Lecture 1: Introduction to Animal Behaviour and Evolution Flashcards
Who wrote the first textbook on animal behaviour?
Aristotle
What was Aristotle’s book about?
description on the different form of animals he saw around him on the greek island
What was Aristotle interested in?
how animals organised their lives to understand who humans do the things that they do.
When did Charles Darwin publish the theories of natural selection?
Victorian era
What was Darwin’s theories of natural selection about?
Explains where life on earth comes from
Why was Ancient Egypt important in the history of animal behaviour?
When the Nile flooded, they knew before due to watching the patterns of the birds. Without understanding of the movement of birds we wouldn’t have such a greater understanding of how to best manage our crops.
What are the 10 constituent parts of the term ‘animal behaviour’?
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Endocrinology
- Neurobiology
- Development
- Genetics
- Evolution
- Psychology
- Learning and cognition
- Social theory
What are the 8 uses of a knowledge of animal behaviour?
- Human development
- Evolution
- Conservation biology
- Animal welfare
- Animal utility
- Economics
- Psychology
- Social science
How did Skinner & Hebb define animal behaviour?
‘All observable processes by which an animal responds to perceived changes in the internal state of its body or in the external world’
Who said ‘All observable processes by which an animal responds to perceived changes in the internal state of its body or in the external world’
Skinner & Hebb
Who came up with the four questions?
Niko Tinbergen
When were Tinbergen’s four questions developed?
1951 and 1963
What is the purpose of Tinbergen’s four questions
The key to deciphering behaviour is an understanding of its purpose
What are Tinbergen’s four questions?
- Evolution (phylogeny)
- Function (adaption)
- Development (ontogeny)
- Control (causation)
What is the function of why birds build nests?
to protect the eggs and chicks
What is the evolution of why birds build nests?
Nests of an incorrect size causes high chick mortality
What is the development of why birds build nests?
Refinement of nest height in accordance with environmental variables (temperature, wind & flooding)
What is the control of why birds build nests?
nest building instincts activated by synchronised courtship displays.
What is the motivation for animals to display certain behaviours?
- Behaviour is the response to stimuli
- Animals will have physiological and psychological drivers for specific actions
