Exam 1 Flashcards

1
Q

define ethology

A

study of whole animal behaviors in their own environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Who are the 3 fathers of ethology studies?

A

Carl von Frisch, Niko Tinbergen, and Konrad Lorenz

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What did Carl von Frisch study?

A

studied the movement of honey bees in their hives, to understand their communication with each other about where the pollen was outside the hive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

define animal behavior

A

any internally coordinated, externally visible pattern of behavior that responds to external / internal conditions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

How can behavior be internally coordinated?

A

through the use of the endocrine system
–> if a male has increased testosterone, his aggressive behavior can increase

through the use of the nervous system
–> an animal can respond to its surrounding environment with different behaviors with different stimuli

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What does not make up animal behaviors?

A

the basic physiology of the animal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is the best way to study animal behavior?

A

through observation - NOT watching

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

define ethograms

A

a detailed description of behaviors
- when the behavior happened
- how long it happened
- what happened before the behavior started
- was it a sequence of events

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

define hypothesis testing

A

using the scientific method to study animal behavior
- usually occurs in a lab under operant conditioning

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What factor do you have to thing about when talking about behavioral questions?

A

how does the environment effect the behavior?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

define proximate causation

A

HOW questions
individual level
what causes the behaviors?
- IMMEDIATE causes of behaviors-

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

proximate questions - Physiology response

A

What internal mechanisms control the behavior?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Proximate questions - Ontogeny

A

How does the behavior develop over the animals lifetime?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

define ultimate causation

A

WHY questions
species level
Why did this happen?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

ultimate questions - Ecology

A

What is the function of the behavior?How does the behavior effect reproduction/survival in an animals habitat?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

ultimate question - evolution

A

What is the evolutionary history of the behavior and why did it evolve?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

define natural selection

A

different traits found in a population which causes differences in fitness

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what has to be in a population for NS to occur?

A
  • variable trait
  • heritable trait
  • some traits have a reproductive advantage
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

3 Darwinian concepts important for animal behavior

A

1- selection pressure
2- adaptations
3- fitness

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

define fitness

A

the ability to pass your genes on to the next generation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

How is evolution shaped sexually?

A

by members of the opposite sex - trait preference

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is the result of mates showing trait preference?

A

this produces courtship rituals, elaborate appearances, and competition between same sex individuals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

define sexual selection

A

alot like natural selection in that some traits can be beneficial and some are not in attracting mates

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

define secondary sexual characteristics

A

traits that differ between sexes that are not required for the act of mating but aid in ATTRACTING a mate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

how do secondary sexual characteristics demonstrate a males fitness to a female?

A

if males have an extravagant trait, the female thinks that they must have great genes to be able to live with the hinderance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

what are the costs to the males for having these traits?

A

they are more vulnerable to predation and the traits are more physiologically demanding

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

what are the benefits for males to have extravagant traits?

A

they are more likely to pass down their genes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

define sexual dimorphism

A

when the sexes of a species don’t look the same

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

define anthropomorphism

A

assuming that animals behave because they have thoughts and feelings like humans

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

define teleology

A

assuming that animals behave a certain way because they can see the outcome of their actions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

define Morgans Canon (Occam’s razor)

A

the simplest answer/explanation is often the best answer

32
Q

define comparative phycology

A
  • the study of animal behaviors to understand human behaviors
    asks mostly proximate questions of “how” behaviors evolved
  • often use puzzle boxes to test an animals ability to learn thru trial and error
33
Q

define behaviorism

A

the idea that animals have no emotions/instinct and all behaviors are a result of experiences that are reinforced by the behaviors outcome (good/bad)

34
Q

define what a Skinner box is

A

a box used to study how chance behaviors animals perform lead to rewards/punishments and how the animal responds to these results

35
Q

What did Niko Tinbergen study?

A

he studied wasps, fish and shorebirds

36
Q

What did Konrad Lorenz study?

A

he studied geese and allowed them to imprint on himself in order to study their behaviors

37
Q

define sociobiology

A

the biological study of social behavior and how it affects gene flow, fitness, and population genetics

38
Q

define biological evolution

A

the change in allele frequencies over time

39
Q

what is selective transmission of genes?

A

choosing who to mate with

40
Q

define cultural evolution

A

changes in behavioral characteristics through observational learning and cultural transmission

41
Q

define speciation

A

one species splits into two species

42
Q

what has to be present for speciation to occur?

