Animal Behaviour Flashcards
What is an proximate?
Deals with how
a particular behaviour
happens
What is an ultimate?
Deals with why an animal does something, in evolutionary reasons
Who was Niko Tinbergen?
A famous animal behaviour researcher who found there were two kinds of proximate and two kinds of ultimate explanation for animal behaviour.
Name the two proximate explanations:
1.What are the mechanisms that cause it? (mechanism)
2. Is the behaviour inherited or learnt?
(ontogeny/development)
Name the two ultimate explanations:
1: How is does it relate to the evolutionary history? (phylogeny)
2: What is the benefit to the animal’s fitness? (function)
What is a hermaphrodite?
A hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs and produces gametes normally associated with both male and female sexes eg snails
What is a simultaneous hermaphrodite?
A simultaneous hermaphrodite (or homogamous) is an adult organism that has both male and female sexual organs at the same time.
Which animal is famous for self-fertilisation?
The banana slug
What is a sequential hermaphrodite?
Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when the individual changes sex at some point in its life eg clownfish
What is asexual reproduction?
Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single organism
What is courtship?
Animal courtship may involve complicated dances or touch, vocalizations, or displays of beauty or fighting to attract a mating partner.
Name the two different types of sexual conflict
Egg v sperm
Male v female
What are pheromones?
a chemical substance produced and released into the environment by an animal, especially a mammal or an insect, affecting the behaviour or physiology of others of its species.
Name the different ways in which the transmission of sounds eg songs and calls varies
Attenuation,complexity,pitch,amplification and volume
What is intraselection?
Male to male competition
What is interselection?
Female choice
Name intraselection examples
Necking,Sumo fighting,escalation
Name the difference between antlers and horns
Antlers can shed whereas horns remain fixated to the skull throughout the animals life.
Name examples of interselection
Choosing based on physical appearance and general fitness.
What is sexual cannibalism?
Eating the mate after mating.
What is a social behaviour?
Activities among individuals that have fitness
consequences for both the actor as well as the
recipient(s) of the behaviour
Name the three levels of social behaviour
individuals, groups/populations, species
Example of minimum social contact
Black widows live alone until mating.
Examples of maximum social aggregation
Flocks, herds and colonies
Name some benefits of group life
Less likely to be eaten,protection,possible mating parteners
Disadvantages of group life
Have to share food/higher competition
What is a aggregation?
A group of individuals of the same species gathered
in the same place but not internally organised eg rattlesnakes gather during cold conditions to keep warm.
What is a colony?
a group of individuals belonging to the same species
which are highly integrated either by physical union
of bodies or by division into specialized zooids or
castes, or by both
What is a eusocial insect?
Castes with fixed division of labour eg Bees have queen bees and workers.
What is a mixed species group?
Groups containing individuals belonging to two or
more species which co‐ordinate their actions eg Saddle backed tamerins and red bellied tamerins.
What is reciprocal altruism?
reciprocal altruism is a behaviour whereby an organism acts in a manner that temporarily reduces its fitness while increasing another organism’s fitness
Name the different types of foods
Other animals,vegetation and minerals
Name three different hunting methods:
Gleaning, hovering, hawking, perch swooping, diving, skimming, dipping and dabbing, stalking and striking
Name the stages of predation
Detection, indentification, approach ,subjugation and consuming.
Name different methods of detection
Sight, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling
Name different methods of identification
Identification features and trial and error.
Name different methods of approaching
Stalking, speed, co-operative , hunting, masquerade, mimicry , bait and traps.
Name different methods of subjugation
Weapons eg teeth, claws, canines, tools, smashing, dropping and drilling
Name different adaptations for consuming
Ruminants (4 compartment stomach) detoxification eg meercats rolling mealworms and cooking.
Name three different adaptations which may help a prey escape a predator/identification
morphological traits eg transparent, rarity, mimicry, body size, and polymorphism.
Name different ways for prey to prevent being approached
Being in an inaccessible area, escaping, distracting and signalling.
What is the dilution effect?
Loads of potential prey, however, the pray cant consume them all, therefore, those higher in the hierarchy are more likely to survive.
What is the confusion effect?
Moving around to confuse the predator.
What is operant conditioning
Operant conditioning is a learning process in which behaviour is sensitive to, or controlled by its consequences.
What is habituation?
the diminishing of an innate response to a frequently repeated stimulus.
what is imprinting?
of a young animal) come to recognize (another animal, person, or thing) as a parent or other object of habitual trust.
What is associative learning?
classical and operant conditioning
What is classical conditioning?
A stimulus that initially does not elicit a
response comes to do so by
association with a stimulus that does (Pavlov)
What is monogamy?
One male mating with one female.
What is polygamy?
Mating with as many partners as possible
What is male assistance?
When a female keeps away other females
What is RPD
Resource defence polygamy
What is FDP
Female defence polygamy
What is lekking?
Male hierarchy polygamy
What is foraging?
Search to obtain food
Name the two different types of ambush
Passive and active
Name the three different types of food distribution
Uniform, random and clustered
What is optimal foraging?
Choosing the most energy efficient foraging method with the greatest energy intake
What should be considered when optimal foraging?
Time spent, energy used and energy intake from the meal
What is the marginal value theory?
The theory that there is a peak point when an animal should leave a foraging area to prevent energy loss (When the graph reaches its peak)
Why is conservation in zoos important?
To observe behaviour patterns, to raise money and awareness and complete breeding programmes
What is captivity?
Animals living under the care of humans
What are the main threats to biodiversity?
HIPPO (Habitat destruction, invasive species, population, pollution and over harvesting)
What is an intraspecific group?
Group of the same species
Name 4 group behaviours
Foraging, anti-predator behaviour , reproductive behaviours and social behaviours
What is home making?
Construction of a suitable home
What is reciprocal allogrooming?
Grooming to be groomed in return
What is intraspecific cleaning in?
Specific areas in which individuals swim to be cleaned
Why do animals huddle?
To conserve heat
Why do animals move in formations?
To move in an energy efficient manor
What is alloparenting?
When individuals other than the parent play the parenting role
What is migration?
Persistent movements without many turns
Why do animals migrate?
For a larger food source,more food or water availability etc
How do animals know when to migrate?
Changes in the environment eg temperature, chemical cues and changes in season
What is Herpetology?
The study of reptiles and amphibians
What is thermoregulation?
Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries
