- Applying Darwin’s theory of natural selection to ecology, we predict that innate behaviors increase an organism’s fitness. - Based on experimental results, the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus), herring gull (Larus argentatus), and gray squirrel (Sciuris carolinensis) all exhibit innate behaviors. If Darwin’s theory applies, these behaviors are present because they have proven successful in past generations.

- Konrad Lorenz, the father of ethology, studied imprinting in ducks and geese. Imprinting is learning that is limited to a certain time period in an animal’s life and is usually irreversible. Separated hatchlings established a maternal bond with Lorenz and later were disinterested in their biological mother.

- A series of experiments were designed to look at the relative influence of innate versus learned components in bird song behavior. - Bird songs are recorded and displayed on a sonogram—a graphical representation of the song’s change in frequency over time. A normal white crowned sparrow has a characteristic song. - In the first experiment, a sparrow is isolated before hearing his father’s song. It is later exposed to the proper song, but fails to learn it. - In the second experiment, a nestling is allowed to hear the father’s song, then removed. It later learns to sing the proper song. - In a third experiment, a nestling is exposed to its father’s song, then deafened before it starts to practice singing. The bird never learns to sing the proper song.

The combined results of these three experiments show that there are two factors involved in proper birdsong behavior:

``` 1. Innate (nature) component. During an early age, there is a window of time in which the birds must hear the song. If the bird is exposed to the song after the window has passed, it will fail to learn the proper song. 2. Learned (nurture) component. The birds need to hear themselves practice the song in order to learn it. ```

In Konrad Lorenz’s study, he separated newly hatched ducks from the mother and raised them. Several weeks later, he introduced them to the mother. What happened?

- There was no recognition by either the mother or the ducklings.

- are adaptive in an evolutionary sense. - can increase an organism’s fitness. - are behaviors that are exhibited in a deprivation experiment.

The conclusion of the experiments with the white-crowned sparrow were that the birdsong behavior was

- composed of components that are learned and innate.

14.3.2 Imprinting and Innate Behavior Flashcards by Irina Soloshenko

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14.3.2 Imprinting and Innate Behavior Flashcards

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