chapter 43: animal behavior

Question 1

what is behavior

Answer 1

-Observable, coordinated responses to environmental stimuli
-Genes control neural & hormonal mechanism influence behavior
-Shaped by environmental factors

Question 2

what are fixed action patterns (FAP)

Answer 2

Innate behavior pattern that is stereotyped, spontaneous, independent of immediate control, genetically encoded, & independent of individual learning

Question 3

what is sign stimulus

Answer 3

environmental trigger that causes fixed action pattern

Question 4

what is learning

Answer 4

durable change in behavior brought about by experience

Question 5

what is imprinting

Answer 5

-form of learning occurs when a young animal forms an association with first moving object it sees
-Birds will imprint on an moving object during their sensitive period

Question 6

what is a sensitive period

Answer 6

period of time in which particular behavior develops

Question 7

example of social interactions and learning

Answer 7

-Hypothesis: white-crowned sparrows learn how to sing from older members of their species
-Group one: Heard no songs at all
-Group two: Heard tapes of white-crowns singing
-Group three: Given adult tutor

Question 8

what is associative learning

Answer 8

Acquired ability to associate two stimuli or between a stimulus and a response

Question 9

what are the two components of associative learning

Answer 9

1. Classical Conditioning
2. Operant Conditioning

Question 10

what is classical conditioning

Answer 10

-type of learning whereby an unconditioned stimulus that elicits a specific response is paired with a neutral stimulus, so that the response becomes conditioned
-Pavlov’s Dogs

Question 11

what is operant conditioning

Answer 11

Learning that results from rewarding or reinforcing a particular behavior.
Ex: giving an animal a reward when teaching it a trick

Question 12

what is latent operant conditioning

Answer 12

animal makes association without immediate reward

Question 13

what is migration

Answer 13

Regular back-and-forth movement of animals between two geographic areas at particular times of the year

Question 14

what is orientation

Answer 14

ability to know present location by tracking stimuli in the environment

Question 15

what is navigating

Answer 15

To steer or manage a course by adjusting one’s bearings and following the result of the adjustment

Question 16

components of cognitive learning

Answer 16

Observation, imitation, & insight

Question 17

what is insight learning

Answer 17

-Ability to apply prior learning to a new situation without trial-and-error activity
-Capable of planning ahead
-Emotions & personalities!

Question 18

what are societies

Answer 18

Group in which members of a species are organized in a cooperative manner, extending beyond sexual and parental behavior
-Communication

Question 19

what is communication

Answer 19

-Signal by a sender that influences the behavior of a receiver
-Chemical, auditory, visual, & tactile

Question 20

what are pheromones

Answer 20

-Chemical messenger that works at distance & alters behavior of another member of same species
-Some animals capable of secreting a variety each with different meanings

Question 21

what is auditory communication

Answer 21

-Sound that an animal makes to send a message to another individual
-Fast communication
-Modified by loudness, pattern, duration, & repetition
-Effective day & night

Question 22

what is visual communication

Answer 22

-Form of communication between animals using their bodies, including various forms of display
-Most used by animals active during day
-Territorial displays to complex courtship behaviors

Question 23

what is tactile communication

Answer 23

-occurs when information is passed from one animal to another by touch
-Impart information about the environment
-Social bonding and courtship common

Question 24

what is behavioral ecology

Answer 24

study of how natural selection shapes the behavior of a species

Question 25

what is adaptive value

Answer 25

Behaviors we observe in a species today are still present because they have adaptive value
-Increased survival and production of offspring

Question 26

what is territory

Answer 26

area occupied defended exclusively by an animal or group of animals

Question 27

what is territoriality

Answer 27

marking and/or defending a particular area against invasion by another species member
-More likely to occur during reproductive periods

Question 28

what is the optimal foraging model

Answer 28

Analysis of behavior as a compromise of feeding costs versus feeding benefits
Often face trade-offs that lead to modification of their behavior toward maximizing their success

Question 29

what does polygamous mean

Answer 29

Practice of males having several female mates (when resources are clumped)

Question 30

what does polyandrous mean

Answer 30

Practice of female animals having several male mates (environments that cannot support many offspring at a time)

