animal behavior

Question 1

ecology

Answer 1

study of home and interactions

Question 2

behavioral ecology was developed by

Answer 2

Niko Tinbergen

Question 3

goal of behavioral ecology

Answer 3

understand animal behaviors and their cause

Question 4

proximal cause asks..?

Answer 4

HOW is a behavior occurring

Question 5

what asks these questions:

How does a stimulus triggers that behavior?

How are mechanisms involved in detecting that trigger?

How does development/growth teach that response?

Answer 5

proximal cause

Question 6

ultimate cause asks …?

Answer 6

WHY is a behavior occurring?

Question 7

what asks these questions:

Why does this behavior help the animal survive or reproduce?

Why did this behavior evolve?

Answer 7

ultimate cause

Question 8

fixed action patterns

Answer 8

built in responses linked directly to a stimulus (stimulus always results in specific response)

Question 9

are fixed action patterns learned or instinctual?

Answer 9

instinctual

Question 10

fixed action patterns: male stickleback example

Answer 10

male sticklebacks are territorial and attack other males with red undersides

BUT they attack pretty much anything with a red underside

(red acts as a sign stimulus)

Question 11

environmental cues

Answer 11

environment provides info needed for some behaviors

Question 12

environmental cues: migratory animals use clues such as …. to find destination

Answer 12

o Sun or stars
o Earth’s magnetic field
o Undiscovered mechanisms

Question 13

signal:

Answer 13

behavior in one animal may act as a stimulus for another

Question 14

communication results when…

Answer 14

signals are sent and received

Question 15

examples of different forms of stimuli used for communication:

Answer 15

Visual, chemical, tactile, auditory

Question 16

why is Bee communication complex?

Answer 16

uses many forms of communication (visual, chemical, tactile, and auditory)

Question 17

complex behavior leads to …

Answer 17

complex response

Question 18

pheromones:

Answer 18

chemicals used for communication

Question 19

how are pheromones detected?

Answer 19

smell or taste

Question 20

innate behavior

Answer 20

all animals of a species respond the same to a given stimulus

Question 21

behavior must be ___ to adapt to environment

Answer 21

flexible

Question 22

acquiring behavior that is NOT hard coded requires…

Answer 22

LEARNING

Question 23

learning:

Answer 23

modification of behavior based on experiences

Question 24

simplest form of learning is…

Answer 24

imprinting

Question 25

imprinting is a combination of

Answer 25

learned and hard coded behavior

Question 26

sensitive/critical period:

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stage of development where learning is possible *Time period is hard coded *Experiences during this sensitive period are locked for life

Question 27

imprinting works well unless...

Answer 27

stimuli during learning period are incorrect

Question 28

spatial learning:

Answer 28

learning location of landmarks

Question 29

difficulty of spatial learning :

Answer 29

may need to approach remembered location from a specific direction

Question 30

cognitive map: may remember ___ ____ of landmarks

Answer 30

spatial orientation

Question 31

cognitive mapping: more flexible and efficient without need for ....

Answer 31

landmark hopping

Question 32

associative learning

Answer 32

making connections between experiences

Question 33

example of associative learning

Answer 33

Blue jays’ vomit if they eat monarch butterflies *Jays associate monarchs with vomiting and avoid them.

Question 34

classical conditioning

Answer 34

an arbitrary (unnatural) stimulus is associated with an outcome

Question 35

occurs in lab, not in nature

Answer 35

classical conditioning

Question 36

example of classical conditioning

Answer 36

Pavlov’s dog: bell was rung before dogs were fed *Dogs began drooling when the bell was rung

Question 37

operant conditioning

Answer 37

trial and error learning

Question 38

operant conditioning: animal associates...

Answer 38

its behavior with outcome

Question 39

operant conditioning: repeats behavior with ___ outcome avoids behaviors with ___ outcome

Answer 39

positive; negative

Question 40

most complex forms of learning involve

Answer 40

cognition

Question 41

cognition includes:

Answer 41

awareness, reasoning, recollection, and judgement

Question 42

cognition pulls multiple sources of information together to...

Answer 42

make decisions

Question 43

problem solving:

Answer 43

determine how to move form one state to another using a series of behaviors

Question 44

problem solving is __ focused

Answer 44

objective

Question 45

social learning

Answer 45

learning through observing others

Question 46

most common in social species

Answer 46

social learning

Question 47

social learning is similar to associative learning but...

