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1st Year MCQ > Behaviour > Flashcards

Behaviour Flashcards

1
Q

Who is Niko Tinbergen and what are his 4 questions include examples.
What are proximate and ultimate causes?

A

Founder of modern study of animal behaviour.
Causation- What causes the behaviour to happen? e.g. testosterone which causes courtship behaviour. Proximate
Function- How the behaviour contributes to the fitness and survival of an animal?, e.g. hiding the eggs which will proect them, ultimate cause
Development- Development of behaviour from young to adult, is it innate or a learning behaviour. Proximate cause
Evolutionary history- When did the trait originate, was it good for a species, ultimate cause
Proximate- understand the behaviour
Ultimate- why behaviour occurs.

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2
Q

Types of behavioural study (4)

A

Ethology- Diversity of species and nature, records natural behaviours.
Comparative psychology- general assumptions across all species and behaviour, often used in lab based.
Behavioural ecology- Fusion of ethology, ecology and evolutionary biology
Evolutionary psychology- interests in cognitive process.

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3
Q

What is homologous and analogous traits?

A

Homologous- Similar traits due to a common ancestor
Analogous- Similar traits due to the same or similar environment pressures on species leading to evolution

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4
Q

3 Ways evolution can occur?

A

Mutation- Caused by a mistake with the genetic coding during development, random, can be beneficial effects leading to natural selectin and evolution.
Genetic drift- Movement of traits by chance, more likely to effect smaller population, bottleneck effect.
Natural selection- Not random, adaptations to the environment

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5
Q

What is the bottleneck effect?

A

An extreme example of genetic drift when a population numbers are low.
Think of sweets in a jar, when poured only some will fall out including a range of traits and charactistics, some will be overrepresented others not at all in the new set of sweets/new population.

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6
Q

What is fitness?

A

How effective an individuals traits are at producing living, reproductive descendents in the current environment.
A more fit animal- lots of offspring, passing on its genes into the population

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7
Q

Optimal behaviour? include examples for M and F

A

The perfect balance of cost and benefits.
males:
-cost- sperm production
-benefit- large # of young production
Females:
-Cost- Copulation can be dangerous
-Benefit- High quality offspring

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8
Q

4 types of plasticity including 2 subtypes

A

Flexibility- how well can an animal perform in different environment
Acclimatisation- an individual adjusting to the different environment
Learning- an individual adjusting behaviour based on past experiences
Behavioural- ability for an animal to alter its behaviur based on internal and external stimuli. can be contextual plasticity (External stimuli leading to immediate behavioural response) or Development plasticity (one genotype leads to different behaviours as a result of prior stimuli)

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9
Q

What is return migration?
Single return migration?

A

R- Make regular repeated journeys to exploit resources for feeding and breeding
e.g. swallows and whales

S- Journey made once in a lifetime
e.g. salmon

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10
Q

Re migration?
Removal migration?

A

RE- some offspring make the return journey
REM- one way with no intention to return
e.g. humans

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11
Q

Complete migration?
Differential Migration?
Partial migration?

A

COM- All individuals and all population of a species do the same thing.
DIF- age and sexes do it diffently
PAR- different populations do it differently (Some may or may not migrate), e.g. roe deer

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12
Q

What is one way researchers can track migration?

A

Bird ringing

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13
Q

6 types of social systems

A
  • Solitary (territorial)
  • Solitary (Non territorial)
  • Monogamous pairs (M and F, could be short or long term)
  • Family (Kinship bases, e.g. elephants)
  • Mulitple family groups (multiple kinship groups)
  • Large colonies (arent necessarily related or have social system)
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14
Q

Costs of living in a group- 3

A
  • Competition- Individuals compete for scarce materials in a group
  • Disease- easiler transmission
  • Mistakely feeding anothers offspring
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15
Q

Benefits of living in a group- 2

A
  • Thermoregualtion- Cluster togther for warmth, increase survival
  • Energetic of movement- slipstream, chores can be split reduces a single individuals enegry usage
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16
Q

Whats an ‘information centre’?

A

a theory where birds will roost with a community and previously unsuccessful birds will follow successful birds to get food, costly for the successful bird.

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17
Q

Why is foraging in larger groups more effective?

A

-Information centre
-Allows for exchange of information about foraging sites
-Local enhancement (checking areas where other individuals were successful)
-Social facilitation (Copying the behaviour of a successful forager

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18
Q

what is Kleptoparasites?

A

where individuals steal food from other members of the group, chance of this increases in larger groups.

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19
Q

Predation risk- cost (1) and benefits (5)

A

Cost:
- Easier to see large group

Benefit:
-Reduced encounter with predators, animals alone and sparsely distributed over an area compared to animals in groups clumped together in an area
-Easier to detect predators, ‘Many eyes’ hypothesis
-Dilution effect, in a large group there is a lower probability of being picked
-Confusion effect, Scatter or move as a group, causes confusion and famouflage.
-Group defence, attacking and defending as one.

