1. What is Behavior?

2. What is ethology?
The foundations of behavioral ecology were established by:
von Frisch
Lorenz
Tinbergen

3. Behavioral ecologists distinguish between proximate and ultimate causes of behavior.

4. Classic Demonstration of Innate Behavior

5. Fixed Action Pattern (FAP):
A sequence of unlearned
behavioral acts that is essen-
tially unchangeable and, once
initiated usually carried to
completion. This is triggered
by an external sensory stimu-
lus known as a sign stimulus.

7. Geese Imprinting

8. Imprinting – a type of behavior
that includes both learning
and innate components and
is generally irreversible.
has a sensitive period

9. Imprinting: Konrad Lorenz with imprinted geese

10. Many behaviors have a strong
genetic component.

11. Kinesis
Taxis

12. Kinesis – does not result in
orientation with respect to
a stimulus; movement
is random (defined in Lab 11)
Taxis – a more or less auto-
matic oriented movement
toward or away from a stimulus

13. Migration Routes of the Golden Plover

14. Orientation Versus Navigation in Juvenile and Adult Starlings

15. Signals and Communication
Nocturnal animals use auditory and chemical signals
Diurnal animals use visual and auditory signals
What are pheromones?

16. Staking Out Territory With Chemical Markers

17. Genetic Influences on Mating
Seen with prairie voles
Male prairie voles help to care for the young which is unusual since few mammals are monogamous

18. Environment, along with
genetic makeup, influences
the development of behaviors
Ex: The diet of the larvae of Drosophila influences mate choice later in life

19. Learning
What is the difference between instinctive behavior and learned behavior?

20. Habituation
Loss of responsiveness to stimuli that convey little information
ex: you continually drive over the speed limit on the freeway and never get a ticket; therefore there is no reason to change your driving habits.

21. Tinbergen’s experiments on the digger wasp’s nest-locating behavior

22. Other ways in which behavior is influenced: Classical Conditioning
Associative Learning
Classical Conditioning

23. Operant Conditioning (Trial and Error Learning)

24. Two Kinds of Bird-Song Development: The Songs of Most Bird Species Are at Least Partly Learned

25. Cognitive Ethology – young chimps learning to crack oil palm nuts

26. “Fishing” by a Chimpanzee

27. Female warblers prefer males with large song repertoires

28. Behavioral traits can
evolve by natural selection.

29. Feeding by Young Bluegill Sunfish Supporting Optimal Foraging Theory

30. Mating Behavior
Promiscuous
Monogamous
Polygamous
Polyandrous – single female with several males
Polygynous – single male with several females

31. Sexual Selection – a form
of natural selection in which
differences in reproductive
success among individuals
are a consequence of
differences in mating success;
proposed by Charles Darwin

32. Elk
Trumpeter
Swans
Phalaropes

33. Peahen Peacock
Female Cardinal Male Cardinal

35. Golden Silk
Spiders
in Costa
Rica

36. Male and Female Black Lemurs

37. Terrapins
Large body
size in males

38. Sexual Selection
Females choose males based on certain traits – she is directing natural selection
In Darwin’s theory of sexual selection it is the female who is directing natural selection

39. Territoriality: Mountain Goats and Stallions

40. Agonistic Behavior
Contest that involves threatening and submissive behavior to gain access to a resource (food or mate)
What is the evolutionary importance of agonistic behavior?

41. Agnostic Behavior

42. Ritual Wrestling by Rattlesnakes

43. Inclusive Fitness
What is altruism?

44. Reduced fitness of self to increase fitness of others
How does altruism relate to evolution?

45. Leads to kin selection and coefficient of relatedness

46. Kin Selection and Altruism in the Belding Ground Squirrel-Females stay closer to the burrows

47. Altruistic Behavior in the Belding Ground Squirrel

48. When
rB > C, natural selection favors altruism
B is benefit
r is coefficient of relatedness
C is cost

49. Vervet Monkeys Learn Correct Use of Alarm Calls