Exam 1 Flashcards
How are animals and their behaviors integral parts of human society?
-Over 80 million homes have a pet
-Cattle, Chickens, turkeys, sheep, and hogs are important agricultural products
-Dogs have long been used in both police work and the military
Animal Behavior Definition
any internally coordinated, externally visible pattern of activity that responds to changing external or internal conditions
Ethogram
formal description or inventory of an animal’s behavior
What is the scientific method?
Scientific Method
-Observation
-Research Question
-Research Hypothesis
-Prediction
-Methodology: test of predictions
-Reject or Accept Hypothesis
What is the relationship between correlation and causality?
-Correlation: represent two variables that vary together predictably
-Correlation does not demonstrate causation
-Positive correlation: upward trend
-Negative Correlation: downward trend
-No correlation: no trend at all
What is the relationship between a research hypothesis and a scientific theory?
-Research Hypothesis: explanation based on assumptions that makes a testable prediction
-Scientific Theory: hypothesis that makes many predictions, has been tested hundreds or thousands of times by many scientists, and has not been rejected
Describe Tinbergen’s four questions.
-Proximate Explanations:
-1. What mechanism causes the behavior to occur?
-2. How does he behavior develop in the individual?
-Ultimate Explanations:
-3. How does the behavior affect survival and reproduction?
-4. How did the behavior evolve?
Anthropomorhism
-Anthromorphism occurs when we attribute human motivations, characteristics, or emotions to animals
-Can be challenging to produce testable predictions but the area of active research
Mean
measure of central tendency is one number that indicates the centrality of the data values
Median
the middle values of a set of ordered data
Range
describe the variation in the data
Variance
is a non-negative number that provides information of the spread in the data
the larger the variance, the more dispersion there is
Standard Deviation
the square root of the variance
Standard Error
a sample mean is simply the standard deviation of the data divided by the square root of the sample size
What is the observational method?
-Observe and record behavior without manipulating the environment or the animal
-Used to construct ethograms and describe behavioral patterns
Independent variable
is the variable that is manipulated
Dependent Variable
measure change in dependent variable in response to the change
Experimental Group
does experience the manipulation
Control Group
does not experience the manipulation
Describe the comparative method
-Closely related species may share similar behavioral adaptations because of shared ancestor
-Compare behaviors of closely related species with ancestors to determine if behavior is:
-Ancestral (plesiomorphic) trait: found in common ancestor of two or more species
-Derived (apomorphic) trait: found in more recently evolved species and not present in common ancestor
What are the modes of Natural Selection?
-Directional selection: individuals in a population with an extreme trait value at one end of the spectrum possess the highest fitness
-Disruptive selection: individuals in a population with extreme trait values on both ends of the spectrum have the highest fitness
-Stabilizing Selection: individuals in a population with intermediate trait values have the highest fitness
Discuss how variation may or may not affect fitness
-Eastern Screech owls show great variation in dispersal direction indicating fitness not associated with compass direction
Define Fitness
Direct Measure of Fitness: number of progeny that go on to reproduce
-Indirect measure of fitness include: survivorship, number of mates, body size and growth, and feeeding efficiency
-Adaptations are traits that result from natural selection and have been selected for their current function
What is frequency-dependent selection?
-Frequency dependent selection can maintain polymorphisims in a population
-Frequency did affect survivorship; negative-frequency dependent; this may explain morphological polymorphism
-Research Paper: Salamander polymorphism
-Varied the ratio of striped and unstriped clay models with attached food reward
-Placed these in field and recorded attacks on them by birds and mammals
-Less common model type had lower attacks (Higher fitness) than the model that was more common each day
Define and Describe Sexual Selection
-Sexual Selection: acts on heritable traits that affect reproduction (sexual dimorphism)
-Morphological differerences between the sexes
-Widowbrids study on how females prefer longer tail length
What is a genotype?
variation due to differences in the genetic makeup of organisms
What is a phenotype?
variation in observable traits
What are broad sense and narrow sense heritability?
-Heritability: proportion of phenotypic variation in a trait that is due to genetic influences
-Broad Sense heritability include all the genetic effects on a phenotype
-Narrow Sense Heritatbility can be determined by examining parent-offspring relationships
-reflects proportion of phenotypic variation due solely to additive genetic values
What are innate behaviors and fixed action patterns?
Innate Behaviors indicate a genetic basis for the behavior
-Greylag geese all retrieve eggs in a very fixed manner
-Many organisms respond to predators with a fixed action pattern
-Behavior that displays almost no variation and once started cannot be stopped until completed
What is QTL Mapping?
-QTL Mapping combines genetic information with trait information
-Quantitative trait loci (QTL): stretches of DNA that either contain or are linked to genes influencing a trait such as behavior
-QTL mapping is a statistical technique that combines genetic information with trait information to determine which regions of the genome contain the genes that influence the trait QTLs
-Candidate genes are major genes suspected of contributing to a large amount of the phenotypic variation in a specific trait
How are knockout genes used in behavioral studies?
-Knockout mice are transgenic meaning they have additional DNA added to their genome that stops a particular gene from functioning
Describe animal personalities
-Animal personalities are consistent differences in behavior over time or across different environmental contexts
What are sensory systems?
-Different sensory receptors can detect chemicals, light, vibrations, electric fields, or magnetic fields
-Sensory receptors are nerve endings that respond to environmental stimuli and transmit information via neurons
Chemoreception Sensory System
-Chemoreception: the most primitive and universal sensory system
-Gustation: detection of dissolved chemicals, often within the mouth
-Olfaction: detection of airborne chemical stimul
-odorants are general and not species specific
-Pheromones are species-specific
Photoreception Sensory System
-Photoreception: allows animals to detect light and perceive objects as images
-Visual sensory systems detect electromagnetic radiations
-Photoreceptors contain photosensitive opsin proteins that change shape when struck by light, generating action potentials
-Species differ in the number and kinds of photoreceptors that possess and so are sensitive to different wavelengths of light
Mechanoreceptor Sensory System
detect vibrations that travel through air, water, or substrates
-are often found on the head, but can be found on the thorax, wings, or legs of different species
-Species differ greatly in the frequencies of wavelengths they can detect
Electroreception Sensory System
-Electroreception: using electric and magnetic fields to find buried prey or potential mates
-can also be used to determine the direction for long distance movements
