Intro

Question 1

Ethology

Answer 1

roots of modern behavioural biology

Question 2

Umwelt

Answer 2

how organisms subjectively perceive their environment (inner worlds)

Question 3

Markwelt

Answer 3

objective reality, ie what a spectrometer detects

Question 4

Skinners hypothesis: Animals are a blank slate

Answer 4

FALSE

Question 5

ethologists main ideas

Answer 5

sensory bio- waggle dance
learning- behavioural development
field bio- mating behaviour

Question 6

Innate realising mechansims

Answer 6

fixed actions are the result of a particular “releaser” or stimulus–> suggesting a direct correspondence between an elicitor and specific behaviour

Question 7

Behaviorists

Answer 7

focus on mechanistic studies of basis of behaviour in the lab

Question 8

behavioural tendencies

Answer 8

Classical and operant conditioning

result of history and reinforcing experiences

Question 9

Releasor with innate mechanisms –>

Answer 9

activation of instinct (fixed action pattern)

Question 10

imprinting

Answer 10

includes both learning and innate behaviour and is irreversible. animals form attachments and learn identity in this time.

Question 11

sensitive period

Answer 11

a time in imprinting- an early restricted period during Development where certain behaviours can be gained… ie who ever is next to goose when born=mother

Question 12

digger wasps (Not all tasks are created equal)

Answer 12

Nikko Tinbergen-fly in circle before foraging trip to evaluate local landmarks so it knows where to come back. If the landmarks are moved –> wasp retires to new spot with landmarks

Question 13

importance of digger wasp experiment

Answer 13

shows animals are not blank slates… ie wasps can learn visual aspects very fast

Question 14

mating strategy

Answer 14

90% all birds = monogamous (1 partner)

90% of all mammals = polygynous

Question 15

infanticide

Answer 15

males kill their own offspring
ie lions kill their own cubs
females may mate with many males so they don’t know which ones are their pwn cubs

Question 16

sexual cannibalism

Answer 16

partner eats their mate after procreation as a source of food
eg… brown window spider

Question 17

Brood Parasitism

Answer 17

mothers not feeding their own offspring

birds often die of exhaustion from feeding way bigger species of offspring

Question 18

feeding strategy

Answer 18

the food you choose affects social structure and communities
seed eaters= more social, live in large colonies, have multiple mates, mostly in savannahs
insect eaters= more independent, monogamous, mostly in forest

Question 19

breeding strategy

Answer 19

effects animals behaviours

Question 20

communication

Answer 20

use of deceptive singling for mating

Question 21

Darwins theory of evolution by natural selection

Answer 21

1) variation- individuals within species may vary in their behaviour and morphological characteristics
2) heritability- variation is genetically inherited. Offspring resemble parents more than randomly chosen adults in same populations
3) adaptation/reproductive success/increase fitness- some individuals have better survival rates because their characteristics are better suited to their environment and social conditions

Question 22

2 main components of fitness

Answer 22

1) survivorship

2) reproduction (sexual selection)

Question 23

directional selection

Answer 23

shift in direction of mean of the trait

Question 24

stabilising selection

Answer 24

variance of traits decrease