Ch. 51 - Animal Behavior Flashcards
An action carried out by muscles under control of the nervous system
Behavior
The study of the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior
Behavioral Ecology
A sequence of unlearned acts directly linked to a simple stimulus
Fixed Action Pattern
An external cue that triggers a fixed action pattern
Sign Stimulus
A regular, long-distance change in location
Migration
Behavioral rhythms linked to the daily cycle of rest and activity
Circadian Rhythm
Behavioral rhythms linked to the yearly cycle of seasons
Circannual Rhythms
A stimulus transmitted from one organism to another
Signal
The transmission and reception of signals between animals
Communication
Chemical substances which animals use to communnicate through odors and tastes
Pheromones
Behavior that is developmentally fixed
Innate Behavior
A study in which the young of one species are placed in the care of adults from another species in the same or a similar environment
Cross-Fostering Study
A study in which researchers compare the behavior of identical twins raised apart with the behavior of those raised in the same household
Twin Study
The modification of behavior as a result of specific experiences
Learning
The establishment of a long-lasting behavioral response to a particular individual or object
Imprinting
The specific time period in development in which imprinting can take place
Sensitive Period
The establishment of a memory that reflects the environment’s spatial structure
Spatial Learning
A representation in an animal’s nervous system of the spatial relationships between objects in its surroundings
Cognitive Map
The ability to associate one environmental feature (such as a color) with another (such as a foul taste)
Associative Learning
The process of knowing that involves awareness, reasoning, recollection, and judgement
Cognition
The cognitive ability of devising a method to proceed from one state to another in the face of real or apparent obstacles
Problem Solving
Learning through observing others
Social Learning
A system of information transfer through social learning or teaching that influences the behavior of individuals in a population
Culture
A behavioral ecology model that helps predict how an animal behaves when searching for food. Although obtaining food provides the animal with energy, searching for and capturing the food require both energy and time.
Optimal Foraging Model
One male mating with one female
Monogamous
One individual of one sex mating with several of the other
Polygamous
One male mating with many females
Polygyny
One female mating with multiple males
Polyandry
The extent to which males and females of a species differ in appearance
Sexual dimorphism
A behavior in which individuals in a population copy the mate choice of others
Mate-Choice Copying
A tool used by behavioral ecologists to evaluate alternative strategies in situations where the outcome depends on the strategies of all the individuals involved
Game Theory
A behavior that decreases an animal’s individual fitness, but increases the fitness of other individuals in the population
Altruism
The total effect an individual has on proliferating its genes by producing its own offspring and by providing aid that enables other close relatives to produce offspring
Inclusive Fitness
The fraction of genes that, on average, are shared by two organisms
Coefficient of Relatedness