Chapter 54 Animal Behavior What is behavior Behavior

Chapter 54 Animal Behavior

What is behavior? § Behavior u everything an animal does & how it does it § link between animal & its environment http: //users. rcn. com/jkimball. ma. ultranet/Biology. Pages/L/Learned. Behavior. html

Types of behaviors § Innate behaviors u automatic, fixed, “built-in” § despite different environments, all individuals exhibit the behavior § triggered by a stimulus § Hard wired in nervous system § Genetically linked § Learned behaviors u modified by experience § variable § triggered by a stimulus

Innate behavior § Fixed action patterns (FAP) u u sequence of behaviors essentially unchangeable & usually conducted to completion once started sign stimulus § releaser that triggers FAP

Fixed Action Pattern courtship display in sticklebacks 2005 -2006

Example: FAP EGG ROLLING IN GEESE If egg rolls away from the nest, the goose automatically rolls the egg back to the nest with a repeated, specific action. When the female notices an egg outside the nest (sign stimulus), she begins the repeated movement to drag the egg with her beak and neck. If, while the goose is rolling the egg back to the nest, the egg slides off to the side or is removed by an observer, the goose continues to repeat the stereotypic movements, until she reaches the nest. She’ll then relocate the missing egg and begin the process all over again.

FAP in humans? YAWNING- lasts around 6 seconds Just try stopping in mid-yawn. You can’t. Once you begin to yawn, this instinctive, hard-wired response must run its course, from beginning to end. We are triggered to yawn when we see another person (or animal) yawning. Even seeing the word ‘yawn’ can trigger yawning

OTHER EXAMPLES OF FAP § Mating dances § Gulls pecking red spot on mom’s beak stimulates regurgitation § Human baby grasping http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Fixed_action_pattern

Directed movements § Taxis u u change in direction automatic movement toward (positive taxis) or away from (negative taxis) a stimulus § phototaxis § chemotaxis § Kinesis u change in rate of movement in response to a stimulus 2005 -2006

Migration § Complex behavior, but still under genetic control § “migratory restlessness” seen in birds bred & raised in captivity § Following ancient fly-ways § navigate by sun, stars, magnetic fields

Imprinting § Learning at a specific critical time forming social attachments u both learning & innate components Konrad Lorenz was “mother” to these imprinted graylag goslings 2005 -2006

Imprinting Wattled crane conservation Imprinting for conservation Conservation biologists have taken advantage of imprinting by young whooping cranes as a means to teach the birds a migration route. A pilot wearing a crane suit in an ultralight plane acts as a surrogate parent. 2005 -2006 teaching cranes to migrate

Learned behavior § Associative learning u learning to associate 1 feature of the environment (stimulus) with another § operant conditioning w trial & error learning § classical conditioning w stimulus & reward/punishment 2005 -2006

Operant conditioning § Skinner box 2005 -2006

Classical conditioning § Ivan Pavlov’s dogs u connect reflex behavior to associated stimulus 2005 -2006

Thinking & problem-solving: Cognition problem-solving § Do other animals think? tool use crow 2005 -2006

Social behaviors § Contests for resources develop as evolutionary adaptations u agonistic behaviors u § threatening & submissive rituals § symbolic, usually no harm done 2005 -2006

Social behaviors § Dominance hierarchy u social ranking within a group § pecking order 2005 -2006

Social behaviors § Altruistic behavior u u Pack of African dogs hunting wildebeest cooperatively reduces individual fitness but increases fitness of recipient kin selection Cooperation (altruism) u Worker and Queen bees u Alarm calls for predators u Young birds watching nests u How can this be of adaptive value? Belding ground squirrel White pelicans “herding” school of fish

Social behaviors § Territoriality nesting in birds 2005 -2006

Territoriality

Mating & parental behavior § Genetic influences u changes in behavior in different stages of mating § pair bonding § competitor aggression § Environmental influences u modifies behavior § quality of diet § social interactions § learning opportunities 2005 -2006

Social interaction requires communication § Pheromones u chemical signal that stimulates a response from other individuals § alarm pheromones § sex pheromones

Pheromones Female mosquito use CO 2 concentrations to locate victims marking territory Spider using moth sex pheromones, as allomones, to lure its prey The female lion lures male by spreading sex pheromones, but also by posture & movements 2005 -2006

Honeybee communication § Honey bee dance to communicate location of food source 2005 -2006

Auditory communication § Bird song species identification & mating ritual u mixed learned & innate u critical learning period u § Insect song Red-winged blackbird mating ritual & song u innate, genetically controlled u 2005 -2006