Intro To Ethology 1

Question 1

What is ethology?

Answer 1

The biological study of behaviour

Question 2

What is the working definition for behaviour?

Answer 2

Anything an animal does

Question 3

What are Tinbergens four questions?

Answer 3

1. What is the causation of the behaviour?
2. What is the function of the behaviour?
3. How does the behaviour develop ontogeny?
4. How did the behaviour develop during phylogeny?

Question 4

What is applied ethology?

Answer 4

The study of animal behaviour in environments where animals are managed by man

Question 5

What are the two different ways behaviour is studied?

Answer 5

Observation- natural or domestic conditions

Experimentation- controlled conditions

Question 6

What are the benefits of studying animal behaviour?

Answer 6

Improve production, management, welfare

Improve our interactions as companion, leisure or other

Question 7

What is innate behaviour?

Answer 7

Behaviour which is genetically programmed, the animal is born able to perform

Question 8

Give some examples of an innate behaviour

Answer 8

Those that have important survival value:
Reflexes 
Feeding
Predator responses 
Neonatal behaviours 
Sexual behaviour last
Maternal behaviours

Question 9

What is polygenic when talking about behaviour?

Answer 9

The behaviour is derived from more than one gene

Question 10

What is heritability? And does behaviour have low or high?

Answer 10

Proportion of variation in a trait due to genetic effects

Low

Question 11

What are he aims of selecting for certain behaviours?

Answer 11

We are trying to achieve animals to fit into new niches such as:
An under stimulating environment
Unnatural/no social grouping
Frustration of inactivity