Answer 47

thought the experiences of others

Question 48

example of social learning

Answer 48

chimpanzees learned to crack nuts by watching parents

Question 49

social learning is the basis of

Answer 49

culture (info is passed down through generations)

Question 50

continuing behaviors must be selected by

Answer 50

natural selection: increased survival and reproduction

Question 51

cost benefit analysis

Answer 51

balance between cost and benefits *Cost of finding food VS Benefit of nutrition

Question 52

natural selection favors optimal foraging:

Answer 52

maximize benefits and minimize costs

Question 53

example of optimal foraging

Answer 53

crow foraging: fly to optimal height to break shell open -makes sure they get the food without expending too much energy

Question 54

foraging increases risk of...

Answer 54

predation

Question 55

why do mule deer forage in meadows instead of forests, where there is more food?

Answer 55

mule deer are eaten by cougars which prey along forest edges, they feed in open meadows to compromise between selective pressures

Question 56

promiscuous partners

Answer 56

* No long-term pair bonds * Mate with different partners each year * Mate with many partners in one season

Question 57

monogamous species

Answer 57

one male and one female mate

Question 58

polygamous species

Answer 58

one gender mates with many of the other gender

Question 59

polygyny

Answer 59

one male, many females

Question 60

polyandry

Answer 60

one female, many males

Question 61

sexual dimorphism: genders are nearly identical in ___ species

Answer 61

monogamous species

Question 62

sexual dimorphism: males are more ornamented in __ species

Answer 62

polygynous species

Question 63

sexual dimorphism: females are more ornamented in __ species

Answer 63

polyandrous species

Question 64

needs of young influence

Answer 64

mating system

Question 65

for young that require lots of parental care...

Answer 65

both parents remain to make care of young

Question 66

for young that can fend for themselves immediately...

Answer 66

fathers maximize reproductive success by mating with additional females

Question 67

males with internal fertilization...

Answer 67

cannot be certain of maternity

Question 68

males with external fertilization..

Answer 68

CAN be certain of maternity and are more likely to protect young

Question 69

females often choose mates with

Answer 69

dramatic characteristics (sign of a healthy male)

Question 70

females often choose mates that look like..

Answer 70

their father

Question 71

mate choice copying

Answer 71

females choose similar mates as other females when alone

Question 72

intrasexual selection

Answer 72

members of SAME sex compete to mate with members of opposite sex

Question 73

intersexual selection: often always ___ species

Answer 73

polygamist

Question 74

intersexual selection often involves __ behaviors

Answer 74

agonistic (contest for a resource)

Question 75

do agonistic behaviors result in extreme or mild injuries?

Answer 75

mild

Question 76

intersexual selection results in males with..

Answer 76

similar characteristics

Question 77

some species have males of various phenotypes, each phenotype..

Answer 77

has a different strategy for reproduction

Question 78

behavior is partially controlled by

Answer 78

genes

Question 79

genetics of behavior: garter snake example

Answer 79

coastal snakes eat slugs and inland snakes do not, despite being born in a lab

Question 80

altruism

Answer 80

a behavior that harms you while helping others

Question 81

altruism decreases one individual's ___ while increasing another individual's __

Answer 81

fitness

Question 82

the highest evolutionary advantage is to

Answer 82

have your genes the next generation

Question 83

there are 2 ways for your genes to be in the next generation:

Answer 83

* You reproduce directly: 50% of your genes in children * Your close family reproduces

Question 84

inclusive fitness

Answer 84

combination of personally passing on genes AND close family passing on genes

Question 85

kin selection

Answer 85

natural selection favors enhanced reproduction of close relatives

Question 86

ground squirrels: why are females more likely to give alarm calls?

Answer 86

o Females save family o Males save strangers *risk her own survival to increase survival of relatives

Question 87

eusocial insects appear to have extreme altruism:

Answer 87

o Often only 1 individual reproduces o Most individuals serve colony without reproducing

Question 88

eusocial insect's extreme altruism involves

Answer 88

haplodiploidy o Females are diploid o Males are haploid

Question 89

results of haplodiploidy

Answer 89

 Parents and offspring share 50% of genes  Siblings share 75% genes (on average)

Question 90

haplodiploidy: helping mother create more siblings passes your genes (more or less?) than reproducing yourself would

Answer 90

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