Unit 10: Animal Behaviour Flashcards
What are the causes of behaviour? Describe them.
Genetic - innate, fixed, similar among individuals “nature”
Non-genetic - learned, variable among individuals, “nurture”
What are Tinberg’s 4 questions to understand any behaviour?
- What stimulus elicits behaviour and what physiological mechanisms mediate response?
- How does animals growth and development impact response?
- How does behaviour aid survival and reproduction?
- What is the behaviour’s evolutionary history?
Which questions help determine proximate causation of behaviour? (the how)
- What stimulus elicits behaviour and what physiological mechanisms mediate response?
- How does animals growth and development impact response?
Which questions help determine ultimate causation of behaviour? (the why)
- How does behaviour aid survival and reproduction?
- What is the behaviour’s evolutionary history?
What is a fixed action pattern? Provide an example.
An innate behaviour that is unchangable in response to external stimiulus.
Ex. the stickleback fish attack anything with red underbelly as they think it is a fish with a red underbelly that they want to attack
Outline the steps of the fruit fly courtship ritual.
- Males identify female both visually and through sensing pheromones released by female (olfactory and visual).
- Male taps female so she knows he’s there (tactile)
- Males produce courtship song via wing vibrations (auditory)
What form of communication would a species that evolved in low light use?
Olfactory, auditory
What form of communication would a species that evolved in high light use?
Visual, auditory
What is imprinting? Give an example.
Irreversible behavioural modification done to an individual/object within their sensitive period.
The geese that imprint on humans as their parents.
What is spatial learning? Give an example.
Establishing memory reflecting environment’s spatial structure.
Ex. Wasps leave objects around test to find it again, but if objects were placed in the same orientation in a different area they would still think that the nest would be there even though its not.
What is a cognitive map?
Complex internal representation of spatial relationships, utilized in spatial learning.
What is associative learning? What are the 2 types and describe each briefly and give an example.
Modifying behaviour by associating one feature of the environment with another.
Classical Conditioning - Learn to associate stimulus with reward/punishment. Ex. if a dog hears a bell before meal, it will think that the bell sound means that there will be food so it salivates, even if there is no meal.
Operant Conditioning - Learning to associate behaviour (stimulus) with reward/punishment (trail and error). Ex. blue jay vomits after eating bright coloured monarch butterflies, it avoids eating similar coloured butterflies.
Define cognition.
Most complex integration of sensory information and memory.
Define problem solving.
A big sign of cognition. Devising new strategy to solving problem never previously experienced, intelligence.
ex. chimps stacking boxes to reach banana
What is social learning.
Learning by observing behaviour of others.
ex. vervet monkeys learning not to scream all the time just when an eagle comes by observing older relatives.
What are pheromones?
Chemical signals secreted in environment that are used as a form of communication.
What are diurnal animals?
Animals awake during the day, humans and birds.
What does foraging (food obtaining) behaviour include?
Recognizing, searching for, capturing na d eating food items.
What type of foraging would animals in high density populations benefit from?
Foraging far away.
What type of foraging would animals in low density populations benefit from?
Short distance foraging.
What is the optimal foraging model?
Concept that foraging behaviour is a compromise between obtaining nutrients and costs of obtaining food (like being eaten)
What is promiscuous mating?
Mating with no lasting relationships or strong pair bonds.
What is monogamous mating and how is sexual dimorphism exhibited?
One male mates with one female. Low sexual dimorphism.
What is polyandry and how is sexual dimorphism exhibited.
One female, multiple males. Females more showy than males.
What is polygyny and how is sexual dimorphism exhibited.
One male, multiple females. Males more showy than males.
For a bird species that requires a constant source of food as chicks, what type of paternal care would be maximize his reproductive success?
Staying with mate and taking care of chicks,
For a bird species whose chicks can feed themselves soon after birth, what type of paternal care would be maximize his reproductive success?
Leaving chicks, polygyny.
In what type of fertilization is paternal certainty low and why?
Internal fertilization, because large gap between fertilization and birth.
In what type of fertilization is paternal certainty high and why?
External fertilization, because egg laying is at same time as fertilization.
In which type of fertilization is parental care at least as likely by male as female?
External fertilization.
What is mate choice copying?
Individuals copying mate choice of others.
Define intersexual selection.
Individual of one sex picking mate of other sex based off of their traits.
Define intrasexual selection.
The competition between members of the same sex for a mate.
What is agonistic behaviour?
A ritualized competition between two individuals that determines which competitor gets access to a certian resource.
What is game theory?
The concept that evaluates alternative outcomes which depend on the phenotype and strategy of the individual, as well as others.
What gene controls many behaviours of the male fruit fly courtship ritual?
Fru
When behavioural variation corresponds to environmental variation within a species, what may that be evidence of?
Evolution
What are some examples of things that genetics may influence within a species?
Diet, migration patterns
What type of behaviours does natural selection favour?
Behaviours that maximize an individuals survival and reproduction (often selfish).
Define altrusim.
Animal behaviour that reduces individual fitness, but increases fitness of others.
What is inclusive fitness?
Can explain altrusim, is the total effect an individual has by spreading its genes or genes of close relatives by producing offspring or helping rleatives produce offspring.
What is the coefficient of relatedness between siblings?
.5
What is Hamilton’s rule?
Natural selection favours altruism when :
rB>C -> coefficient of relatedness(benefit to recipient) is greater than cost to altruistic
What is kin selection?
The natural selection that favours enhancing reproductive success of relatives through altruistic behaviours.
What is an example of kin selection?
When a female Belding’s ground squirrel gives out a call to warn other females of a predator, even though her likelihood of being attacked is greater.
Define reciprocal altruism.
Altruistic behaviour towards unrelated individual that is expected to be returned in the future.
What type of species is reciprocal altruism limited to.
Species with stable social groups where individuals meet repeatedly and those who do not reciprocate are punished by the group.
What type of altruism explains altruistic behaviour between unrelated humans?
Reciprocal altruism.
What are the rules of a “tit for tat” strategy?
- Individuals cooperate on first encounter
- ## Individual treats another the same way as when they first met
True or false; individuals who engage in a tit for tat strategy have a higher fitness than those who are always selfish.
True
In what feature is there no continuum between humans and other animals?
Our social and cultural institutions.
Only during what period in an animals life can imprinting occur?
During its sensitive period.
What is the primary difference in behavior between male meadow voles and male prairie voles?
Male prairie voles form pair-bonds and exhibit parental care, while male meadow voles do not.
What does the variation in prey selection among western garter snakes suggest?
It suggests that prey selection has a genetic basis influenced by natural selection.
What was the conclusion of the study on blackcap migratory patterns?
Migratory orientation in blackcaps has a genetic basis.
What is the main premise of sociobiology?
Certain behavioral characteristics exist because they are expressions of genes perpetuated by natural selection.
