influences on Behaviour
Diet plays an importance role in mate selection
Social Environment can influence the way animals behave( ie. Aggressive Behaviour)
Learning

23. Learning- Habituation
A loss of responsiveness to unimportant stimuli
EX: animals stop responding to signals when signals are not followed by predator attack
the “cry-wolf” effect

24. Spatial Learning
Modification of behavior based on experience with spatial structure of environment (ie.nests, hazards, food, mates)
EX: Digger wasps found nest entrances by using landmarks (Tinbergen experiment)

25. Associative Learning
Ability to learn to associate one stimulus with another
A.k.a.classical conditioning
This type of learning plays an important role in helping animals avoid predators

26. Classical Conditioning
An animal learns to associate one of its own behaviours with a reward/punishment
Pavlov’s Theory

27. Operant Conditioning A.k.a. “trial and error learning”
Animals are given reward/ punishment for behavior
Skinner’s Box experiment

28. Learning Videos Skinner’s box
Pavlov’s Theory