Ch. 52 ReviewNames the biomes labeled a-f in the climograph.

1. What is something that you can do that you have been able to do since birth?

2. What is one behavior that you learned by watching someone else?

3. List some ways that animals communicate.

Ch. 51 Warm-Up

1. What is the difference between proximate and ultimate causes of behavior?

2. Explain the difference between kinesis and taxis.3. What are the 4 common modes of animal

communication?

Ch. 51 Warm-Up

Ch. 51 Warm-Up

1. What do you think is the advantage for a species to be:Monogamous?Polygamous?

2. Describe an example of when you have participated in reciprocal altruism.

Chapter 51Animal Behavior

You Must Know:

• How behaviors are the result of natural selection• How innate and learned behaviors increase survival and

reproductive fitness• How organisms use communication to increase fitness• The role of altruism and inclusive fitness in kin selection

What is behavior?

Behavior: what an animal does and how it does itResponse to stimuli in its environmentBoth genetic & environmental factorsEssential for survival and reproductionSubject to natural selection over time

Why do we study behavior?Ethology: study of animal behaviorEvolutionary perspective…

Part of phenotypeActed upon by natural selection

Lead to greater fitness? Lead to greater survival? Lead to greater reproductive success?

Scientists Niko Tinberger –Seagull chicks feeding Karl von Frisch –Dancing BeesKonrad Lorenz -Imprinting

Understanding behavior

Proximate cause: environmental causes that trigger a behavior Immediate stimulus & mechanism “how” a behavior occurs or is modified

Ultimate cause: causes that focus on evolutionary significance How does a behavior contribute to survival & reproduction “why” a behavior in context of natural selection

Male Songbird-What triggers singing?-How does he sing?

Male Songbird-How does the day length influence breeding?-Why do cranes breed in the spring?

BEHAVIOR: A male stickleback fish attacks other male sticklebacks that invade its nesting territory.

PROXIMATE CAUSE: The red belly of the intruding male acts as a sign stimulus that releases aggression in a male stickleback.

ULTIMATE CAUSE: By chasing away other male sticklebacks, a male decreases the chance that eggs laid in his nesting territory will be fertilized by another male.

Evolutionary PerspectiveWhat is the adaptive advantages of behavior?

innate behaviorsautomatic, fixed, “built-in”, no “learning curve”despite different environments, all individuals

exhibit the behaviorex. early survival, reproduction, kinesis, taxis

learned behaviorsmodified by experiencevariable, changeable flexible with a complex & changing environment

Innate behaviors: FAPs

1.Fixed action patterns (FAPs): sequence of unlearned acts that are unchangeable and usually carried to completion

• Triggered by sign stimulussign stimulus• Ensures that activities essential to

survival are performed correctly without practice

• Eg. goose & egg

Sign stimuli in a classic fixed action pattern- Stickleback fish

Proximate Cause–The red belly of the intruding male acts as a stimulus that releases aggression in male sticklebacks.Ultimate Cause–By chasing away other male sticklebacks a male decreases the chance that eggs laid in his territory will be fertilized by another male.

Kinesis: simple change in activity or turning rate in response to a stimulus

Taxis: change in direction, automatic movement, oriented movement +/- from stimulus (eg. phototaxis, chemotaxis, geotaxis)

2. Innate Behaviors: Directed Movements

Kinesis increases the chance that a sow bug will encounter and stayin a moist environment.

Positive rheotaxis keeps trout facing into the current, the directionfrom which most food comes.

3. Innate Behavior: MigrationRegular, long-distance change in locationEnvironmental cues: sun, stars, earth’s

magnetic field, landmarks

Learned behaviors: behaviors that are modified based on specific experiences

Types of Learning1. Habituation: loss of responsiveness to stimuli that convey little or no information

Simple form of learning“cry-wolf” effectdecrease in response to repeated

occurrences of stimulusenables animals to disregard

unimportant stimuliex: falling leaves not triggering

fear response in baby birds

Types of Learning2. Imprinting: learning + innate components

Limited to sensitive period in life, generally irreversible

ie. Lorenz’ imprinting in greylag geese

BEHAVIOR: Young geese follow and imprint on their mother.

PROXIMATE CAUSE: During an early, critical developmental stage, the young geese observe their mother moving away from them and calling.

ULTIMATE CAUSE: On average, geese that follow and imprint on their mother receive more care and learn necessary skills, and thus have a greater chance of surviving than those that do not follow their mother.

Sensitive PhaseSensitive phase for optimal imprinting

some behavior must be learned during a receptive time period

Some species of Cuckoo are brood parasites –They lay their eggs in other birds nests. Here a Reed Warbler is raising a Cuckoo chick. These chicks typically hatch first and then eject the other chick from the nest. Song development is innate and occurs during adulthood

• Captive breeding programs for endangered species must provide proper imprinting models

Pilot wearing crane suit acts as a surrogate parent to teach young whooping cranes a migration route

3. Spatial LearningCognitive Map: internal representation of

spatial relationship among objects in an animal’s surroundings

Birds use spatial maps to relocate nut caches

NestNo nest

Nest

Some organisms move in response to a recognized object or environmental cue, a landmark.

