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animal behavior > lecture 4 - hormones and neurobiology > Flashcards

lecture 4 - hormones and neurobiology Flashcards

1
Q

when do proximate factors operate

A

within an animal lifetime

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2
Q

what type of questions are proximate factors

A

how

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3
Q

what do proximate factors relate to

A

causation and development

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4
Q

what do ultimate factors relate to

A

function and evolution

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5
Q

what type of questions are ultimate factors

A

why question

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6
Q

how do ultimate and proximate perspectives relate

A

knowing information about one another can help us design our questions about the other

they can provide focus on where to approach the opposite type of analysis

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7
Q

how can proximate analysis help understand natural selection

A

helps us understand the raw material that natural selection may operate on in the future

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8
Q

what does proximate analysis shed light on

A

neurobiology, endocrinology, molecular genetics and developmental factors

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9
Q

what are four components of proximate causation

A
  1. hormonal
  2. neurobiological
  3. molecular genetic
  4. developmental
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10
Q

what is the endocrine system

A

a communication network that influences many aspects of AB

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11
Q

what is the endocrine system composed of

A

ductless glands that secrete hormones into blood stream (for vertebrates) or surrounding tissue (for invertebrates)

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12
Q

what do endocrine cells do within glands

A

synthesize and secrete hormones (trigger by internal or external stimuli) that work as chemical messengers to directly or indirectly affect AB

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13
Q

what are the type of hormones and explain them

A
  1. protein hormones: soluble in blood
  2. steroid hormones: non-soluble so require carrier through blood stream.
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14
Q

give example of protein hormone

A

prolactin

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15
Q

give example of steroid hormone

A

testosterone

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16
Q

which type of hormone has longer lag time between stimulus and affect on behavior

A

steroid hormones

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17
Q

explain how the changing of seasoning affects birds endocrine system

A

as the number of light hours (photoperiod) increases, it triggers an increase in gonadotropin which increases sperm production and testosterone. this increased testosterone increases male aggression and other mating activities (like nest building, mate guarding). the testosterone will bind to receptor cells in the brain to to evoke mating and paternal care.

18
Q

what can hormones affect

A
  1. input systems (sensory systems)
  2. central nervous system functioning
  3. output systems (effectors like muscles controlling movement)
19
Q

how can hormones affect behavior

A

can modify ongoing behavior (changes to frequency and duration), trigger onset or end of behavior

20
Q

what is a positive feedback loop

A

a typical behavior with hormones where an increase in the hormone will cause an increase in something else which in turn will increase hormone production

21
Q

what type of relationship does testosterone and winning a fight have

A

positive feedback loop. higher testosterone = increased probability of winning fight

22
Q

what is the effect of human disturbance on penguins/many animals

A

when animals are stressed they have high plasma corticosterone and stress hormones levels to trigger anti-predator responses. when super stressed the stress hormones have negative effect (poorer memory and navigation abilities)
for young penguins, even just being exposed to humans through ecotourism groups causes these increases, which causes detrimental effects when they mature

23
Q

what does vasopressin do

A

play central role in parental care

24
Q

what is the difference between male prairie and meadow voles? how does this affect their brains?

A

prairie voles display parental care while meadow do not

prairie voles have more vasopressin receptors in their ventral pallidum. when these receptors are experimentally increased in meadow voles they display more parental care

25
Q

when do honey bees become foragers and what is that related to

A

at ~21 days and it’s related to the Juvenile Hormone (JH III) that stimulates foraging behavior. when you remove the corpus allatum gland (which produced JH III) that they forage significantly later

26
Q

explain noradrenaline and octopamine hormones

A

they are both stress hormones that prepare animals for “fight or flight”, stimulate sugar production and regulate arousal in the nervous system. they are very similar

noradrenaline in vertebrates and octopamine in invertebrates

27
Q

how quickly does the nervous system allow for animals to respond to stimuli

A

very fast! <1 sec

28
Q

what is the relationship between axon thickness and action potential speed

A

thicker = faster

29
Q

what is a reflex

A

simplest form of behavior that is just a reaction to a stimulus. complex behaviors require reflexes to work

30
Q

how does walking require reflexes

A

need reflexes to stay upright

31
Q

what is a response latency? what causes it and where is it seen?

A

delay between stimuli and response
due to delay at synapse
seen for both reflexes and complex behavior

32
Q

when are there shorter latencies

A

in response to strong/frightening stimuli

33
Q

what is summation

A

excitation from different sources or rapidly occurs to trigger nerve impulse

34
Q

what is an example of summation and reflexes

A

the scratch response dogs have

35
Q

when does summation occur and give example

A

more often during complex behavior

ex. sight/smell of prey summate to make predator more hungry

36
Q

what is inhibition? why is it important? how is it used in muscles?

A

inhibition is blocking use of something
important for coordinating muscle activity

muscles are arranged in antagonistic pairs and excitation of one muscle means inhibition of the other in the pair. inhibition of muscle groups on different limbs is important for locomotion

37
Q

what is a closed loop system and give example

A

system used when output needs to be constant. used to regulate behavior. eg: keeping yourself upright

38
Q

what is open-loop systems and give example

A

cannot use feedback control. one it starts it cannot be stopped. eg salamander (hydromantes) striking with their fast tongue

39
Q

what is neuroethology

A

study of neurobiological underpinnings of behavior

40
Q

why is sleep a problem

A

high predation risk while sleeping

41
Q

how do some animals deal with sleeping risk

A

sleeping with one eye open and one shut (chicken and mallards). mallards can use unihemispheric sheep where one eye and one hemisphere of the brain is awake. they can put the hemisphere active into slow-wave sleep which allows for quick predator response

animal behavior (23 decks)

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