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

Proximate and Ultimate Questions

Proximate questions focus on the environmental stimuli that trigger behavior“How” does a behavior happen?

Ultimate questions focus on the evolutionary significance of a behavior“Why” does a behavior happen?

Fixed Action Patterns

An FAP is a sequence of unlearned behavioral acts that is essentially unchangeable and, once started, is usually carried to completion 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 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 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

Taxis = a more or less automatic, oriented movement toward or away from a stimulus

• Example: fish swimming against the current

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 Chemical Communication:

• Pheromones – particularly important in reproduction behavior

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 Example: Variations in diet

led to rejection of mates in Drosophila

Learning Learning is the modification of behavior

based on specific experiencesHabituation: loss of responsiveness to

stimuli that convey little or no information• “crying wolf”

Spatial Learning: the modification of behavior based on experience with the spatial structure of the environment, including the location of nest sites, hazards, food, and prospective mates

Associative Learning Associative learning is the ability of many

animals to associate one feature of the environment with anotherClassical Conditioning

• an arbitrary stimulus is associated with a reward or punishment

• Pavlov’s ExperimentOperant Conditioning

• “trial-and-error learning”• Mouse eating distateful 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 Foraging behavior – Balance between

benefits of nutrition and cost of finding food (predation, energy, etc.)

• Cost-benefit analysis Mate selection

• Most animals are promiscuous• Monogamous• Polygamous

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 Example: squirrels, worker bees

Helps close relatives (children, siblings, etc.), thereby increasing the individual’s genetic representation in the next generation – “inclusive fitness”