4. Associative Learning: ability to associate one stimulus with another (eg. monarchs = foul taste)

A. Classical conditioning: arbitrary stimulus associated with particular outcome (eg. Pavlov’s dogs: salivate with ringing bell)

Classic ConditioningPavlov’s Dogs -connect reflex behavior (salivating

at sight of food) to associated stimulus (ringing bell)

B. Operant conditioning: another type of associative learningTrial-and-error learningAssociate its own behavior with reward or

punishment

Skinner’s Box –mouse leans to associate behavior (pressing level) with reward (food pellets).

5. Cognition: process of knowing that involves awareness, reasoning, recollection, judgment

Problem-solving behavior relies on cognition

6. Social learning: learning by observing others

Vervet monkeys learning correct use

of alarm calls.

Examples of learned animal behavior

Nut-cracking crow (2:16)TED Talk: Amazing intelligence of crows (11:34)Chimpanzee problem solving (1:02)Chimpanzee problem solving by cooperation

(2:14)

Foraging: food-obtaining behavior

Recognize, search for, capturing, and consuming food

Minimize costs / Maximize benefits

Energy costs and benefits in foraging behavior

Social BehaviorsInteractions between individuals

1. develop as evolutionary adaptations2. communication / language3. agonistic behaviors4. dominance hierarchy5. cooperation6. altruistic behavior

1. Evolutionary Adaptations

Behaviors can be directed by genes

Certain behaviors in prairie voles are under relatively strong genetic control

ADH (vasopressin) triggers pair-bond formation and aggression by male voles

Differences in oxytocin (a hormone) receptors in 2 species of voles

Monogamous prairie voles vs. promiscuous montane voles

High oxytocin levels in prairie voles

Low oxytocin levels in montane voles

2. CommunicationA. Honeybee dance language

(Karl von Frisch –Dancing Bees)

Used to inform other bees about distance and direction of travel to food sources

“waggle dance”

2. CommunicationB. Bird Song

species identification & mating ritualmixed learned & innatecritical learning period

C. Insect Songmating ritual & songinnate, genetically controlled

3. Agonistic behavior: threats, rituals, and sometimes combat; settles disputes over resources (mates)

-Symbolic, usually no harm done, male competition for mating rightsex: territoriality, competitor aggression

A. Mating Behavior & Mate Choice

Sexual selection: seeking and attracting mates, choosing and competing for mates

Promiscuous MonogamousPolygamous

(polygynous)Polyandry

Partners Many One 1 M + many F 1F + many M

Structure Showy Similar Showy male Showy female

Care None Much Male = little Male = none

B. Sexual selectionIntrasexual selection-

competition among males (ex bighorn sheep)

Intersexual selection- males display certain traits to attract females (ex peacocks)

Not caused by natural selectionDiffer in mating success

Males compete, woman chooseMales sperm endless, woman

eggs limitedFemale choose traits that show

healthy male- Honest indicators

4. Dominance Hierarchy social ranking within a group

pecking order

5. Cooperationworking together in

coordination

6. Altruistic social behaviorAltruism = selfless behaviorReduce individual fitness but increase fitness of others

in populationi.e. bee societies; naked mole rats

Inclusive fitness: total effect of producing own offspring (pass on genes) + helping close relatives

Kin selection: type of natural selection; altruistic behavior enhances reproductive success of relatives

What does this mean? Explain.Geneticist J.B.S. Haldane: “I won’t lay down my life

for one brother, but I would lay down my life for two brothers or eight cousins.”

Signal: stimulus that causes a change in behavior; basis of animal communicationVisual signals – eg. Warning flash of white of a

mockingbird's wingTactile (touch) – eg. Male fruit fly taps female flyAuditory signals – screech of blue jay or song of warbler

Courtship behavior of fruit flies

Social Interaction Requires Communication:Pheromones

chemical signal that stimulates a response from other individualsalarm pheromonessex pheromones

Female Mosquito use CO2 Concentrations to locate prey

Female lions lure males with sex pheromones, posture, and movement

Ants use pheromones to mark their trails.

Marking territory with urine

Circadian Rhythm: internal biological clock

More on Clock Genes: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/inheritance/clockgenes/

The circadian clock in the hamster brain signals a change in coat color according to season by releasing the hormone melatonin.

Plants can have two internal clocks: one sensitive to light and the other sensitive to temperature

The Suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) region is located in the hypothalamus of the brain. The SCN sends signals throughout the body in response to dark and light.

Review QuestionNatural selection favors behaviors that increase survival and reproductive behaviors. For each of the following types of behaviors, describe an example in nature, and justify how this behavior is adaptive.

(a) Innate behavior(b) Learned behavior(c) Cooperative behavior(d) Chemical signals

Concept Check Questions1. Everything an animal does & how it does it._________2. Change in rate of movement in response to a

stimulus _______________________3. These are behaviors that are modified by experience

and as a result are variable or changeable ___________4. The releaser that triggers a FAP. ______________________5. Both a learned and an innate behavior when social

attachments are formed. ______________________________