exam 3 - animal behavior Flashcards
what is behavior? an example
action carried out by muscles under control of the nervous system.
animal uses its throat muscles to produce a song
Nike Tinberger, and what did he contribute?
identified 4 questions that should be answered to understand animal behavior
try to remember the questions created by Niko
What stimulus clitics the behavior, and how do various body systems bring it about?
how does the animal experience during growth and development influence the response
what is fixed action pattern (FAP) w/ example
Sequence of unlearned acts directly linked to an external cue called a sign stimulus
sticklebakcs fixed action pattern to act the color red
(it is unchangeable and once initiated it has to be carried through)
what is human FAP?
yawning
what is migration?
Regular long-distance change in location guided by environmental cues
bird, fish and mammal that migrates
Bird
mammal - hunch back whale
fish - salmon
what cues or tools do some animals use to orient themselves during migration
sun, north star, earth magnetic field
what animal has the longest migration, breed and spend winter?
artic term migration, 71,000km
breed along the northern Atlantic coast
spend winter -
Circadian rhythm, how can it be disrupted?
daily cycle of rest and activity, usually synchronized with light and dark cycles
What is signal, what is communication?
signal - Stimulus generated by on animal that guides behavior of another
communication - transmission and reception of signals between animals
what are four common modes of communication?
visual, chemical, tactile and auditory
what is innate behavior?
fixed action pattern or pheromone signaling - unlearned behavior preformed by all individuals the same way each time
[building a web is an innate behavior for a spider]
associative learning
animals associate one feature of their environment (such as a color) with another (foul taste)
classical conditioning
type of associative learning in which obituary stimulus is associated with a reward or punishment, has an subconscious response , dogs start to salivate at the sound of a bell
operant conditioning
associative learning in which an animal learns to associate one of its behaviors with rewards or punishment
- also trail and error learning, rat pushes lever and is feed, will learn to push to receive food
what is cognition?
Process of knowing that involves awareness, reasoning, recollection and judgment
belileved that only primates and some marine mammals exhibited cognition
- other groups such as insects show signs of cognition
optimal foraging model
views foraging behavior as a compromise between the benefits of nutrition and the cost of obtaining food
cost: energy expenditure, risk of being eaten
- natural selection should favor foraging behaviors minimizes costs and maximizes benefits
Foraging Northwestern crow:
A crow will drop a whelk from a height to break its shell and feed on its soft parts
- crows face a pay off between the height from which it drops the whelk and the number of times it must drop the whelk
what is imprinting?
establishment of a long-lasting behavioral response to a particular individual or object
- can only take place during a specific time of development called the sensitive period
imprinting: Konrad Lorenz
Recognized as one of the founding father of the field of ethology, best known for his research of the principle of attachment or imprinting
how was imprinting used to save the whooping crane?
Humans would wear crane suits so birds would imprin on the bird, which lead their migration in an ultralight aircraft
mating systems:
plays major role in determining reproductive success - behaviors include seeking or attracting mates, choosing among potential mates, competing for mates and caring for offspring
monogamy (monogamous)
Mates form a relationship of some duration that is monogamous (one male and one female)
- males and females look very similar to each other
examples: wolf, bald eagle
polygyny (polygamous)
individual of one sex mates with several individuals of the other sex
- usually sexually dimorphic: males and females differ in appearance
males more showy and larger then females
Polyandry
one female and many males
- females often more ornamented and maybe larger then the males
examples: spotted sandpiper, hive insects, naked mole rat some human societies
inter and intra sexual selection
Intersexual selection: members of one sex choose mates based on certain traits
intrasexual selection: involves competition between members of the same sex for mates
what is altruism and know several examples
Natural selection favors behavior that maximizes an individual survival and reproduction,
such behaviors are typically selfish but some animal behaviors seem to be selfless
(term for selflessness)
examples of altruism in animals
Balding ground squirrels; behave altruistically by making an alarm call when they spot a predator
- call informs the others of danger but puts then in danger
Honeybees
sterile workers never reproduce themselves, but labor on behalf of a single fertile queen
- sacrifice their lives by stinging intruders to defend the hive
Naked mole rat
social rodent, underground Africa
- colonies can include 300 individuals, but the queen reproduces with few males
non reproductive individuals may sacrifice themselves to protect the queen and kings from predators
