1. Chapter 51
Animal Behavior

2. What is Behavior? "anything an animal does and how it does it"
Take a moment to ponder the scope of this...

3. Causation of Behaviors
Two levels: Proximate and Ultimate
Proximate: the immediate cause or releaser of the behavior (how or what types of questions)
Ultimate: the evolutionary reason for the behavior to be present in the organism (why?)

4. Fields of Behavior Study... and some famous studies
Ethology-Niko Tinbergen, Konrad Lorenz, and Karl von Frisch (Nobel laureates)
Behavioral Ecology-Charles Darwin, BF Skinner, Richard Dawkins
Sociobiology-EO Wilson, Jane Goodall
Comparative Psychology-Ivan Pavlov, Skinner, et al.
(Note there are varying degrees of overlap)

5. Types of Behaviors Innate-inborn, instinctual, reflexes, FAPs
Learned-modified by experiences-imprinting, habituation, conditioning (classical vs. operant), insight
Movements-kinesis, taxis, migration
Optimal foraging strategy
Agonistic behaviors-warning (threat) displays, territoriality, dominance and submission
Courtship rituals and parenting behaviors
Circadian and rhythmic behaviors

6. The Special Case of Social Behavior
What is Social Behavior?
Cooperation-When does it happen? Why?
The "Altruism vs. Selfishness" Debate
Hamilton's Rule and kin selection
Coefficient of relatedness, r
Uniqueness of "eusociality"
The Sociobiology controversy-EO Wilson

7. Mating and Courtship Strategies
Why is there "strategy" at all? Boys vs. Girls
Economics of Sex-quality vs. quantity!
Mating systems: polygamy (polygyny/polyandry) and monogamy
Sexual selection: male competition and female choice
Case study examples