1 Animal Behavior
2 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
3 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
4 Nature vs. Nurture? In biology, it’s not an either/or scenarioGenes and the environment both influence behavior Innate behavior is behavior that is developmentally fixed, regardless of the environment
5 Directed Movements Directed movements are controlled by genesKinesis = 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
6 Animal Signals & CommunicationA 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
7 Environment & GeneticsEnvironmental 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
8 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
9 Associative Learning Associative learning is the ability of many animals to associate one feature of the environment with another Classical Conditioning an arbitrary stimulus is associated with a reward or punishment Pavlov’s Experiment Operant Conditioning “trial-and-error learning” Mouse eating distasteful caterpillar
10 Cognition & Problem SolvingCognition 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
11 Natural Selection & BehaviorismThe 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
12 Altruism & Inclusive FitnessMost 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”