Unit 5 Lesson 9 Flashcards
Fixed Action Patterns
sequence of unlearned acts directly linked to a simple stimulus and which is usually carried to completion
-trigger is an external cue or sign stimulus (color etc)
Migration
- guided by environmental cues
- may use position of sun or North star
- some can sense position relative to earth’s magnetic field, possibly due to megnetite in heads or effects of magnetic field on photoreceptors in eye
circannual rhythms
behavioral rhythms linked to season, such as migration or reproduction
- influenced by day:night ratio
- may be guided by moon cycles/tidal movements
signals
stimulus transmitted from one animal to another
Forms of Animal Communication
- Visual
- chemical: transmission and reception of specific molecules
- tactile communication: movement, touching
- auditory communication
Pheromes
chemical substances emitted by animals that communicate through odors or tastes
- common in mammals and insects (usually related to reproduction)
- ex. one secreted by queen bee maintains social class
- can also serve as alarm signals
innate behavior
developmentally fixed behavior that does not vary within a population
cross-fostering study
young of one species are placed in the care of adults from another species
- measures changes in offspring behavior
- can eventually determine parental behavior
twin-study
compares the behavior of twins who have raised apart with that of those who have been raised together.
Learning
modification of behavior based on specific experiences
Imprinting
long-lasting response to a particular individual or object formed at a specific stage in life
- has sensitive period: a limited development phase when this type of learning can occur
- young learn basic behaviors and parents learn to recognize their offspring
- young recognize key characteristics or first moving object as parent
spatial learning
establishment of a memory that reflects the environments spacial structure
cognitive map
a representation in the nervous system between objects in an animals surrounding
-may note a position halfway between to landmarks
associative learning
the ability to associate one environmental feature (such as a color) with another (such as a foul taste)
-some associated pairings are restricted, typically depending on native environment
classical conditioning
an arbitrary stimulus (like ringing of a bell) becomes associated with a particular outcome
operant conditioning
animal first learns to associate one of its behaviors with a reward or punishment and then tends to repeat or avoid that behavior
cognition
the process of knowing that involves awareness, reasoning, recollection, and judgement
-many species (including insects) demonstrated this ability in labs
problem solving
cognitive activity of devising a method to proceed from one state to another in the face of an obstacle
-highly developed in primates and dolphins, some birds
Development of Learned behaviors
- some behaviors develop gradually, in stages
- sparrows memorize song by listening, sing tentative notes, eventually matching it to memorized song
social learning
learning by observing others
-ex. vervets learn appropriate alarm calls by observing others and receiving social confirmation (another call) when he is right
culture
a system of info transfer through social learning or teaching that influences the behavior of individuals in a population
Optimal foraging model
-natural selection should favor a foraging behavior that minimizes the costs (energy expenditure or risk of being eaten) and maximizes benefits( nutrition)
Mating Systems and Sexual Dimorphism
- promiscuous- no strong pair bonds
- longer relationships
- monogamous: not dimorphic
- polygamous: dimorphic
Parental Care
- when young cannot care for themselves, male may benefit by staying, resulting in monogamy
- mammalian males typically play no role in raising young but may protect a harem
certainty of paternity
when acts of mating or births are separated, exclusively male parenting is rare.
-males may engage in behaviors that increase their certainty of paternity.
Mate Choice by Females
- may play a central role in the evolution of male behavior and anatomy through intersexual selection
- female offspring may take cues from their father’s appearance when choosing mates
Mate-choice copying
individuals in a population copy the mate choice of others
-may mask genetically controlled female preference below a certain threshold of difference
Mate Competition for mates
may involve agonistic behavior: contest that determines which competitor gains access to a resource
altruism
describes a behavior that reduces an animals individual fitness but increases the fitness of other individuals in the population
-ex. alarm calls, honeybees, naked mole rats
Inclusive fitness
the total effect an individual has on proliferating its genes by producing its own offspring and by providing aid that enables other close relatives to produce offspring
Hamilton’s rule
-natural selection favors altruism when
rB>C
-B (benefit)= av # of extra offspring beneficiary of an altruistic act produces
-C(cost)= how many fewer offspring the altruist produces
-r(coefficient of relatedness)=fraction of genes that, on average, are shared
kin selection
the natural selection that favors altruistic behavior by enhancing reproductive success of offspring
Reciprocal altruism
an animal may behave altruistically toward non-relative expecting a returned favor in the future
- possible individuals are likely to meet again or there are negative consequences when they do not return a favor
