Behavioral Biology

1
Behavioral Biology

• Chapter 51

http//classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFoli
o.cgi?actionviewlinkAnimations/Peopleimagesle
eping.gifimgtt
2

• Behavior what an animal does and why they do
  it.
• Has proximate (immediate responses) and ultimate
  (evolutionary reasons) causes.
• Innate behavior present at birth.

3
http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thum
b/6/69/Greifreflex.JPG/180px-Greifreflex.JPG
Human grasp reflex innate behavior
4

• Fixed action pattern (FAP) acts that are
  unchangeable and carried to completion.
• Triggered by a stimulus.

5
These chicks peck at red spot on mothers beak to
stimulate regurgitating reflex.
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_action_pattern
6

• Optimal foraging theory foraging is balance
  between cost and reward.
• Animals expend the least amount of energy to get
  the most food.

7
Hummingbirds must constantly eat in order to keep
up with demand.
http//www.cquest.utoronto.ca/cgi-bio150/foraging/
book.cgi?fromintrosection2bookoptimalpagemod
els
8
Learning

• Modification of behavior because of specific
  experiences.
• Different from maturation (change due to
  development in neuromuscular system)
• If stimulus is overused, habituation occurs. (no
  response)

9
http//www.jolyon.co.uk/illustrations/vision/jpg_8
.1_habituation.htm
10

• AImprinting learning limited to specific period
  in animals life (sensitive period)
• Seen in songbirds song bird must learn song
  during sensitive period or it wont learn it.

11
http//www.pigeon.psy.tufts.edu/avc/zentall/images
/defaul5.jpg
12

• BAssociative learning associating one stimulus
  for another.
• 1Classical conditioning one stimulus gives
  reward or punishment (Pavlovs dogs)
• 2Operant conditioning trial and error learning

13
http//www.geocities.com/skews_me_too/img/pavlovdo
g.jpg
14
http//www.psy.pdx.edu/PsiCafe/Overheads/OperantCo
nd.jpg
15

• CPlay no external goal, but has goal-directed
  behaviors.
• Could be for exercise or for practice (i.e. play
  fighting)

16
http//www.milwaukeedogparks.org/images/9-2820cro
p20Talih2020Henley20001.jpg
17
Cognition

• Ability of animals nervous system to perceive,
  store, process, and use information gathered by
  receptors.
• 1Kinesis and taxis kinesis change in activity
  due to stimulus taxis movement towards/away
  from stimulus.

18
Sowbugs exhibit kinesis they are more active
in dry areas, less in humid areas. This ensures
they will always be in wet areas.
http//www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/trees/ef
406sow.gif
19
Before adding light After adding light
The organisms exhibit positive phototaxis and
orient towards the light.
http//users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyP
ages/T/Taxes.html
20

• 2Landmarks more complex ability to use objects
  as memory tools.
• 3Cognitive maps code of spatial relationships
  among objects.
• Blue jays can remember thousands of storage areas
  for food.

21
http//www.turtletrack.org/Issues03/Co09202003/Art
/Jay.jpg
22

• Cognition studied through migration (movement
  over long distances)

23
http//www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Birds/Avian-migrati
on-Swans.jpg
24
Social behavior

• Any interaction between 2 animals, usually the
  same species.
• 1Agnostic behavior involves threatening/submissi
  ve behavior winner earns something (mate, food)
• Involves rituals, reconciliation behavior.

25
Ritual behavior in birds
http//www.worldbook.com/features/birds/html/how_f
amilylife.html
26

• 2Dominance hierarchy pecking order from
  top-ranked to bottom.
• 3Territoriality defends territories for mating,
  feeding, etc.

27
Dominance hierarchy in bears
http//alaskabeartours.com/images3/big/fight2.jpg
28
Mating behaviors

• 1Courtship behavior patterns leading to mating.
• Amount of time proportional to parental
  investments (amount of time needed to
  produce/raise young)
• http//www.liveleak.com/view?i322_1185412350

29
http//www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonis
ts/cga/lowres/cgan141l.jpg
30

• 2Mating systems vary in species.
• APromiscuous no strong relationships.
• BMonogamous one male/one female.

31
http//www.picturethisgallery.com/Artists/Larson,
20Judy/Alpha20dogs.jpg
32

• CPolygamous more than one partner polygyny 1
  male/

33
http//www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/07071
8001620.htm
New evidence shows that this fox, once thought to
be monogamous, may exhibit polyandry.
34

• DSignals behavior that causes change in
  behavior in other animal.
• 1Phermones chemical signals emitted from
  animals.

35
http//www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/bgr0004l.jpg
36

• Altruism reduces individual fitness but
  increases fitness of recipient.
• Leads to inclusive fitness total effect an
  individual has on passing on genes by producing
  offspring and helping to raise close relatives.

37
http//content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/9/9d
/Monkeysgrooming.jpg
38

• Kin selection form of altruism specific to
  families.
• Weakens with hereditary distance.
• Reciprocal altruism altruism outside of family
  (seen rarely i.e. humans)

39

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?emb0eurlhttp3A2F
  2Fvideo.google.com2Fvideosearch3Fq3Decologyv
  yRLfRRNoZzI
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?emb0eurlhttp3A2F
  2Fvideo.google.com2Fvideosearch3Fq3Decologyv
  yC6JM8oZzwI
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?emb0eurlhttp3A2F
  2Fvideo.google.com2Fvideosearch3Fq3Decologyv
  Vr7i1j7QtGY