1. Chapter 51
Behavioral Ecology

2. I. Proximate and Ultimate Behavior
Elements of behavior
Proximate vs. Ultimate
Ethology
Fixed-Action Patterns (FAP)
Sign stimulus
Imprinting
Sensitive period

3. Figure 51-03

4. LE 51-4
BEHAVIOR: A male stickleback fish attacks other male sticklebacks that invade its nesting territory.
PROXIMATE CAUSE: The red belly of the intruding male acts as a sign stimulus that releases aggression in a male stickleback.
ULTIMATE CAUSE: By chasing away other male sticklebacks, a male decreases the chance that eggs laid in his nesting territory will be fertilized by another male.

5. BEHAVIOR: Young geese follow and imprint on their mother.
LE 51-5
BEHAVIOR: Young geese follow and imprint on their mother.
PROXIMATE CAUSE: During an early, critical developmental stage, the young geese observe their mother moving away from them and calling.
ULTIMATE CAUSE: On average, geese that follow and imprint on their mother receive more care and learn necessary skills, and thus have a greater chance of surviving than those that do not follow their mother.

6. Figure 51-06

7. II. Genetic Component Directed movement
Kinesis
Taxis
Migration
Animal signals and communication
Chemical
Auditory
Visual

8. Kinesis increases the chance that a sow bug will encounter and stay
LE 51-7a
Moist site
under leaf
Dry open
area
Kinesis increases the chance that a sow bug will encounter and stay
in a moist environment.

9. Positive rheotaxis keeps trout facing into the current, the direction
LE 51-7b
Direction
of river
current
Positive rheotaxis keeps trout facing into the current, the direction
from which most food comes.

10. Figure 51-08

11. LE 51-9
Minnows are widely dispersed in an aquarium before an alarm substance is introduced.
Within seconds of the alarm substance being introduced, minnows aggregate near the bottom of the aquarium and reduce their movement.

12. Mating and Parenting
Prarie voles
AVP – arginine-vasopressin

13. Table 51-1

14. III. Environmental Influence
Diet and mate selection
Social learning and aggressive behavior
Learning
Habituation
Spatial learning
Cognitive maps
Associative learning
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning

15. Figure 51-16

16. IV. Behavior and Natural Selection
Variations exist
Natural selection favors behaviors that increase fitness
Foraging
Mating behaviors and mate choice

17. Average number of drops
LE 51-22
125 60 50
100 40 
Average number of drops
Average number of drops 30 75
Total flight height (number of drops drop height in m)
Total flight height 20
Drop height
preferred
by crows = 5.23 m 50 10 25 2 3 5 7 15
Height of drop (m)

18. LE 51-25
Since monogamous species, such as these trumpeter swans, are often monomorphic, males and females are difficult to distinguish using external characteristics only.
Among polygynous species, such as elk, the male (left) is often highly ornamented.
In polyandrous species, such as these Wilson’s phalaropes, females (top) are generally more ornamented than males.

19. LE 51-28 Experimental Groups Control Group Both parents ornamented
Males
ornamented
Females
ornamented
Parents not
ornamented
Results
Females reared by ornamented mothers or nonornamented parents showed no preference for either ornamented or nonornamented males.
Females reared by ornamented parents or ornamented fathers preferred ornamented males as mates.
Males reared by all experimental groups showed no preference for either ornamented or nonornamented female mates.

20. Figure 51-30

21. V. Inclusive fitness Altruism Inclusive fitness
Hamilton’s rule and kin selection
Reciprocal altruism

22. Figure 51-37