Exam 1 Flashcards
ethology
from the Greek word ethos= behavior. distinguishes animals from psychology
why study the behavior of animals?
practical need-hunting, when r they available
gain insight into human behavior
indication of environmental changes
economics- cattle industry, fisheries
pest control
resource management-pollinators
conservation efforts- help maintain habitats
animal welfare-provide for them
curiosity
history of animal behavior
early humans- observation needed for hunting
classical world - anthropomorphism (human characteristics to an animals)
late 19th century- theory of evolution by natural selection (Darwin & Wallace), comparative method of study (Romanes;Morgan), theories of genetics (mendel)
early 20th century- comparative psych, ethology, behavior ecologist and sociobiologists
late 20th century- Niko Tinbergern, Karl von Frisch, Konrad Lorenz
As a science we must not use anthropomorphic terms because of 3 reasons
1)umvelt- your assuming the animal has the same self world as you do, that they perceive and have the same cues as you, (dogs use smell we use sight) they use different cues, mice use ultrasonic communication, elephants use ultrasonic, insects use uv light, we are all different and we must keep in mind we each have our own self world
2) tends to suggest a complexity that may not be there- ‘guilty shameful’ they may be responding to toher cues and there may be a more simpler explanation to their behavior rather than complex (dog reacts to your voice not their mistake)
3) Difficulty to measure- careful how you define and what you will use to measure it
Wynne-Edwards theory of group selection.
Black spots on ladybugs are more noticeable to predators so they are not surviving and reproducing as much, the population changes over time because of this difference
levels of analysis in the study of behavior
proximate level- mechanism & development
ultimate level- adaptive function, evolutionary history
mechanism
hormones that develop that control what an animal does behaviorally
development
how genetics have an influence
evolutionary history
evolution of a trait affected by descent with modification from ancestral species
adaptive function
the adaptive value of a behavioral trait as affected by the process of evolution by natural selection
Brood X cicadas
As trees go through their seasonal cycles, shedding and growing leaves, the composition of their sap changes. And when cicada nymphs feed on that sap, they likely pick up clues about the passage of time. The 17th iteration of the trees’ seasonal cycle gives the nymphs their final cue: it’s time to emerge.
Only the male cicadas make all that noise, which is their way of attracting a mate so they can reproduce. While most humans find the racket annoying, bug experts refer to the noise as “singing” and note the three different species of Brood X cicadas each sing a different tune.
The nymphs will feed on grass roots for several days, then spend 17 years underground feeding on the sap of tree roots.
Live underground drinking sap
proximate- Biological sap changes and in the sap after 17 changes of sap, the neuro mechanism monitors this and alerts them to rise at 17 years
Advantage- gives them enough time to increase in number so they can reproduce, by coming out the predators cant predict every 17 years, they have a reproductive advantage
Niko Tinbergen’s 4 points
causation- releasers, action pattern
development- learned behavior, innate behavior
evolution-comparative studies
function- reproductive success
So how do we go about answering proximate or ultimate questions?
Need to use the scientific method—make observations; form hypotheses; make predictions; test predications; draw conclusions about hypotheses.
Causation- what is the mechanisms and physiology (neurons, releasers (cues, triggers to do this behavior) action pattern is the sequence of events and the neural pathways to make this behavior
Development- focused on how the mechanism developed (genetics involved and how the environment influences them), learned behaviors requires certain experiences to develop that mechanism. Innate you don’t need prior experience and do it correctly
Evolution- comparative studies, compare to related species
Function- function of the behavior, reproductive success and advantage
scientific method
observation
research question
research hypothesis
prediction
methodology, test
analysis of data
Tinbergen’s study on female beewolf wasps showing misdirection to nest entrance when visual landmarks are moved.
Proximate- internal cue used
Trigger or cue means proximate level
Tinbergen’s study on black-headed gulls showing effect proximity of eggshells has on black-capped gull egg predation by crows.
Ultimate is the function
Avoid predators to come to the nest, more sanitary
Someone proposes that the reason male digger beetles fight for access to females is to ensure that only the best males, the ones with the best genes, get to mate. Is this hypothesis based on natural selection theory? Why or why not?
This is focusing more on the population and not just the individual. This is called group selection instead of natural selection
theories of evolutionary change
darwin’s natural selection
Wynne-edwards group selection
darwin theory vs. wynne- edward theory
d- focus is on individual, ones that possess the trait gain a reproductive advantage
we- group, groups that possess population regulating mechanisms could survive to present
Proximate questions of behavior are concerned with …
causation and development.
At the proximate level, an animal’s actions are caused by internal physiological mechanisms.
Examples of song differences in animal species:
Differences in song patterns between species
Pink cockatoo vs. Galah
D. melanogaster vs. D. simulans
Differences in song patterns between males and females of same species
Generalized song system in birds
Differences in song dialects between males of the same species
White crowned sparrows
Sonograms of contact calls of galahs and pink cockatoos reared under different conditions (Rowley & Chapman)
Had a cross foster experiment- both a biological and non biological, they laid their eggs in the same nest, cockatoo is bigger so shooed galahs away
If offspring stays Galah-like then genes have higher influence
If more cockatoo like- then environment higher influence
So the results found that the offspring’s contact calls are more largely influenced by environment
Results of Rowley and Chapman’s study
Adopted galahs gave species-specific “begging calls” and “alarm calls.”
Adopted galahs used “contact calls” that were similar to their cockatoo foster parents.
song differences in Drosophila
Make vibrations with their wings= singing
Vibrations then a break, this pattern is called an IPI period (their song pattern)
Different species of fruit flies have different patterns,
what is the period gene
involved in cycles and rhythms, encodes for period protein that plays a role in biological clock (our cycles)
Wild-type, active 12 hrs then quiet 12 hrs, so typical rhythm pattern is 24 hours
Mutations have a different time rhythm
An amino acid gets substituted and changes the nucleotide to effect these cycles
Period L lengthens pattern
Period 0 mutation (arrhythmic mutant) gives a stop codon so the protein is not functional, so the activity pattern is arrhythmic
transformed drosophila
Per+= wild type
Percent= how many flies tested exhibited IPI length
IPI periods around 60s in length
Willd type given a simulant gene, muich shorter periods that look like simulant gene, so this gene does have an influence on this behavior, this gene is a crictical component for producing this behavior
C= shorted IPI period ~ 25s
Simulant given melanogaster gene, majority have longer periods so period gene has important role in development of physiology
the song system of a typical songbird
draw out
Females don’t really sing, males sing more elaborate songs
Females still have to learn the songs so she can respond to them
The exposure to estrogen impacts which genes are getting expressed
HVC- cluster of neurons grouped here
RA communicates with NXIIts which communicates with the voice structure of the bird called the syrinx (like our larynx), if this connection is severed then bird can’t sing
lMAN communicates with X, both structures important in song learning, so can produce noise but there’s no pattern because can’t learn songs, if you cut this in an adult bird they know songs they already learned but now they can’t learn new ones
Sex chromo, female =ZZ and male= ZW this different causes males to produce more estrogen in their brain when they are young, this binds to receptors and leads to the growth of these structures
Changes in the song system of young male and female zebra finches
What might happen to a female’s HVC if she receives estrogen treatment while she is still immature? Her brain would become more male-like so now she can produce song if she is also given a little testosterone