Question 31

what does monogamous mean

Answer 31

breeding pair of organisms that reproduce only with each other throughout the season (limited resources)

Question 32

what is sexual selection

Answer 32

-form of natural selection that favors features that increase an animal’s chances of mating
-Features chosen not always adaptive to environment
-Males normally uncertain offspring is theirs, benefits them to be competitive

Question 33

what factors influence fitness in societies

Answer 33

-Avoiding predators, help in rearing offspring, & finding food more easily
-Group living can result in disputes over feeding places, sleeping sites, higher exposure to illness

Question 34

what is fitness

Answer 34

the ability of an organism to reproduce and pass its genes to the next fertile generation; measured against the ability of other organisms to reproduce in the same environment

Question 35

what is altruism

Answer 35

Social interaction that has the potential to decrease the lifetime reproductive success of the member exhibiting the behavior, but to benefit the reproductive success of another member of the society

Question 36

what is kin selection

Answer 36

process whereby natural selection favours a trait due to its positive effects on the reproductive success of an organism’s relatives, even when at a cost to the organism

Question 37

what is inclusive fitness

Answer 37

fitness that results from personal reproduction & from helping nondescendant relatives reproduce

Question 38

what is hamiltons rule

Answer 38

central theorem of inclusive fitness theory and predicts that social behaviour evolves under specific relatedness, benefit, and cost
rB > C

r = relatedness; B = additional reproductive benefit; C = cost of act

Question 39

what is reciprocal altruism

Answer 39

the trading of helpful or cooperative acts by individuals

Question 40

Scientific discoveries have provided evidence that the _____ systems are involved in behavior.
a.
Endocrine and nervous

b.
Excretory and circulatory

c.
Digestive and reproductive

d.
Respiratory and digestive

Answer 40

a.
Endocrine and nervous

Question 41

Scientists have discovered gene products, including the hormone ELH, that control all components of egg-laying behavior in Aplysia slugs. This discovery confirms that
a.
Genes can control endocrine gland secretions that influence behavior

b.
The egg-laying behavior is innate or hardwired into the slug’s brain

c.
The egg-laying behavior has absolutely no nervous system involvement

d.
This slug could avoid being eaten by garter snakes

e.
Genes only influence physiology and structure but not behavior

Answer 41

a.
Genes can control endocrine gland secretions that influence behavior

Question 42

Which of the following statements about behavior is not true?
a.
Innate behavior is triggered by a stimulus

b.
Innate behavior is usually inherited

c.
All behaviors can be explained as fixed action patterns

d.
Fixed action patterns are sometimes subject to modification by learning

Answer 42

c.
All behaviors can be explained as fixed action patterns

Question 43

Which description best explains the difference between orientation and navigation?
a.
Orientation by birds can be achieved by using the sun or stars in order to determine the direction they should be flying. Navigation is the ability of the birds to change their direction in response to predator and prey abundance

b.
Orientation by birds can be achieved by using the Earth’s magnetic field in order to determine the direction they should be flying. Navigation is the ability of the birds to change their direction in response to environmental clues

c.
Orientation by birds can be achieved by using the sun or stars in order to determine the direction they should be flying. Navigation is the ability of the birds to change their direction in response to environmental clues

d.
Orientation by birds can be achieved by using the sun or stars in order to determine the speed they should be flying. Navigation is the ability of the birds to change their direction in response to social clues

e.
Orientation is the ability of the birds to change their direction in response to environmental clues. Navigation by birds can be achieved by using the sun or stars in order to determine the direction they should be flying

Answer 43

c.
Orientation by birds can be achieved by using the sun or stars in order to determine the direction they should be flying. Navigation is the ability of the birds to change their direction in response to environmental clues

Question 44

Many worker bees give their lives to save a bee hive from an attack by bears or other animals. In such cases, we now know that
a.
These worker bees will have a reproductive benefit if the members of the hive survive

b.
This is a case of sexual selection

c.
Each female worker is waiting to get her chance to reproduce

d.
This is a case of bees consciously understanding the need to preserve the nest for their individual benefit—they might survive if all work together

Answer 44

a.
These worker bees will have a reproductive benefit if the members of the hive survive