T1: Introduction* done Flashcards
What can we study about social behavior?
-evolution
-mechanisms
-relationship with other disciplines
-impact, implications for the animals
-increased urbanization
-changing agricultural practices
-harvesting of natural commodities
-changing environments and ag practices
How can we evaluate these ideas?
- genetics
- ethology
- ecology
-physiology
-reproduction
-nutrition
-endocrinology
all presented from the perspective of social behavior
What are the classifications of birds?
- warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates having the body feathered and the forelimbs modified to form wings
-two legs with scales for walking or perching
What are the two types of feathers and the difference between the two?
- contour feathers: provide lifting force and balance needed for flight; flight feathers if they extend beyond the body
- down feathers: trap air close to the body to keep birds warm
What is the classification of mammals?
any class of warm-blooded higher vertebrate animals which nourish their young with milk secreted by mammary glands
- bear live young
- important endothermic features: hair, skin glands,
What are the three types of mammals
- Subclass Prototheria: (egg layers)
- monotremes: echidna and platypus - Subclass Theria (livebearers)
- infraclass Metatheria (marsupials): their young are born in an extremely immature state
-infraclass Eutheria (placentals): their young are born in an advance state
What are the characteristics of reproduction for mammals?
monotremes: Lay eggs; cloaca
marsupials: bear live young; develop in pouch
placental mammals: nutrients, oxygen, carbon diozide and wastes exchanged through placenta
What is a unique characteristic of marsupials
eggs are shed into a lateral vagina and the male often has a two-lobed penis
- true placenta of other mammals is missing
What are the characteristics of monotremes like echidna/ spiny anteater?
-echidnas have a pouch
-“milk patches”
- males have a real spur but it is nonfunctional in terms of venom injection
What are the characteristics of the monotreme, platypus?
- rubbery, pliable bill
-no pouch: mother’s fur around ventral openings of the mammary glands
-male spur: venom can be lethal to small animals
What are the characteristics of livebearers, marsupials?
-marsupials, young are born at an extremely young physiological age and are then nurtured in a pouch
What are the types of marsupials
- reg kangaroo; the biggest
- long-tailed planigale; the smallest
the only marsupial in North America is the Virginia opossum
Short-tailed opossum: (South America) lacks a pouch
What is animal social behavior
the suite of interactions that occue between two or more individual animals, usually the same species
-form simple aggregations, cooperate and dispute over territory/access to mates
Social behavior is defined by..
interaction, not by how organisms are distributed in space
What are two examples of social behavior
female moth: pheromones to attract mates
red deer: rutting to signal dominance to keep other males away
Define the social part of animal behavior
social, often connotes amicable interaction, but competition frequently occurs
The modern view of social behavior ..
it is a product of the competing interests of the individuals involved
examples of individuals evolving with selfish behavior
evolutionary game theory (John Maynard Smith) and the selfish gene (Richard Dawkins)
What is the definition of social behavior with societies
a delicate balance of cooperative and competitive behaviors is expected to characterized animal societies
what are the social benefits of living
- defense against predators
- improved efficiency of foraging
- Subordinates may live with big group
- some males may cuckold others
- opportunity to increase reproductive ability
What are the costs of social living
- eye catching
- transmission of diseases, parasites
- competition for food
- subordinate members
- male vulnerability to cuckoldry
- female vulnerability to egg tossing, dumping
What are the three symbiosis types/ social interactions
- Mutualistic: both groups/individuals benefit
- Commensal: one group/individual benefits, the other is neutral
- Parasitic: one group/individual benefits at the expense of the other group
Can microbes encourage altruism?
Turicibacter sanguinis and Clostridium in a healthy colon drive intestinal cells to produce the NT serotonin
serotonin affects the intestinal muscle tone; relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression
this might in principle be a way for intestinal parasite to influence a host’s GI motlility and function/ mental state
What is altruism?
refers to the behavior by an individual that increases the fitness of another individual while decreasing the fitness of the actor
- selfless concern for the welfare of others
- the motivation to help others without reward
“the selfless gene” Olivia Judson
“do animals feel empathy” Frans de Waal
