Midterm 1 Flashcards
What is a Taxon
a taxonomic unit
what is Taxonomy?
a branch of science concerned with the classification of organisms
what is thermoregulation?
the process of allowing your body to remain its core internal temperature. this is helpful to Reptiles but costly in terms of energy
physiology drives ______
behaviour
what is a phenotype?
used to determine classification; a set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment
whats so special about about newts?
they have stages on the land and then they go back to the water, they are the only amphibian to do this
what did amphibians evolve from?
they evolved from Dipnomorphia or Lungfish
where is the pineal gland of birds and reptiles?
on the top of the brain, unlike humans where it is deep inside the brain
what is Aves?
birds. a big class with alot of subgroups. some (ravens, crows and magpies) have very sophisticated social behaviour. Corvios, psittacios and sturnids are very good at imitating sound
describe Mammal
only animals to breast feed children, 3 sub-groups (prototheria, maeatheria {marsupials}, Eutheria [placentals])
what is prototheria?
ones with eggs, show connection to reptiles; 1 order; ex. platypus
what are Methatheria?
marsupials; rodent lke and carnivore like marsupials; 7 orders. ex. Possums
what are Eutheria?
placentals. come from placenta, most mammals; 18 orders
what is the current classification of primates?
strepsirhini (nocturnal e.g., lemurs) & haplorhini (monkeys and apes)
what is the current classification of carnivores?
dog-like (e.g., bears) & Cat-like (e.g., hyenas)
what is the current classification of rodents (rodentia)?
squirrel-like and mouse-like
who is the Father of Behaviourism?
Watson who worked with baby Albert
what do behaviourists believe in?
behaviourists believe in learning; teaching animals how to perform certain acts
what is cognitivism?
similar to nature v. nurture; not as concerned about being uptight about behaviour. Believe in the information theory. biologists used to dismiss cognitivism, claimed it had nothing to do with biology.
What is cognitive ethology?
created by Griffin who was interested in beavers because they started covering noise making devices, showing that this behaviour is innate. cognitive ethology focuses on consciousness and mind.
what is homoplasy?
convergent evolution ex. wings developing
what two sciences contribute to animal behaviour?
psychology and psychology. anthropology also contributes to the field (Primatology and Anthrozoology)
what are the three branches within biology that contribute to animal behaviour?
ethology, sociobiology and behavioural ecology
describe sociobiology
introduced by E. O. Wilson; took ethology, evolved genetics and social behaviour all together to create sociobiology. not used as often now, due to race and gender issues that arose in the 60s-70s
what is Forensic Entomology?
looks at what kinds of insects/larvae are on dead bodies in order to determine how long the body has been there (hours or days). uses sexton/burying beetles and carrion beetles.
what is special about Possums?
only marsupials in north america
in relation to FAP, what do neuroethologists look at?
IRM; the mechanism in the brain that triggers FAP
in relation to FAP what do ethologists focus on?
SS and FAP; not so much IRM
who trained pigeons for the US Army
skinner trained pigeons to drop missiles, they pecked a dot on a screen to get trained
what animal is used to study concussions
Rams and Woodpeckers
describe Ethology
systematic and direct observation and description of animals in their natural or seminatural environment. study of overt (observable) behaviours. inductive and idiographic approaches
what are the main criticisms of ethology?
no experimental control and neglect of overt behaviours
what is an idiographic approach?
small n or n of 1 research. generalizations from few observations
what FAP do Geese have?
Lorenz and Timbergen would take eggs from geese as they started to pull the egg towards them, they would continue to pull the egg even tho it is no longer there
describe the sequence of a fixed action pattern
sign stimulus -> innate releasing mechanism -> FAP
what is the difference between a reflex and a FAP
reflexes are simple motor actions, elicited by a sensory stimulus.
FAP’s are a complex motor act, involving a temporal sequence of component acts; generated by an internally or elicited sensory trigger
ex. mauthner’s cell response (fish fleeing danger)
what is the grasp “reflex”
a misnamed FAP for babies
what are the characteristics of FAP’s
genetically encoded specific to a situation/stimuli/environment spontaneous no sensory feedback ballistic movements independent of immediate control no individual differences spontaneous
who came up with the idea of Modal patterns (MAPs)
Barlow
what is larder hoarding?
hoarding or hiding food near the home (den,nest,burrow)