Chapter 17:2pages 462-469BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATION

I. Instinctive Behavior Patterns

A. Courtship and mating behavior among most animal groups is an example of an instinctive ritual that helps animals of one species recognize one another as possible mates.

B. Animals also protect themselves and their sources of food by defending their territories.

C. Instinctive behavior patterns such as these are the result of natural selection…Individual animals that did not show these behaviors died or failed to reproduce.

D. Instinctive behavior, just like hair color, is inherited from an animals’ parents.

II. Territorial Behavior

A. Many animals set up territories for feeding, mating and raising young…A territory is an area that an animal defends.

B. Ownership of a territory is set up in different ways

1. Songbirds sing to set up territories

2. Sea lions bellow and squirrels chatter

3. Other animals leave scent marks

4. Some patrol the area to warn intruders.

Songbirds show their territories by their songs.

Bellowing sea lions…scare away unattached male sea lions.

Scent is used to mark territory.

Prairie dogs scout their territory.

C. Why do animals defend their territories???

1. They are areas that contain food, shelter, and potential mates.

2.Animals need these things in order to survive.

3.Defending territories is an instinctive behavior that improves the chances of survival for the

offspring of an animal.

4. See Figure 17-8 Male sea lions patrol the area where their harem of females rests.

D. Aggression

1. Have you ever watched a dog approach another dog eating a bone?

a. The hair stands up on its back, the lips curl, and the dog makes growling noises.

b. This behavior is aggression …a forceful act used to dominate or control another

animal.

c. Fighting and threatening are aggressive behaviors animals use to defend their

territories, protect their young, or to get food.

Animals show aggression to protect their territories…

2. Aggressive behaviors seen in birds include letting the wings droop below the tail feathers, taking another’s perch, and thrusting the head forward in a pecking motion… These behaviors are intended to avoid physical contact.

*** Fighting wastes valuable energy, and a missing feather or two can greatly reduce

a bird’s ability to fly.

3. Animals seldom fight to the death.

a. They rarely use their teeth, beaks, claws or horns to fight members of their own species.

b. These structures are used for killing prey or for defense against members of another species.

c. To avoid being killed, a defeated animal shows submission by crouching down or retreating.

III. Courtship BehaviorA. You have probably seen a male peacock spread the beautiful feathers on his lower back.

B. The male frigate bird has a bright red pouch on his throat that takes about 25 minutes to blow up.

C. A male sage grouse fans his tail, fluffs his feathers, and blows up this two air sacs.

D. These are examples of a behavior that animals perform before mating…courtship behavior allows male and female members of a species to recognize each other.

E. These courtship behaviors also allow males and females at the same time….helping to ensure reproductive success.

IV. Social Behavior

A. Animals live together in groups for several reasons.

1. One reason is that there is safety in large numbers.

a. A wolf pack is less likely to attack a herd of musk oxen than an individual musk oxen.

b. In some groups, large numbers of animals help keep each other warm . (Penguin in Antarctica huddle together against the cold

winds.)

c. Migrating animals in large groups are less likely to get lost than if they traveled alone.

2. Interactions among organisms of the same species are examples of social behavior…they include courtship and mating, caring for the young, claiming territories, protecting each other, and getting food…These behaviors provide advantages for survival of the species.

3. Insects such as ants, bees, and termites live together in societies…A society is a group of animals of the same species living and working together in an organized way.

a. Each member has a certain job.

b. Usually, there is a female that lays eggs, a male that fertilizes the eggs, and workers that do all the other jobs in the society.

4. Some societies are organized by dominance.

a. Wolves usually live together in packs. In a wolf pack, there is a dominant female.

b. The top female controls the mating of the other females.

c. If there is plenty of food, she mates and allows the others to do so…If food is scarce,

she allows less mating, and usually she is the only one to mate.

V. Communication

A. In all social behavior, communication is important…communication is an exchange of information.

1. Animals in a group communicate with sounds and actions…Alarm calls, pheromones, speech, courtship behavior, and aggression are all forms

of communication.

B. Chemical Communication

1. Ants can sometimes be seen running along single file toward a piece of food.

2. Male dogs stop frequently to urinate on bushes when you take them for a walk.

3. Both behaviors are based on chemical communication…The ants have laid down chemical trails that the others can follow, and the dog is letting other dogs know he has been there.

4. In these behaviors, the animals are using pheromones by one animal that influences the behavior of another animal of the same species.

5. A pheromone is a chemical that is produced by one animals that influences the behavior of another animals of the same species

a. Both males and females use pheromones to establish territories, warn of danger, and attract mates.

b. Certain ants, mice, and snails release alarm pheromones when injured or threatened.

c. Pheromones are powerful chemicals needed only in small amounts…They remain in the environment so the sender and the receiver do not have to be at a certain place in order to communicate.

d. Because they linger in the environment, they may advertise the presence of an animal to predators as well as to the intended receiver of the message.

C. Sound Communication

1. Many insects communicate through sound.

a. Male crickets rub a scraper on one forewing against a vein on the

other forewing to produce chirping sounds…they use the sound to attract females and warn other males away from their territories.

b. Each cricket species produces several calls that are different from those of other cricket species. The calls are often used to identify species.

2. Male mosquitoes that are ready to mate use tiny hairs on their antennae to sense the buzzing sounds produced by females…The tiny hairs vibrate only to the frequency emitted by a female of the same species.

3. Vertebrates use a number of different forms of sound communication.

a. Fish produce sounds by manipulating the air bladder.

b. Rabbits thump the ground, gorillas pound their chests, and woodpeckers hammer hollow trees.

4. Sound communication is useless in noisy environments.

*** Seabirds that live on shorelines with pounding waves must rely on vision for communication.

Some organisms use light to communicate and attract mates: Lightning bugs-Fire flies/Angler fish/Jellyfish

VI. Cyclic Behavior

A. What determines when an owl sleeps?

1. Animals show regularly repeated behaviors such as feeding in the day and sleeping at night or the opposite.

2. Many reproduce every spring and migrate every spring and fall.

3. Cyclic behaviors are innate behaviors that occur in a repeating pattern.

a. They are repeated in response to changes in the environment.

b. Behavior that is based on a 24-hour cycle is called a circadian rhythm .

c. Animals that are active during the day are

diurnal …those that are active at night are nocturnal

C. Hibernation

1. Hibernation is a cyclic response to cold temperatures and limited food supplies.

2. During hibernation, an animal’s body temperature drops to near that of its surroundings, and its breathing rate is greatly

reduced.

3. An animal in hibernation survives on stored body fat. (They awake in the spring)

4. Some mammals and many amphibians and reptiles hibernate.

Hibernation

D. Migration

1. Many birds and mammals move to new locations when the seasons change instead

of hibernating.

2. This instinctive seasonal movement is called migration …most move in order to find food or reproduce in a better environment.

migrations

3. Many species of birds fly hours or days without stopping…They return a few months later.

4. Gray whales swim from the cold Arctic water to the waters off the coast of California…After the young are born, they make the return trip.

5. Animals have many different behaviors…some are innate and some are learned…Many are a combination…Appropriate behaviors help animals survive, reproduce, and maintain the species.

Summary

****Behavioral adaptations such as defense of territory, courtship behavior, and social

behavior help species of animals survive and reproduce.

****Courtship behaviors allow males and females to recognize each other.

****Interactions among members of the same species are social behaviors that occur in repeating patterns.