Unit 8 - Animal Behavior Flashcards
Success in Evolution
passing genes to the next generation
- you have to survive and reproduce, and the offspring has to reproduce
Behavior
an action carried out by muscles under control of the nervous system
ex: signing
Proximate Causation
proximate causation = how behavior occurs or is modified
- what even triggers the behavior
- how does the learning influence behavior
- the presence of a female (sensory neurons detect the female)
- older male birds are better
Ultimate Causation
ultimate causation = why a behavior evolves
- how does the behavior help survival and reproduction
- what is the history of the behavior
- drumming attracts females
- birds don’t need to learn this behavior
Innate Behavior
innate behavior = behavior that doesn’t need to be learned
- caused by genetics
ex: male stickleback fish
- they defend their nest by attacking other males
Fixed Action Potential
a sequence of unlearned, innate behaviors
- once the behavior starts, it’s usually continued until it’s completed
ex: if the male fish starts attacking, he will continue even if the other fish is gone
ex: everytime the fish does the behavior, he does it the same way
Sign Stimulus
sign stimulus = the stimulus that triggers the fixed action potential
ex: male stickleback fish will attack anything that has a red belly
red object = sign stimulus
attack behavior = fixed action potential
Genes and Environment
most behaviors come from the genes and enviornment interacting
Songbirds
they’re genetically programmed to learn the song but they will sing the correct song only if they hear the correct song
experiment:
- birds that heard the correct song sang the correct song
- birds that didn’t hear a song, sang an abnormal song
- birds that heard a different bird’s species song sang an abnormal song
Piloting
piloting = animals move from one familiar landmark to another
- usually used for short distances (need to be familar with the landmark)
- can’t use visual landmarks at night or over the ocean (bc you can’t see them)
- only works if landmarks don’t move (ex: you park next to a red trick (the landmark) but the red truck moves)
- sounds and smells can be landmarks
How we Know Animals Use Landmarks
researcher surrounded a wasp nest with pincones (pinecones = landmark)
- the researcher moved the pinecones to the right of the nest
- the female wasp couldn’t find the nest bc the pinecones (landmark) were moved
Orientation
orientation = movement of animals along a compass line
- an animal picks a direction and moves in that direction
ex: picks north, moves north
overwintering monarchs fly south in the fall and fly north in the spring
- the monarchs make 4 generations from going south ad then north after
Butterflies and Orientation
they use a sun compass that needs an internal clock bc the position of the sun changes over time
internal clock:
- you have to adjust the direction by watching the time of day
ex: 10 AM
- butterflies fly left of the sun
ex: 12 am
- fly straight up
- if they didn’t have an internal clock, the butterfly would fly west
Orientation Problems
if you can’t see the sun:
- they still fly even without the sun bc they can use the earth’s magnetic field
limitation:
- with only a compass, if you get blown off track, you can’t get back on track
ex: if the butterflies get blown off course, they will continue flying the wrong way
Navigation
navigation = the ability of animals who can orient along compass lines to determine their location in relation to their destination
- need a compass and a map to do this
- you need to know where you are on the map
The Sun at Different Times of Day
sun sets = in the west
sun rises = in the east
Navigation: Cognitive Map
cognitive map = a representation in the brain of the spatial relationships between objects
- gives us flexibility
- the map can be based on the earth’s magentic field, landmarks, sounds, odors, highways (these are learned)
**if blown of course, they can get back on course
Communication
communication = use of specifically designed signals to modify the behavior of others
- communication is usually used by males to attract females
- use communication to get predators away
signal = a stimulus transmitted from one animal to another
ex: honey bees comminicate by dancing to tell other bees where the food is
Honey Bees and Communication
honeybees use a symbolic communication to tell other bees where the food is located
Waggle Dance
bees do this when food is far from the hive
- tells other bees about the direction of where the food is with respect to the sun
- the distance: number and duration of waggles
- they dance upwards if the location of food is near the sun
- short waggle: leave the hive and fly a short distance
- they move down when the location is away from the sun
- they move 30 degrees if the location is 30 degrees away from the sun
Round Dance
round dance = bees do this if the food is near the hive
- no directional info
Male Songbirds
they sing to attract females but other males don’t like the signing so they repel the other males
Handicap Principle
- signals (vocal and visual courtship displays) are expensive
- it costs a lot of energy to do the mating ritual and they’re making themselves obvious to predators
- only the highest quality males can produce them
- signals accurately convey info about the quality of the male
(the female gets a high quality male so they’re more likely to pass on their genes to the next generation)
ex: testosterone
- testosterone is a handicap (a trait that would normally reduce survival chances)
high testosterone = is bad (less fat, causes males to display mating rituals which makes them more visible to predators)
Females are Choosy
if a female picks a low quality mate, her offspring might not survive
- some males mater with a bunch of females
- making eggs is expensive
- making sperm is cheap
**it takes a lot more energy to reproduce for a female than male
