Animal Behavior Flashcards
What is a behavior?
Anything an animal does and how it does it. They are a result of genetic and environmental factors, essential for survival reproduction and are subject to natural selection.
What is the study of behaviors?
Ethology
What are the two fundamental levels of ethology?
- Proximate
2. Ultimate
What are proximate causes of behavior and what do they include?
Proximate causes of behavior explain “how” behaviors have developed. This includes:
- Heredity
- Genetic-environmental interactions
- Sensory motor mechanisms
What are ultimate causes of behavior and what do they include?
Ultimate causes of behavior explain “why” behaviors have developed. This includes:
- The origin of a behavior
- How it was changed over time
- How it increases reproductive success
What are innate behaviors?
Instinctive behaviors that
- Are inherited
- Increase fitness
- Found in all members of a population
- Are developmentally fixed
- And are unlearned
What is a fixed action pattern and important aspect of them?
A fixed action pattern (FAP) is an instinctive behavioral sequence that is indivisible and runs to completion. Fixed action patterns are largely ___ and are triggered by a stimulus.
What are signals? Give examples.
A signal is a behavior that causes a change in the behavior of another individual and is the basis for animal communication.
Examples: Pheromones (chemicals), Visual (display/action), Auditory (sound)
What are pheromones?
Chemical signals that are emitted and act on members of the same species
What are visual signals?
Displays/actions that may act on the same or difference species. These behaviors can be directed by genes. For example, a single gene appears to control the courtship ritual in fruit flies.
What are auditory signals?
Sounds that may act on the same or different species
What is learning?
The modification of behavior based on specific experiences
What is imprinting?
A sensitive period of development that combines learned and innate behaviors
What is associative learning? Give examples.
Associative learning is learning that involves the association of an environmental factor with another feature. Examples are classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
What is classical conditioning?
Associating two things, one of which has a natural response, in order for the other thing to provoke the same response. For example, Pavlov’s dog would salivate in the face of food, but not at the blow of a whistle before conditioning. Then, Pavlov would blow the whistle before giving the dog food. After condition, the blow of whistle would trigger salivation of the dog.
What is operant conditioning?
Certain behaviors elicit a reward or punishment
What is foraging behavior?
Foraging behavior deals with food. This includes eating and the methods used to search for, recognize, and capture food.
What is the optimal foraging model?
A proposal of compromise between the benefits of nutrition and the cost of obtaining food. For example, when a leopard pursues an elk, it takes a lot of energy, but more energy may be gained if the leopard eats the entire elk.
What are three mating systems discussed in class?
Promiscuous, Monogamous, and Polygamous
What is the promiscuous mating system?
Mates have no strong pair bonds
What is the monogamous mating system?
One very strong bond between one male and female
What is the polygamous mating system?
One individual mating with several others
Often, what are antagonist behaviors?
Antagonistic behaviors are often ritualized contests that determine which competitor gains access to food and/or mates.
What is inclusive fitness?
The total effect an individual has on its own, and its relatives’, reproductive success
When does altruism occur?
When animals behave in ways that reduce their own individual fitness but increase the fitness of others. Ex. Prairie dog altering others of danger
What is kin selection?
The type of natural selection that favors altruistic behaviors that enhance the overall reproductive success of the population
