T1: Development of Behavior* done Flashcards
Behavioral traits have both
proximate (immediate) and ultimate (evolutionary) causes that are complementary, not mutually exclusive
proximate causes:
how an animal behaves, the genetic-development bases for behavior and physiological (neural and hormonal) systems
Ultimate causes:
why an animal behaves as it does, the evolutionary causes of behavior
behavior
all processes by which an animal senses the external world and the internal state of its body and responds to the changes which it perceived “action”
Social behavior
any behavior caused by or affecting another animal (of the same or another species)
Sociobiology
biological basis of social behavior, implying evolution as the basic explanatory tool
inclusive fitness
sum of an individuals fitness measured by reproductive success and the fitness of relatives, weighted in proportion to their genetic distance from the individual
allelomimetic behavior (allomimetic behavior)
behavioral activities that have strong components of social facilitation imitation and group coordination, social learning, “ contagious behavior”
Social facilitation
phenomenon in which behavior (instinctive pattern) of an animal increases the occurrence of the same behavior among its social partners, migrations/dustbathing
What premotor “mirror” neurons
neurons that discharge both when the monkey makes a particular action and when it observes another individual making a similar action
–“resonance behaviors and imitative behaviors”
How does mirror neurons help songobirds
brain region HVC: part of the forebrain involved in singing
- adult: birds to keep their song
- young: birds to learn properly this song
territory defense
Describe the development of behavior
it is the result of an interaction between the genotype pf a developing organisms and its environment
– genes respond to signals form the environment by altering their activity , leading to changes in the gene products
How did behavior develop
” in garter snakes there is a gene for eating banana slugs”
a particular allele–if their distinctive protein is made along with a required gene and its environment interaction – potential operation of specific physiological mechanism to recognize slugs
What is an example of developmental behavior, the interactive nature aspect
the interactive nature of development means that no phenotypes can be purely environmentally determined
ex) white- crowned sparrow; different dialects
What are acoustic experiences
early in the white-crowned sparrow’s life led to chemical changes in the birds brain
– modification of the genetic pattern in the some part of the brain
– subsequent genetic and neural changes on the physiological system of the adult sparrow when signing
What is a rousing tune
mirror neurons in the swamp sparrow brain fire whenever a bird sings or listens to a particular song
What is unique about song birds brains
they have song circuits, that help shape the learning process of listening and mimicking the songs
listening; shapes the neural circuits
What is the key take away from nature vs nurture (video)
Nature: the genetic information that we inherit form our mother and father
Nurture: The influence of the environment
Epigenetics is a new field showing us that environment can modify your genes
What is epigenetics
altering gene function without altering DNA, but modifying the phenotype (can turn on or turn off certain genes)
changing phenotypes without altering genotypes
ex. Nature versus nurture
Genes may turn on or off depending on…
environmental conditions, causing phenotypic differences
What does the Dutch famine suggest
a pregnant individual with a poor diet might produce offspring that are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease as adults; sex-specific, males
baby rats nurtured by the mother are…
G1 or neglected by the mother is G2
-different stress response (passes to the next generation)
Zebra finches learn songs by?
they learn by their father, listening/ processing and practicing
How can you alter gene activation
drugs, diet and chemicals
What does the study about the agouty mouse conclude?
