ch. 51 Flashcards
symmetry of male fiddler crabs
asymmetrical: one claw giant, other small
- small claw used for feeding
- large claw sometime waved in air
claw-waving behavior functions
- repels other males
- attracts females
behavior
action carried out by muscles under control of the nervous system
questions that should be asked about animal behavior
- what stimulus elicits behavior, and what physiological mechanisms mediate the response?
- how does the animal’s experience during growth and development influence the response
- how does the behavior aid survival and reproduction?
behavioral ecology
study of ecological basis for animal behavior
- integrates proximate and ultimate explanations for animal behavior
proximate causation
address how a behavior occurs or is modified, including questions 1/2
ultimate causation
addresses why a behavior occurs in the context of natural selection and ecology
fixed action pattern
sequence of unlearned acts directly linked to a simple stimulus
- unchangeable, and once initiated, usually carried to completion
what is a fixed action pattern triggered by
external cue - sign stimulus
3-spined male stickleback fish
stimulus for attack behavior is red underside of an intruder
migration
regular, long-distance change in location
during migration, animals orient themselves using their position relative to
- the sun - use circadian clock
- the North star
- Earth’s magnetic field
circadian rhythm
daily cycle of rest and activity
what are behaviors such as migration and reproduction linked to
changing seasons, or circannual rhythm
- periods of daylight/darkness common in seasonal cues
lunar cycles
affect tidal movements
signal
stimulus transmitted from one organism to another
communication
transmission and reception of signals between animals
how do animals communicate
visual, chemical, tactile, and auditory signals
3-step stimulus response chain of fruit fly courtship
- male identifies female of same species and orients toward her - visual (sees) and chemical (smells) communication
- male alerts female of his presence - tactile (touches)
- male produces courtship song to inform the female of his species - auditory
how do honeybees show complex communication
symbolic language
waggle dance of bee returning from field
communicates info about distance and direction of a food source
- angle of straight run of dance relative to vertical surface of hive indicates direction
- length of straight run and number of abdominal waggles shows distance to food
- if food less than 50 m away, bee moves in tight circles while moving abdomen side to side
what do animals that communicated through odors/tastes emit
chemical substances called pheromones
innate behavior
developmentally fixed and doesn’t vary among ind.
cross-fostering study
places young from one species in care of adults from another species in similar environment
twin studies
allow researchers to compare relative influences of genetics and environment on behavior
learning
modification of behavior based on the specific experiences
does nature or nurture shape learning and behavior?
both
imprinting
establishment of long-lasting behavioral response to a particular ind. or object
when can imprinting take place
sensitive period - during specific time in development
sensitive period in gulls
1-2 days, offspring and parents must bond or parent will reject offspring
waterfowl and mothers
identify with first object they encounter that has key characteristics
spatial learning
establishment of a memory that reflects the environment’s spatial structure
spatial learning of digger wasps
use landmarks to find nest entrances
cognitive map
internal representation of spatial relationships between objects in an animal’s surroundings
cognitive map of clark’s nutcrackers
can find food hidden in caches located halfway between particular landmarks
associative learning
animals associate one feature of their environment with another
associative learning and blue jay
Will avoid eating monarchs and similar-looking butterflies after distasteful monarch butterfly
classical conditioning
type of associative learning in which an arbitrary stimulus is associated with a reward or punishment
ex. of classical conditioning
dog that repeatedly hears a bell before being fed will salivate in response to sound of bell in anticipation of a meal
operant conditioning
type of associative learning in which an animal learns to associate one of its behaviors with a reward or punishment
what is operant conditioning also called
trial-and-error learning
rats and operant conditioning
rat fed after pushing lever will learn to push the lever in order to receive food
cognition
process of knowing that involves awareness, reasoning, recollection, and judgment
honeybees and cognition example
can distinguish same from different and distinguish between human faces
problem solving
cognitive activity of devising a strategy to overcome an obstacle
chimpanzees and problem solving
can stack boxes in order to reach suspended food
birds (corvids) and problem solving
ravens can obtain food suspended by string by pulling up the string
how does the development of some behaviors occur
in distinct stages over time
social learning
learning through observation of others
chimpanzees and social learning
young chimpanzees learn to crack palm nuts with stones by copying experienced chimpanzees
culture
system of information transfer through observation or teaching that influences behavior of ind. in a population
- can alter behavior and fitness
what does behavior enhance in a population
survival and reproductive success
what does natural selection do
refine behaviors that enhance efficiency of feeding
foraging
food-obtaining behavior
- recognizing, searching, capturing, and eating
optimal foraging model
views foraging behavior as a compromise between benefits of nutrition and costs of obtaining food
costs of obtaining food
- energy expenditure
- risk of being eaten while foraging (predation)
shore crabs and eating different sized mussels - obtaining food costs
- intermediate muscles - highest rate of energy return
- larger mussels - more energy but take longer to open
- smaller muscles - easier to open but yield less energy
what plays a role in determining reproductive success
mating behavior and mate choice
what does mating behavior include
- seeking/attracting mates
- choosing among potential mates
- competing for mates
- caring for offspring
different types of mating
- promiscuous
- monogamous
- polygamous
promiscuous mating
no strong pair-bonds
monogamous mating
one male mates with one female
- males/females have similar external morphologies
polygamous mating
ind. of one sex mates with several ind. of other sex
species with polygamous mating are usually…
sexually dimorphic - have different external morphologies
2 types of polygamous relationships
- polygynous
- polyandrous
polygyny
one male mate with many females
- males usually more showy/larger
polyandry
one female mates with many males
- females more showy
how does male maximize reproductive success with monogamy - species that need continuous feeding
by staying with his mate and caring for his chicks
how does male maximize reproductive success with polygyny - chicks soon able to feed and care for themselves
male seeks additional mates
what does sexual dimorphism result from
sexual selection
sexual selection
form of natural selection in which differences in reproductive success result from differences in mating success
intersexual selection
members of one sex choose mates on the basis of certain traits
intrasexual selection
competition between members of same sex for mates
mate choice by females
- intersexual selection
- can drive sexual selection by choosing males w/ specific behaviors/features of anatomy
- ornaments often correlate with health and vitality
what can mate choice also be influenced by
imprinting
mate-choice copying
behavior in which ind. copy mate choice of others
- can increase attractiveness of offspring to opposite sex
what can male competition for mates involve
agonistic behavior - ritualized context that determines which competitor gains access to a resource
game theory
evaluates alternative strategies in situations where the outcome depends on the strategies of all ind. involved
ex. of game theory
- each side-blotched lizard - blue, orange, or yellow throat, each has specific strategy
- orange - most aggressive, defend large territories
- blue - defend small territories
- yellow - nonterritorial, mimic females, sneaky strategies to mate
how can master regularly genes control many behaviors
by directing expression and activity of many genes with. narrower functions
what does the expression of the receptor gene for ADH (vasopressin) determine
which behavioral pattern develops
altruism
ind. that behave in ways that reduce their individual fitness but increase the fitness of others
ex. of altruism
- Belding’s ground squirrel will make an alarm call to others when predator arrives, even though they might get killed
- naked mole rat - nonreproductive ind. may sacrifice lives by protecting reproductive queen and kings
inclusive fitness
total effect an ind. has on proliferating its genes by producing offspring and helping close relatives produce offspring
what is evolution of altruistic behavior explained by
inclusive fitness
reciprocal altruism
altruistic behavior toward unrelated ind. if aided ind. returns favor in future
- limited to species with stable social groups
