Exam 1 (lecture) Flashcards
what are the two main hypotheses about different dialects in WCSPs?
- there are genetic differences between the populations that cause song differences
- There is an environmental difference that encourages dialect development
adaptive behaviors _______ fitness
increase
behavioral ecology studies….
the function of a behavior - how does it increase fitness?
behaviors that are ______ are selected for to optimize animals for a niche
adaptive
beneficial traits _____ their frequency in a population
increase
bird call vs bird song
call - simple, short sound that conveys a message (not necessarily learned)
song - long, complex and advertises territorial boundaries/communicates intent/attracts mates (learned and species specific)
Central pattern generator
sea slug ‘swimming’ occurs when a stimulus causes dorsal/ventral flexion neurons to fire alternatively to cause swimming
a neuronal network that produces rhythmic activation of muscles
chickadees that live in harsher environments have better spatial memory because…
caching and remembering the locations of food is essential for survival in harsh places
codebreaking
when some organisms take advantage of others’ fixed action patterns
1. bolas spider mimic moth sex pheromones and lasso them out of the air
2. wasps use pheromones to make ants flee/attack eachother to get to their larval commensals
cortical magnification
proportional allotment of processing neurons in the brain devoted to info coming from specific areas of the body
ex) the star nosed mole’s appendages 10 and 11 are MUCH more sensitive to touch compared to other appendages
ex) the sensitivity of fingertips to touch comparted to the arm
cortical magnification
proportional allotment of processing neurons in the brain devoted to info coming from specific areas of the body
ex) the star nosed mole’s appendages 10 and 11 are MUCH more sensitive to touch compared to other appendages
ex) the sensitivity of fingertips to touch comparted to the arm
darwinian puzzle
traits that seem maladaptive but are actually adaptive
ex) infanticide of unrelated offspring
developmental homeostasis
normal traits are developed even with defective genes or deficient environments
ex) brain development is normal, even though there is famine
direct fitness
having offspring to pass on your alleles/genes
developmental switch mechanism
a cue from the environment causes a total change in behavior and development of phenotypes
ex) cannibal vs normal morph salamanders triggered by population density
Fitness
direct or indirect reproductive success
fixed action pattern
stereotyped (predictable and structured action)
complex (occurs in all members of the species)
released (triggered by sign stimulus)
triggered (goes until completion)
not learned
ex) brood parasite chicks use their mouth coloration to cause parents to feed them by hijacking their fixed action pattern
geese will retreive any egg shaped object back into the nest and will continue the action if it is removed
focal sampling
follows a specific individual over a specific period of time
How are bee queens made?
larvae are fed royal jelly, containing the protein royalactin, causing DNA methylation to be reduced, causing phenotypic polymorphism via epigenetic mechanism
How can the number of certain castes of bees be kept in control?
forager bees make ethyl oleate in their crops. when nectar is transferred from older foragers to other castes, Juvenile hormone production is inhibited (the hormone that causes them to change caste). Less ethyl oleate causes more foragers to mature, restoring the balance of the castes
In what ways can animals interact with their environment
in 3d space, seasonally, over time (diurnal/circadian etc)
Innate releasing mechanism
the neural network that is responsible for detecting the simple cue and causing the fixed action pattern
instinct
behavioral pattern that appears in fully functional form the first time it is attempted
interpretation
during the 10-50 day learning period, WCSPs filter out songs from other species
Karl Von Frisch
studied bee communication
Konrad lorenz
imprinting in geese
Moths use their A1 receptors
to avoid bats by orienting away from them
moths use their A2 receptors
to dive away from bats who get too close (sonar is very loud)
natural selection
traits vary among individuals in a population traits cause differences in fitness
neutral traits
persist in populations and can be selected for or against at a later date
nikolaas tinbergen
studied instinctive behavior, of the 4 questions
operant conditioning
association of voluntary action with a consequence (good OR bad)
polyphenism
multiple phenotypes in response to different environmental cues
ex) spadefoot toads have a carnivore and an omnivore phenotype cued by prey items/carnivore presence
proximate cause (HOW)
- include how genetic/developmental mechanisms influence how an animal is built
- include how neural hormonal mechanisms can control behaviors
- includes physical things and structures, the IMMEDIATE UNDERLYING CAUSE
proximate explanations for monogamy in prarie voles
increased vasopressin receptors
selection pressures caused by female extra pair matings
proximate explanations for a bird mating display
longer days trigger testosterone production and display behavior
redback spider polyphenisms
redback spider males change the speed of their development based on the presence of females and the nutrition that is available
repertoire match SOSP song
when two SOSPs sing different songs, but both SOSPs know the songs (ie - both come from the same repertoire) MIDDLING AGGRESSION
scan sampling
behavior that is categorized at a specific time interval over a period of time for a given sampling event. good for large groups of animals
sign stimulus/releaser
the visual stimulus that triggers the releasing mechanism and fixed action pattern
specialists vs generalists
specialists do not respond as well to operant conditioning compared to generalists
ex) vampire bats do not associate bad food with being sick compared to generalist insectivore bats
stimulus filtering
ex) A1 receptor only responds to high frequency sound (stimulus is filtered)
The holistic way behaviors occur
environment (photoperiod/temp) -> senses (sight/hearing/smell) -> physiology (neural/hormonal control) AND internal cues (circadian rhythym/hunger) -> behavior (feeding/parental care/migration)
the response to a stimulus becomes _________ if it has been a long time since the last stimulus (fixed action pattern performed)
faster
These two types of cues interact
internal and external cues interact
ex) the circadian rhythym relies on hormones (internal cues) and natural light (external cue)
Tinbergen’s 4 questions
- how does behavior change as an organism develops/becomes more experienced
- how does sensory information change behavior
- what is the ultimate explanation of behavior
- how does behavior promote fitness?
