Intro Flashcards
(24 cards)
Ethology
roots of modern behavioural biology
Umwelt
how organisms subjectively perceive their environment (inner worlds)
Markwelt
objective reality, ie what a spectrometer detects
Skinners hypothesis: Animals are a blank slate
FALSE
ethologists main ideas
sensory bio- waggle dance
learning- behavioural development
field bio- mating behaviour
Innate realising mechansims
fixed actions are the result of a particular “releaser” or stimulus–> suggesting a direct correspondence between an elicitor and specific behaviour
Behaviorists
focus on mechanistic studies of basis of behaviour in the lab
behavioural tendencies
Classical and operant conditioning
result of history and reinforcing experiences
Releasor with innate mechanisms –>
activation of instinct (fixed action pattern)
imprinting
includes both learning and innate behaviour and is irreversible. animals form attachments and learn identity in this time.
sensitive period
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
digger wasps (Not all tasks are created equal)
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
importance of digger wasp experiment
shows animals are not blank slates… ie wasps can learn visual aspects very fast
mating strategy
90% all birds = monogamous (1 partner)
90% of all mammals = polygynous
infanticide
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
sexual cannibalism
partner eats their mate after procreation as a source of food
eg… brown window spider
Brood Parasitism
mothers not feeding their own offspring
birds often die of exhaustion from feeding way bigger species of offspring
feeding strategy
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
breeding strategy
effects animals behaviours
communication
use of deceptive singling for mating
Darwins theory of evolution by natural selection
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
2 main components of fitness
1) survivorship
2) reproduction (sexual selection)
directional selection
shift in direction of mean of the trait
stabilising selection
variance of traits decrease
