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behavior analysis

NEUROBIOLOGY – BIOL 475

6 PhDsRobertsAndres $ 750 K

PhD (1990) Toronto

Postdoc (1994) Uni. WürzburgResearch Scientist (1997) MPI Tübingen

LEARNING

SPACED TRAINING~ study every night

MASSED TRAINING~ cramming M

EMO

RY

TIME

STUDY HABITS

nervous system and control of behavior

INTRODUCTION

nervous system and control of behavior

what is behavior ?

what organisms do it ?

what is needed for behavior to occur ?

why bother studying behavior at all ?

“all of neurobiology is only interesting in the context of behavior” a famous guy whose name i forget

INTRODUCTION

nervous system and control of behavior

integrated multidisciplinary science

ethology

psychology

anatomy

genetics

biochemistry molecular biology

cellular physiology

developmental biology

INTRODUCTION

nervous system and control of behavior

integrated multidisciplinary science

building blocks of behavior

INTRODUCTION

GENESMESSAGESPEPTIDESPROTEINS

PROTEIN COMPLEXESORGANELLES

NEURONSASSEMBLIESSTRUCTURES

CIRCUITSNERVOUS SYSTEM

WHOLE ANIMALBEHAVIOR

EXPERIENCE

ENVIRONMENT

PLASTICITY

verticalintegration

INFORMATION FLOW

GENESMESSAGESPEPTIDESPROTEINS

PROTEIN COMPLEXESORGANELLES

NEURONSASSEMBLIESSTRUCTURES

CIRCUITSNERVOUS SYSTEM

WHOLE ANIMALBEHAVIOR

EXPERIENCE

ENVIRONMENT

PLASTICITY

verticalintegration

INFORMATION FLOW

multiple approaches always best, if possible

natural setting: evolution “ultimate” questions why does behavior happen ?

laboratory setting: mechanism (phenotypes ?) “proximate” questions how does behavior happen ?

MEASURING BEHAVIOR

setting determined by question

“good” experiments possible in both

natural setting: observe in ecologically relevant context difficult to control, especially experience

laboratory setting: difficulties in relating to natural behavior relatively more easily controlled

MEASURING BEHAVIOR

chapter 1: neurons as the building blocks of behavior

measuring behavior

in a natural setting

in a laboratory setting

chapter 1: neurons as the building blocks of behavior

measuring behavior

in a natural setting

in a laboratory setting

#01: BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS

a bit of history... Aristotle: “honeybee dance” Darwin: behavior character of animals Lorenz, Tinbergen & von Frisch: Nobel

ethology (Greek) ethos = “manner” meticulous & thorough observation clever experimental rigor

NATURAL SETTING

Lorenz & Tinbergen

NATURAL SETTING

Lorenz & Tinbergen grey-lag goose egg rolling behavior stereotypic / “robot-like” behavior removed egg, behavior persisted fixed-action-pattern (FAP):

innate stereotypic behavior sequence completion without feedback

triggered by “egg-like” sign stimulus (SS) response filtered by innate releasing mechanism (IRM) “egg-ness” of SS activating IRM called releasers

NATURAL SETTING

FAP: fiddler crab courtship behavior beckoning behavior attractss species-specific waving strong natural selection on behavior ? sexually dimorphic distinguishes & interlocking releasers:

behavior SS for response SS for further behavior often typical of courtship in nature

NATURAL SETTING

use of landmarks for navigation pine cone markers manipulated went to sham nest

Tinbergen - digger wasp navigation feed immobilized bees to larvae

NATURAL SETTING

Tinbergen - digger wasp navigation feed immobilized bees to larvae use of landmarks for navigation experimented with dummy stimuli

components of attack on bees olfactory or visual wasp tracked dead bee (odor) bee-like object (visual) releasing value of stimulus wasp stung only bees with both

NATURAL SETTING

Tinbergen, herring gulls adults regurgitate to feed young triggered by young pecking at beak stimulus releasing value ability of stimulus to elicit species-typical behavior

p.8 fig.1.3

dummy stimuli releasers ? spot color spot prominence bill color moving pencil

NATURAL SETTING

what elicits aggression in 2nd ? shape ? red stripe ? position of stripe ?

ventral attack dorsal capitulation

p.8 fig.1.3

Tinbergen, sticklebacks territorial has red stripe on belly stimulus releasing value ability of stimulus to elicit species-typical FAPs

NATURAL SETTING

Tinbergen, escape response of chicks stimulus releasing value ability of stimulus to elicit species-typical FAPs dummy stimuli releasers ?

p.8 fig.1.3

moved overhead shadow stimuli in 2 directions goose shape no response hawk shape escape response same stimulus, direction only

NATURAL SETTING

ETHOGRAM

MOVE AWAY: Any movement by the wasp away from the host after the host has been contacted. Consists of walking or running, moving away as a defensive behavior, being pushed away or thrown off by host.

SEARCH: Movement of wasp in response to its environment apart from direct interaction with host. Consists of walking, running, antennae-waving or touching surroundings. Usually leads to host location by random processes or directed ones.

BITE: Wasp grabs host with its mandibles and successfully pierces the host integument preparatory to stinging.

ETHOGRAM: BEHAVIORAL “UNITS”

SEARCH: Movement of wasp in response to its environment apart from direct interaction with host. Consists of walking, running, antennae-waving or touching surroundings. Usually leads to host location by random processes or directed ones. MOVE AWAY: Any movement by the wasp away from the host after the host has been contacted. Consists of walking or running, moving away as a defensive behavior, being pushed away or thrown off by host. BITE: Wasp grabs host with its mandibles and successfully pierces the host integument preparatory to stinging. ANTENNAL TIP: Touching host with the antennae, one time or several times in a row, uninterrupted by another behavior. ANTENNAL SIDE: Same as antennal tip except the sides of the antennae are used for touching. HEAD/MOUTH: Moving head or mouth close to host and touching without biting. CLIMB ON: Climbing up on host larva in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation. STING: Curling of abdomen around host and inserting sting into host. TURN: Change in body direction of wasp by at least 90 degrees in response to host movement. PAUSE: A momentary cessation of all obvious behavior except for antennal waving. ATTEMPTED BITE: Wasp attempts to grab larvae with its mandibles, but fails to do so. ATTEMPTED STING: An attempt at stinging but it does not penetrate host integument, or host fails to become paralyzed. GROOM: Self-grooming by the wasp. CATATONIC: The state after the wasp has attempted to or has stung the host. The wasp continues to hold on with its mandibles, but ceases all other movement. This state continues until the host's movements have slowed to almost complete cessation, or until after several seconds of no change in the host's movement, when the wasp begins to move again. CHEW: Mandibles embedded in a paralyzed host, wasp appears to be extracting fluids from the host. There is little movement except for rhythmic movement of the head and mandibles, with an occasional pumping motion of the abdomen. PULL: When a wasp grabs the host larvae with its mandibles and pulls (or pushes) it on the substrate. RUB: Wasp rubs host larva with the tip of her abdomen. REST: Wasp tilts head down against substratum and ceases all movement. This lasts for at least 30 seconds.

ETHOGRAM: BEHAVIORAL “UNITS”

ETHOGRAM: TRANSITION PROBABILITY

ETHOGRAM

ETHOGRAM

ETHOGRAM