Basic Questions: How Why

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Basic Questions How? Why?

• WFSC 422 Ethology
• Presentation 1.3

Dr. Jane M. Packard, WFSC TAMU j-packard_at_tamu.edu
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How Questions- Proximate

• Cause?
• Stimulus/response
• Internal state (mood)
• External context (cues, rewards)
• Development?
• Maturation
• Change with age
• Instinct/learning (genotype/phenotype)

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Why Questions- Ultimate

• Evolution?
• Convergent (similar)
• Divergent (different)
• Ancestral vs. derived traits (trunk vs. stems)
• Function?
• Those genotypes that survive better
• Those genotypes that reproduce better
• of genotypes changes between generations

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Concept Map
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How? Proximate Cause

• Proximate (genotype)
• Focus on individuals
• Analogous to a telephoto lens
• Cause A pattern in time
• Focus on external internal mechanisms
  stimulus, response internal state (mood)
• Analogous to a snapshot camera

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Sticklebacks- Cause
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Examples- Proximate Cause
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How? Proximate Development

• Proximate (genotype)
• Focus on individuals
• Analogous to a telephoto lens
• Development dynamic process
• Focus on how stimulus/response changes with age
  during maturation
• Analogous to a VIDEO camera

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Stickleback-development

• Juvenile/ neutral
• Subadult/pre-nuptial
• Adult/nuptial

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Example- change with age
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Why? Ultimate Evolution

• Ultimate-
• Focus on populations (gene-pool)
• Analogous to a wide-angle lens
• Evolution dynamic process- changes
• Focus on how species changed over phylogenetic
  history (e.g. glacial ages)
• Analogous to a VIDEO camera

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Examples- Ultimate Evolution
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Why? Ultimate Function

• Ultimate- (gene-pool)
• Focus on populations
• Analogous to a wide-angle lens
• Function static pattern at one time
• Focus on how some genotypes are more fit than
  others (contribute to next generation)
• Analogy- SNAPSHOT camera

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Example- Ultimate Function
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Concept Map- Zig-zag
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Similarities

• Proximate (individuals, genotypes)
• Cause Development
• Telephoto lens
• Ultimate (populations, gene pools)
• Evolution Function
• Wide-angle lens

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Differences

• Proximate- How?
• Cause- like a snapshot
• Development- like a video (lifetime)
• Ultimate- Why?
• Evolution- like a video (geological time)
• Function- like a snapshot

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Apply- wrasse cleaning behavior
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Concept Map- cleaning
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Apply- anemone fish
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Concept Map- defend anemone
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Action Items

• Do answers for Q1.4-1.7
• Search Google Scholar for stickleback, cleaner
  fish anemone fish
• Post sources on webCT Discussion Topic Unit 1