alteration of the agouti gene– yellow, obese and highly susceptible to developing disease
- mice fed with a diet rich in methyl groups
-epigenetic processes, the methyl groups attached to the mother DNA and turned off the agouti gene
– most of the offspring were born lean and brown and no longer prone to disease
What is the key take aways from the nature versus nurture debate
- we are not defined by out genes
- The interaction between nature and nurture is way more complicated that we thought, genes and the environment are always working together
- Some genes are not modifiable, epigenetic tags do not affect those
How does learning play a roles with behavior
learning require both genes and environment
what is imprinting
a young animals social interactions lead to his learning to different things, along with an appropriate sexual partners
– Konrad Lorenz; male greylags showed a sexual preference for humans as mates
ex) “prepared” brain and social environment
What is cross-fostering and example using the birds
raised by different species
Great tits: cross-fostered with a parent of a different species, it is often with the host parent species, low rates of paring success
Blue tits: cross- fostered with a parent of a different species, have a high rate of paring success, often reproduce with members of their own species
What does the songbird (tits) proves with behavior
- a greater significance of environment for the Great tit (host parent species)
- Blue Tit: great role for genetics/ individuals of the same species
Describe the spatial memory in birds
Clark’s nutcrackers and black-capped chickadees; catch and relocate food
-even learned behavior; when obviously environment-dependent, are gene-dependent as well
What is adaptive developmental homeostasis
the ability of many animals to develop more or less normally despite defective genes and deficient environment
What is the developmental of switch mechanisms
Learning mechanisms provide another form of developmental flexibility, enable individuals to use their experience to make adaptive adjustments in behavior that help individuals cope with a variable environment
What is a taste aversion learning
an evolved response to the risk of food or fluid poisoning , it confers a “net fitness benefit” to the individual; Norway rat/ dietary generalist
– a rate can’t vomit, to clear GI tract of poisoning
An example of a dietary specialist
vampire bats, no learned taste aversion
How do animals become so well suited to their normal environment
- History of the species
- History of the individual
selection of the
- history of the species and of the individual
Define the history if the species
an individual is born with favorable responses “built in” to the nervous system as a part of inherited structure
What are the characteristics of species history
- “instinctive” or “closed genetic program”
- natural selection modifies behaviors gradually to fit alterations in the environment
- “Species memory” is passed from each generation to offspring in the next generation (encoded in the genome) in the recorded history of adaptive changes ins a species
What is unique about the Australian Brush Turkey
They create large mounds with sticks and moss that decompose and generate heat. They are more closely related to lizards than birds with this mechanism.
Define the history of the individual
an individual can modify behavior in light of experiences
– learning provides the individual with the ability to achieve better results and modify behaviors accordingly
– “open genetic program”
Will natural selection favor the evolution of an open or closed program for a given behavior?
Depends on the circumstances, for some species mating occurs only once in an individual’s lifetime so mate recognition and selection must be done correctly and without prior experience
— this can only occur if a closed genetic program is in place
Jack and Hooknoses employ different breeding strategies to successfully reproduce with a female coho salmon, why?
Having two breeding pathways improves the rates of successful reproduction and also increases levels of genetic variation
Jacks have ____ rates of survival
- higher rates of survival, they spend less time in water but have more competition for reproduction
Hooknoses have a ____ rate of survival
have a lower rate of survival (they spend more time in seawater) but have less competition for mating
Game theory and evolutionary stable strategy
Jacks
Rabbits in Australia during 1859, what was important then?
Thomas Austin released 24 European rabbits barwon park property near geelong in victoria
What happened to the rabbits in Australia
- the reproduced exponentially – destruction of large tracts of vegetation — extinction of many plant species
- loss of vegetation – soil erosion
- no natural predators
How did people combat the rabbit problem in Australia
The most iconic barrier was the rabbit-proof fence
“rabbit-proof fences”
What is the myxomatosis virus and what followed after?
this virus wiped out between 95-100 of rabbits in some areas– they recovered but with some resistance
the introduction of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease or Rabbit Calicivirus (RHDV or RCD) has helped control populations
Why would a bunny bust leas to a native mammal boom?
- ending of rabbit overgrazing: native vegetation grew back
- Precipitous declines in rabbit predators such as feral cats and foxes
What is the importance of the trophic cascade?
The RHDV has likely rippled through the food web starving these invasive predators, which had been during native species along with rabbits
What is a trophic cascade?
Trophic cascade, an ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators and involving reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predator and prey through a food chain, which often results in dramatic changes in ecosystem structure and nutrient cycling.
