Animal Behaviour Flashcards
What are Tinbergen’s 4 questions?
- Why does the animal do the behaviour?
- How has the behaviour changed over evolutionary time?
- How does the behaviour change with age and experience?
- What factors lead to that behaviour happening at that time
What are the answers to these questions?
- Function
- Evolution
- Ontogeny (development)
- Mechanistic
What are 3 proximate mechanisms?
- Genetic/developmental mechanisms
- Effect of heredity on behaviour
- Sensory-motor mechanisms
Give 2 examples of ultimate causes?
- Events occurring over evolution from origin of trait to present
- Selective processes shaping the history of behaviour
What is filial imprinting?
First day/two after after hatching/birth, only during a “sensitive period”
What is sexual imprinting?
Young animal forms an association with the species and sex it will direct its sexual behaviour towards as an adult
What are the 3 different types of imprinting cues and which animals use them?
- Visual cues - precocial birds
- Auditory cues - sea birds (large colonies)
- Olfactory cues - mammals, salmon
Why is imprinting easy to study?
- one off and short lived
- know exactly when it will happen
- clear to see
Why are the most extreme mating displays generally male?
- difference in investment, males have many gametes
- females have lower reproductive mate and so must select amongst males to secure higher fitness
What is runaway selection?
The selections of males that are sexually attractive
Describe an example of satellite males
Bluegill sunfish
- territorial male guards a nest to attract females
- little sneaker (with female colouring) waits until territorial male releases sperm to release his
What 4 key reproductive decisions are controlled by females?
- Egg investment
- Mate choice
- Egg fertilisation (which sperm)
- Offspring investment (maintenance into offspring)
What 4 key reproductive decisions are controlled by males?
- Resources transferred to female
- Elaborate courtship
- Sexual coercion
- Infanticide
What is polyandry?
Where female has multiple mates and males guard the offspring
Why do North Eastern crows only pick up large whelks and drop them multiple times at 5m until they break?
Zach (1979)
- Large whelks are more likely to shatter than small whelks
- Over 5m height does not improve breakage
- Probability of breakage is independent of number of times dropped
Why do large leaf cutter ants only forage at night?
Danger of parasitic fly during the day
=> trade off energy gain for longer foraging life of valuable larger workers
How do osprey nesting colonies act as information sites?
- when an osprey returns with prey many ospreys go in a similar direction
- informed ospreys take less time to capture prey
How do wolf group sizes determine optimum prey?
Large groups (10-12) better at catching bison, small groups better at catching elk
What are the ways in which groups can avoid predation?
- increased vigilance
- dilution effect (less likely to be you)
- confusion effect
- mobbing (drive away predator)
What is the function of slotting/pronking?
Advertising the ability to run faster than predator/unprofitability
What are the advantages of being rare?
Predator does not recognise as prey or food
How can animals pretend to be rare?
- difference in predator/prey activity times/seasons
- hiding
- seasonal changes in colour patterns
- polymorphism
Name 2 other methods of avoiding predation
- Immobility/crypsis
2. Masquerade as different objects
What 2 methods can animals use to avoid attack?
Aposematism - conspicuoussness + distastefulness
Batesian mimicry - mimicking unpalatable animal