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20
Q

What is Communication?

A

Process in which actors use specifically designed signals or displays to modify the behaviour of reactors and receivers

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21
Q

What are signals? and examples

A

displays which are designed for a specific purpose but others can use them for information

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22
Q

what are the 4 types of communication and Give 2 examples of communication?

A

Visual, auditory, chemical and tactile

Agression- disputes and fights, territory and social hierarchy
Courtship- Attracting a mate and deterring a rival

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23
Q

What is inclusive fitness, Direct and indirect fitness?

A

Inc- Selection acts on the gene not the individual, genotype is selected and passed on therefor offsprong share genes with parent
Dir- From offspring produced by an individual e.g. parent and offspring
Ind- Offspring produced by a relative because of you, relative passes on select genotype to offspring, e.g. sibiling helps increase own fitness as they pass on there gene as well as yours with reduced cost.

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24
Q

What is kin selection? and kin recognision?

A

Explains cooperation among related individuals through indirect benefits of inclusion fitness
The more of your genes that are in a relative the more interested you are in helping them as increased genetic benefit

kin- key for individuals to help relatives, to prevent helping non relatives, can be genetic links like scent or environmental cues like same nest.

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25
Hamilton's rule?
Gives the conditions under which we should expect cooperation, in terms of benefit, costs and relatedness.
26
What is Direct reciprocity?
-You are helped by those you have helped previously -often the benefit of receiving help is greater then the cost of giving it - non relatives
27
What is indirect reciprocity?
-You will give help to individuals you know will give it back in the future -keep track of reputations, image scoring- creates a picture of the reputation of the individual, who will help and who wont. -non relatives
28
What is Stakeholder altruism
Individuals benefit from presence of other
29
What is Cooperation?
- behaviour that benefits another individual - Selective
30
What is Direct benefit ?
-Type of cooperation -Can benefit from it here and now -Immediate reward 2 subtypes: -Mutal benefit- both benefit rn -Reciprocity- Benefit will be in the future
31
What is indirect benefit?
-Type of coopertion -passing it on in the gene -Genetic benefits 2 subtypes: -Local relatedness- Know any animal in the local area is likely to be closely related, therefor you should help as they might pass on the genes and increase your fitness Kin discrimination- Cooperation as they know animals are related to them, scent tell them they are closely related
32
What is mutal benefit and altruism?
MUT- both actor and recipent benefit, not always equally ALT- recipient benefits and costs the actor
33
What is an Ethogram?
Catalogue of desciptions of all the discrete species typical pattern that forms the basic behavioural repetoire of a species.
34
What is a state and event when measuring behaviour?
S- Behaviour that occurs over a period of time like sleeping, measure the duration E- Behaviour that occurs in a single point of time, measures the frequency and number of times this happens in a certain amount of time.
35
Ad Libitum sampling?
- All behaviours carried out by an individual within a group are recorded -Certain time period (e.g. 1 minute) -Some behaviurs will be missed if out of sight
36
Behaviour sampling?
-All the times a certain behaviour of interest by any indiviual in a group -Certain time period -How many animlas are carrying out that specific behaviour in 1 minute?
37
Focal sampling?
-Each individual is observed but one at a time -Record everything that individuals does -Repeated and randomised each time
38
Scan sampling?
-Looks at every individual in the group all at once -Records the behaviour the individuals are doing at set time intervals -Set time intivials can vary e.g. fast animal= 1 minutes, slow animal = 3 minutes -About how many are doing the behaviour not specific individuals, dont need to be indentifiable
39
Continuous Sampling?
-Records every behaviour within a certain time frame e.g. 1 hour -Records duration of relevent behaviours during this time frame
40
One-zero Sampling?
-Choose a sampling interval e.g. every 30 seconds -Record whether the behaviour has occured within this time frame - Yes = 1, No =2
41
4 costs and 3 benefits of reproduction?
R -time and effort attracting mates -Risk of disease transmission -Competition -Risk of predation during mating or courtship B -biparental care -new gene combination to exploit environmental variation -DNA repair
42
what is Isogamy and anisogamy?
ISO- same sized gametes, found in simple sexual systems, hard to digtinguish male and female ANI- Different sized gametes (e.g. mammals), individuals that produce smaller gametes can produce more and gain higher fertilisation where zygotes with more resources are more likely to survive (Distruptive selection)
43
whats monogamy and whata re the 3 subclasses?
1 male mates exclusively with 1 female Social Mon- Living with 1 member of the opposite sex and mating with only 1 Genetic Mon- Both sexes in a pair only mate together (and dont live together). Serial mon- Only 1 partner per breeding attempt, will only have 1 relationship at a time but will mate and move on quickly.