Type match SOSP song
occurs when two SOSPs in neighboring territories sing the same song - the MOST AGGRESSIVE RESPONSE
Typically, males desire ____ of offspring while females desire ________ of offspring
males - quantity
females - quality
ultimate cause (WHY)
includes the evolutionary history of a trait as affected by descent with modification form ancestors
-includes the adaptive value of a behavioral trait as affected by the process of evolution by natural selection
- “how did we get here, how is it beneficial?”
- includes historical explanations
ultimate explanation for bird mating display
females prefer displays, and select for more vigorous male displaying over time
ultimate explanation for monogamy in prarie voles
when population density becomes low enough, the energy expended to locate multiple females is more costly than the energy it takes to mate-guard - monogamous males also ensure all the offspring belong to them
unshared song (SOSPs)
one song sparrow sings a song that another song sparrow does not know - this is the LEAST aggressive response
what happens when birds are deafened after exposure to WCSP song, but before complete learning can occur
birds do not develop the whole song - they must hear both themselves and others
What happens when WCSP chicks are exposed to SOSP song?
chicks do not sing WCSP song or SOSP song
What happens when WCSP chicks are exposed to WCSP song and SOSP song?
chicks learn WCSP song
What happens when WCSPs are never exposed to WCSP song
they do not learn the song (showing it is not entirely genetically predetermined - showing environmental factors are also at play)+
what happens when WCSPs are raised near SOSPs but hear WCSP song?
WCSPs learn SOSP song (social interaction overrides genetic predisposition)
What happens when WCSPs are raised with songs of a certain dialect?
they learn the dialect
What is behavior
a response to a stimulus
ex) temperature increases, put on clothes
What is the name of the hormone that increases foraging behavior in bees
Juvenile hormone
Why do birds sing/vocalize
reproduction
males deent territories
warn of danger
communicate
maintain group cohesiveness
begging
Why do female BHCBs have better spatial ability than males
brood parasites must keep track of multiple nests
why is song variation useful?
group cohesiveness (ingroup vs outgroup)
courtship
expression of intent
adaptation of song to environment to be better heard
Ring dove courtship behavior
testosterone driven behaviors (strutting, posturing, chasing) wane after some time courting and give way to nest soliciting behavior
this occurs as testosterone is converted by the enzyme aromatase to estradiol (and then the estrogen)
Neural command center theory
In the brain, there are neurons that override impulses from other neurons and that is how animals suppress and prioritize behavior
Command neurons
a single cell or group of cells responsible for fixed action patterns
stimulate the central pattern generator, evoking a fixed action pattern
command neurons and mantids
the protocerebral ganglia inhibits the subesophageal ganglion, which stimulates the body to move
severing the inhibitory conncetion causes uncoordinated movement
severing excitatory link causes no movement
command neurons help animals with…
stimulus filtering and prioritization
internal timing mechanisms
occur independently of the environment
external cues can alter a cycle
- relationships among command centers based on info from the environment
Is the circadian rhythm an internal timing mechanism?
Yes, the circadian rhythm occurs independently of the environment, but environmental cues help to keep it in sync
Keeping animals in constant conditions with no entrainment can cause circadian rhythms to…
become free running cycles
free running cycle
cycle without environmental control (circadian rhythm with no entrainment)
Circadian rhythm
the 24 hour cycle of behavior that operates indepenently of but needs the enviornment for entrainment/to operate correctly
compare severing the cricket optic lobe from the retina compared to severing the optic lobe from the body
crickets with the optic lobe severed from the retina causes a free running cycle
crickets with the optic lobe severed from the rest of the brain causes arrythmia (no cycle)
Superchiasmatic nucleus
2 neural clusters in the hypothalamus that recieve input from neurons in the retina
the SCN moderates gene activity based on retinal input (activity of PER and tau)