A

there has to be isolating mechanisms for speciation to happen

43
Q

define reproductive isolating mechanism

A

a factor that prevents a group from mating with each other - river/mountain
–the group has to be able to sexually reproduce other wise if the barrier was not there–

44
Q

define postcopulatory isolation mechanism

A

an isolating mechanism that occurs after animals have attempted mating

45
Q

what can cause postcopulatory isolation?

A
  • parts don’t fit
  • sperm destruction
  • hybrid sterility (baby is made but the gene flow stops there)
  • offspring weakness/mortality
46
Q

define precopulatory isolating mechanisms

A

can’t mate because they either don’t see each other or don’t recognize each other as mates

47
Q

what are the types of precopulatory isolation?

A

geographical - not in the same area
ecological - in same area but have different niches
seasonal - different breeding seasons
temporal - out during diff times of the day
sexual - don’t recognize each other as mates

48
Q

define sympatry

A

speciation that occurs without a physical barrier - happens in the same place

49
Q

define allopatry

A

speciation that occurs because of a physical barrier and the species evolve in different areas

50
Q

define secondary sympatry

A

when two populations that have been in allopatry come back together after isolation

51
Q

What forms when two species zones overlap and mate together?

A

hybrid zone

52
Q

define genetic sink

A

where genes go to die - the end of the genetic line

53
Q

define frequency dependent selection

A

if a trait is beneficial or not is determined by how many in a population have that trait - if few have the trait, it is more favorable

54
Q

define balanced polymorphism

A

when traits move off of the middle balance and the population is pushed back towards original balance
- allele frequency balances out

55
Q

what is the rare male phenomenon?

A

the minority of males have the advantage in mating
- females mate with the less common males

56
Q

define behavioral plasticity

A

the ability for a behavior to change within an organisms lifetime

57
Q

define ritualization

A

the evolution of incidental behavior into social signal
- male using a behavior to entice the female into opening her mouth so the eggs can be fertilized

58
Q

define group selection theory

A

doing what is best for the group
- the same behaviors don’t evolve the same way if the animals were in a non-social setting

59
Q

define selfish gene

A

selfish behaviors that present as group behaviors

60
Q

what is an example of a selfish gene?

A

lemurs participating in infancitde

61
Q

Can behaviors evolve?

A

yes, because certain codes in the DNA can code for certain proteins that can alter the presentation of behaviors

62
Q

define behavioral genetics

A

the search for hereditary components of behavior
Modern approach - looks at genes and uses modification techniques
historically - uses observation

63
Q

define fixed action pattern

A

a behavior that is almost an innate behavior
- courtship dances, dewlap display

64
Q

how do you know if behaviors are in a fixed action pattern?

A

animals that live in isolation still display the same behaviors

65
Q

what are cross-fostering experiments?

A

switching the offspring of two different parents with two different temperments/behaviors to see If the changes in parents alters the offsprings behaviors

66
Q

define siblicide

A

when siblings kill one another - usually seen in birds

67
Q

is siblicide a hereditary behavior or is it due to the environment and how can you test this?

A

researchers found that it is most likely linked to hereditary and they found this out through cross-fostering egrets and herons

68
Q

how can gene manipulation alter behavior expression?

A

genes don’t alter behaviors directly, but if altered, the amino acid and product of the DNA can change which can cause a change in behavior

69
Q

Paramecium Avoidance reaction

A

researchers thought that they were voluntarily moving, when in reality they were just responding to their environment through the activation/deactivation of Ca+2 pumps in their cell membrane

70
Q

define behavioral mutants

A

different males with differences in the same gene react differently to the same female
- this can cause differences in fitness

71
Q

how can behavioral mutants cause changes in fitness?

A

one gene mutation may cause the animal to behave in such a way that doesn’t allow for them to respond correctly to females = no mating/decreased mating

72
Q

define quantitative traits

A

behavioral phenotype that depends on the environment and is affected by 2 or more genes

73
Q

define quantitative locus (QTL)

A

section of DNA associated with a quantitative trait

74
Q

define QTL Mapping

A

finding the approximate location of a quantitative trait

75
Q

define knockout studies

A

gets rid of the gene of interest (alters the gene so it does not function)