Study Of Animal Behaviour Flashcards
what is behaviour
how something works, often in response to a stimulus and with a perceivable purpose
how varied can behaviour be
it ranges from simple eg blinking to classic eg building nests to complex eg navigation
what are the levels on which behaviour can have an effect
stemming from genetic variation comes behaviour of individuals, population dynamics and community dynamics
what did studies show about wild mice and running wheels
mice were found to still run of wheels in the wild, making their use as a benchmark for behaviour in medical studies more valuable
what are the two categories of behaviour
proximate (how: genetic variation and heritability) and ultimate (why: selection and evolution)
what are Tinbergen’s four questions
mechanism (p causation) and development (p learning) show function u (reproductive fitness) through evolution (u history)
what is unusual about voles
most are polygamous but some are monogamous. p= vasopressin and heritable genes affecting vasopressin receptors u=less infanticide and monogamous parents
what are three ways of testing
experimental test of mechanism, experimental test of function and comparative test of function
give an example of experimental test of mechanism
ablation of region of rat hypothalamus which was thought to control satiation, resulted in hyperphagia and therefore proved theory
give an example of experimental test of function
magpie clutches vary and experiments showed that number of chicks fledged was greatest when clutch size was the same as natural
give an example of comparative test of function
comparison of female and male ground squirrels in alarm calls. females were always more and it was more when offspring were in the cot, followed by close relatives- evidence of kin selection
what is modelling
theoretical exploration, often constricted with rules such as time limits
what is theory
prediction which is modified by observation eg providing a time scale
