10. Animal behaviour Flashcards
Behavioral ecology
the study of the evolutionary basis for animal behavior resulting from ecological pressures
What are the 4 ways Niko Tinbergen has to identify why an animal does something?
- Causation
- Development
- Adaptive function
- Evolutionary history
Mechanism/causation
- physical morphology
- molecular mechanisms
- external stimuli
Ontogeny/development
- sequential development over lifespan of individual
- change through learning
Adaptive value/function
-utility of behavior in terms of increasing reproductive success
Phylogeny/evolution
- which ancestors possessed trait
- what selective pressure has shaped behavior
Proximate/how
- explanation in terms of immediate factors involved
- relevant and potentially measurable in current time
Contemporary
-explanation of current form of a behavior in terms of present day
Historical
explanation of current form of a behavior in terms of a sequence
innate behavior
Behaviors that are instinctive and carried out regardless of earlier experience
Learning and types
when an individuals experience can lead to changes in behavior
- non-associative learning
- associative learning
Non-associative learning
Learning that occurs in the absence of any particular outcome (e.g., a reward / punishment)
Associative learning
when an animal learns to link (or associate) two events (also called conditioning)
- classical conditioning
- operant conditioning
Classical condtioning
A previously neutral stimulus (e.g., bell) is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus (e.g., salivating when you smell food) until the previously neutral stimulus elicits the response on its own.
Operant conditioning
Behavior is rewarded (positively reinforced) or punished (negatively reinforced), changing the frequency or form of the behaviour
Communication
the transfer of information between two individuals - the sender and the receiver
Advertisement displays
Behaviors by which individuals draw attention of other sex to their status
Territorial displays
Signals that communicate to potential intruders that a territory is occupied and defended
Ritualized aggression
Communication which has evolved to settle disputes without engaging in costly fights
Pursuit deterrent signals
Displays or calls by prey that communicate to a predator that it has been detected and is unlikely to successfully capture prey
Alarm signals
Signals that warn conspecifics (esp. close kin) of nearby predators
Warning signals
Typically conspicuous patterns that indicate unpalatability or noxiousness to potential predators
