Animal Behaviour

Question 0

The study of behaviour is called…

Answer 0

Ethology

Question 1

Define: behaviour

Answer 1

Behaviour refers to the coordinated activities carried out by animals in response to both internal and external stimuli.

Question 2

What is innate behaviour? Eg?

Answer 2

Innate or inborn behaviour refer to those that are not learned.

Eg:
Spider building a web
Suckling behaviour in newborns
Escape reflex shown by yabbies
Reproductive behaviours in males sticklebacks (fish)
Rabbits build nests and pull out their fur

Question 3

Define: instinct

Answer 3

Is the innate ability to complete a specific behaviour pattern; no conscious intention is involved.

Question 4

Types of learned behaviour include….

Answer 4

1. Imprinting
2. Habituation
3. Associative learning
4. Trail and error learning
5. Observational learning

Question 4

What is learning?

Answer 4

It is the modification of a behavioural response to a particular stimulus on the basis of previous experience.

Question 5

What is imprinting?

Answer 5

Tendency for animals to follow or associate with a moving object that it sees during a sensitive period early in life.

This is a type of rapid learning commonly found in ground-nesting birds and some mammals.
Imprinting on the first object they see and hear after hatch, which is usually their parent.
Imprinting can usually only occur in a critical period of the animal’s life.

Question 6

What is habituation?

Answer 6

A decline in the tendency to respond to stimuli have become familiar and have proved harmless.

Question 7

What is associative learning?

Answer 7

Also known as classical conditioning. It refers to the transfer of behaviour from one stimulus to a completely new stimulus.
Eg: Pavlov’s dog

Question 8

What is trial and error?

Answer 8

A form of learning based on previous experience, resulting in a task becoming easier to perform.

Question 9

What is observational learning?

Answer 9

This refers to learning gained by watching the behaviour of others.
Eg:
Baboons learning by watching the behaviour of other baboons.
Separated dirt from food by placing it in water.

Question 10

What is insight learning?

Answer 10

A complex form of learning usually associated with a relatively high level of intelligence.
Eg: Problem solving in humans.

Question 11

Why is learning important for organisms?

Answer 11

Because it increases the chance of survival as it allows them to adjust to the changing environment.

Question 12

What is communication?

Answer 12

Transmission of information between organisms.

Question 13

How can organisms commute?

Answer 13

Sound, chemical (pheromones) (smell), tactile (touch), visual (body language)

Question 14

What is a circadian rhythm?

Answer 14

A daily change.

Question 15

What is a lunar cycle?

Answer 15

Occurs with the waxing and waning of the moon.

Question 16

What is a circannual cycle?

Answer 16

A yearly rhythm.

Question 17

Nocturnal

Answer 17

Sleep during the day, alert at night.

Question 18

Diurnal

Answer 18

Alert during the day, sleep at night.

Question 19

In mammals, what controls circadian rhythms?

Answer 19

Pineal gland and melatonin controls these circadian rhythm patterns.
Increased melatonin = sleep.

Question 20

Feeding behaviours of carnivores and herbivores.

Answer 20

Carnivores, because of their high energy diet do not eat everyday.

Herbivores on the other hand must eat constantly to maintenance.

Question 21

Cold- Dog shivers, shares body heat, curls in a ball.
Hot- dog pants, drinks water, inactive during the day, spreads out.
Why does it do this when it is cold?

Answer 21

Because the SA:V ratio is smaller when curled up in a ball as it has more volume.

Question 24

Behaviour patterns are usually…. And what do they help the animal to do?

Answer 24

Adaptive. They help the animal to survive and/or reproduce.

Question 25

What are the different types of behaviours, based on function (functions of behaviours)?

Answer 25

Territorial
Aggressive
Submissive
Reproduction
Appetitive

Question 26

What is territorial behaviour?

Answer 26

It is carried out in defence of a specific area which is used for the provision of food or breeding purposes.

Eg:
A group of magpies defending an area for breeding, from other magpies.
A honeyeaters chasing off other honeyeaters from an area that has many nectar-producing plants.

Question 27

What is aggressive behaviour?

Answer 27

It involves a physical act or threat by an individual against another. Some territorial behaviours are also aggressive behaviours.

Eg:
Magpies dive bombing during breeding season.
Kookaburras attacking a goanna that is approaching the nesting hollow.

Question 28

What is submissive behaviour?

Answer 28

These are behaviours designed to stop or reduce the intensity of the aggressive behaviour of another individual.

Eg:
A young male gorilla turning it’s face away from the state of a silverback (male) gorilla.

Question 29

What are reproductive behaviours?

Answer 29

They are those that are carried out in the production and rearing of offspring. They can be classed into several types.

Eg:
Courtship behaviour, such as the display of colours and song shown by the male lyrebird to attract females.
Nest building.
Parental care, feeding newborns.

Question 30

What is an appetitive behaviour?

Answer 30

One that leads indirectly to the satisfaction of a motivation.

Eg:
Approach food in order to satisfy your hunger.

Question 31

What are social behaviours?

Answer 31

Social behaviours are those carried out by several individuals of the same species.

Question 32

What is an adaptive behaviour?

Answer 32

A behavioural pattern that is of benefit to the individual organism.

Question 33

What is solitary behaviour?

Answer 33

Solitary behaviours are those carried out by a single individual.

Question 34

What are some disadvantages in living in a social group?

Answer 34

Increased competition for mates, food and nesting sites.
Increased risk of infection.
Greater risk of injury from other members in the group.