44
What is polygamy and what are the 3 subclasses?
Individuals mate with more then 1 partner Polygyny- 1 male mates with more then 1 female but the female only mates with 1 male (mostly mammals) Polyandry- 1 female mates with more then 1 male but male only mates with 1 female (rare in mammals- but in marmosets, some birds- ostrich) Polygynandry- (and promiscuity- no social bond) both male and female mates with more then 1 partner, chamipanzees.
45
2 types of polygyny?
resource defence-Male controls access to resources that females need to reproduce like food and nesting sites Females defence- Males control females by defending them from other males
46
2 types of polyandry?
Cooperative polyandry- All the males in the group contribute to raising the broad of eggs Resource defence- female defends territory and controls males.
47
what is lekking polygyny?
Males gather in certain areas called leks, where they will preform courtship to females and males will fight for certain areas of the lek (the best position in the centre), females will choose the males and often from the centre.
48
What is sexual selection?
Evoluntionary process where selection acts on heritable traits which enhances the reproductive success that can be passed on to offspring. Can be through mate choice (Looks and courtship) or sex compeition (being the best fighter)
49
What is Intra sexual selection? and the 3 types?
Intra sexual- selection driven by 1 sex competing with another member of the same sex for access to mates, competition Direct contest- size, muscle, mass, agreesion and fighting equipment (claws and horns) Sperm competition- mate guarding and high frequency of copulation. Infanticide- Killing of rival offspring
50
What is inter sexual selection?
Inter sexual- Selection driven by 1 sex choosing mates of the other sex, mate choice.
51
What is the good genes hypothesis?
Extravagent ornaments and displays that are for personal use mates are chosen based on the cost of having a trait as they are honest signals show genetic quality and viability, ressitance to disease and pathogens.
52
Whats the sexy sons hypothesis?
Female choose males with attractive trait (which will maximise there gene fitness through inheritance) therefor making there sons attractive. Increase fitness of offspring and genes
53
What is life histories? and 6 examples of traits
Complete cycle of life stages through an animals progresses and the time period in which this life cycle occurs under natural conditions Individuals must be able to suvive and behaviour correctly at each life stage Size at birth, growth pattern, age and and size of maturity, age of death, parental care, numer, size and sex ratio of offspring.
54
What is foraging?
Getting enough food (Maximising the energy intake) and of the right kind (nutritional requirements) Animals cant make the organic molecules needed for energy, growth and repair so they eat things that already have done that or got it e.g. plants and animals
55
Describe herbivores and carnivores?
Herb- often spend long times of the day foraging and need to cosume more then 3% of their body weight daily to hit the energy requirements, ruminant stomachs, do not fight for food but plant adaptations may make collecting it harder. Carn- Have simple stomach (monogastric), use stratergies like sit and wait (also called ambush predator, where and animasl waits for its prey and then launches and attach)
56
Difference between a nature and nurture?
Nurture- genes, behaviourism Nature- Environmental factors
57
What is imprinting? and what are the 5 types?
Process where the young of certain species fixate on a specific environment stimuli during a sensitive period after birth Visual imprinting- Lorenz, Filial imprinting (developing a social attachment to usually a parent) Auditory- Thorpe, raised chaffinches in lab and werent exposed to other bird calls therfore developed abnormal songs compared to those who were exposed. Sexual Maternal Food and Olfactory
58
Describe play behaviour?
behaviour that functions to develop, practice and maintain physical or cognitive abilities and social relationships by varying, repeating or recombining already functional sequences of behaviour outside their primary context.
59
List 5/12 of Burghardts charateristics of play?
No obvious immediate function Quick and energetically expensive Stimulation seeking Most prevalent in juveniles Relative absense of threat and submission
60
What are the 5 criteria of play?
1. Behaviour is not fully functional and does not contribute to survival 2. Behaviour is spontaneous, voluntary or rewarding 3.Differs form serious form of behavoiur in at least 1 respect e.g. exaggerated or incomplete 4. Performed repeatedly 5. Done when animal is in a relaxed situation
61
What are the 3 types of play?
Object- Sensorimotor play, mouth, pawing, grasp objects, no imediate benfit Locomotor/rotational- movement, often first type of play, energetically expernsive but can teach basic skills in young Social- chasing, rough and tumble, teach aggresive skills in males
62
List 5/7 benefits of play?
Motor development- improves coordination in locomotion Physiological development- improves cardiovascular system and endurance Perceptual motor coordination- improves use of sensory system Adult species typical behaviour- e.g. prey capture and parenting Social communication skills- Improves appropriate reactions to others Social roles- Domiance and submission status Information- Learning about objects, properties and behaviours of others
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1st Year MCQ (3 decks)

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