Behaviour Flashcards
Name 4 different animal mating strategies
- A mate for life
- Several mates over one life time
- A mate for a breeding season
- Several mates over one mating season
Why do animals have mating strategies?
- To increase chance of survival of offspring
- To increase chance of their genes being passed on to the offspring
Define behaviour
The response of an organism to its environment which increases chances of survival
What is innate behaviour?
It’s genetically determined - passed onto offspring (usually help with survival)
What is learned behaviour?
Behaviour that changes in response to experience
What are some characteristics of animals that have learned behaviour? Name 3
- Longer lifespans - need time to acquire experiences
- Require parental care and learn from them
- Live with other members of same species and learn from them
What is imprinting?
Baby organism can instantly recognise the 1st face they see as the mother and will automatically follow that organism
What is habituation?
Organisms learn to ignore stimuli which don’t result in harm or reward
What is classical conditioning?
Animals learn to relate a pair of events and respond to the first in anticipation of the second
i.e. natural reflex becomes associated with stimulus
What is operant conditioning?
When animal learns to carry out specific learned behaviour as it leads to a reward
OR doesn’t carry out specific behaviour as it leads to punishment
Give an example of habituation
Many animals learnt to ignore movement and noise of wind and ocean
Give an example of imprinting
Birds learn who their mother is, as she’s the first they see after hatching
Give an example of classical conditioning
Pavlov (Russian scientist) trained dogs to salivate when they heard a bell
Name 2 human use of animal behaviour (via operant conditioning)
- Sniffer dogs
- Police horses
Name 3 types of animal communication
- Visual
- Sound
- Chemical
Many of visual signals can be read by ____ species
more than one
What might visual signals be linked to?
Selecting a mate, reproduction and raising offspring
Give an example of visual signal
Coral snakes use bright colours to warn its poisonous
What are sound signals used for? (name 3)
- Communication
- Marking territories
- Finding possible mates & warn off rivals
Give an example of sound signal
Wolves howl = maintains contact between pack members and defends their territory
What are chemical signals used for? (name 3)
- Attracting a mate
- Communication
- Protection
Give an example of chemical signal
In social insects (e.g. bees and ants) = used to communicate everything (e.g. where to find food)
When are police horses used? (name 2 scenarios)
- Used in large public gatherings
2. Used when searching for people in difficult, inaccessible terrain
Why are police horses used in large public gatherings? (name 2 reasons)
- Allow police to move through a crowed = people will give way to horses more easily than to someone on foot
- Allow police to see what’s happening
Police horses are conditioned to do what?
To cope calmly with large crowds, lots of noise, etc
Why might parental behaviour be risky for parents?
Takes up time and resources = makes them vulnerable to
starvation and predators
