Animal Behavior What is behavioral ecology Behavioral ecology

Animal Behavior

What is behavioral ecology? Behavioral ecology studies how behavior is controlled and how it develops, evolves, and contributes to survival ¢ Behavior is everything an animal does and how it does it ¢

Fixed Action Patterns ¢ An FAP is a sequence of unlearned behavioral acts that is essentially unchangeable and, once started, is usually carried to completion l ¢ Triggered by a sign stimulus Example: Aggressive behavior in male stickleback fish in response to the red underside of an intruder fish

Imprinting ¢ Imprinting is a type of behavior that includes both learning and innate components and is irreversible l l There is a limited phase in an animal’s development which is the only time when certain behaviors can be learned Incubator-hatched goslings imprinted on scientist (Konrad Lorenz) during first few hours of life and followed him

Nature vs. Nurture? In biology, it’s not an either/or scenario ¢ Genes and the environment both influence behavior ¢ Innate behavior is behavior that is developmentally fixed, regardless of the environment ¢

Directed Movements ¢ Directed movements are controlled by genes l Kinesis = a simple 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 l Taxis = a more or less automatic, oriented movement toward or away from a stimulus • Example: fish swimming against the current l Migration

Animal Signals & Communication ¢ ¢ A signal is a behavior that causes a change in another animal’s behavior Communication involves the transmission of, reception of, and response to signals between animals l Chemical Communication: • Pheromones – particularly important in reproduction behavior l Auditory Communication: • Drosophila males produce a characteristic “song” by beating their wings

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 l Example: Variations in diet led to rejection of mates in Drosophila

Learning ¢ Learning is the modification of behavior based on specific experiences l Habituation: loss of responsiveness to stimuli that convey little or no information • “crying wolf” l Spatial Learning: Animals associate learning with landmarks, nests, locations of specific items…when these items are removed, animals cannot find their target

Associative Learning ¢ Associative learning is the ability of many animals to associate one feature of the environment with another l Classical Conditioning • an arbitrary stimulus is associated with a reward or punishment • Pavlov’s Experiment l Operant Conditioning • “trial-and-error learning” • Mouse eating distasteful caterpillar

Cognition & Problem Solving 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 ¢

Natural Selection & Behaviorism ¢ ¢ The genetic components of behavior evolve through natural selection Natural selection favors behaviors that increase survival and reproductive success l Foraging behavior – Balance between benefits of nutrition and cost of finding food (predation, energy, etc. ) • Cost-benefit analysis l Mate selection • Most animals are promiscuous

Altruism & Inclusive Fitness ¢ ¢ Most social behaviors are selfish Altruism = when an animal behaves in a way that reduces its individual fitness but increases the fitness of the other individuals in the population l ¢ ¢ Example: squirrels, worker bees Helps close relatives (children, siblings, etc. ), thereby increasing the individual’s genetic representation in the next generation – “inclusive fitness” Dominance Hierarchies – one or a few individuals have power and status to minimize fighting for food and mates. l Alpha Male, Queen Bee