Animal Behavior and Management

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Animal Behavior and Management
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Lecture Outline

• Definition
• Types of behavior
• Social organization
• Role in partitioning resources
• Reproduction
• Communication
• Management implications

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ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

• Ethology - the study of animal behavior under
  natural conditions.

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Why do animals behave as they do?

• Proximate behaviors
• Stimulus elicits a direct or immediate response
• Ultimate behaviors
• Response provides evolutionary advantage

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Types of behavior

• Innate behavior
• Genetically programmed
• Taxis or reflex
• Not easily modified

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Types of behavior

• Learned behavior
• Trial and error
• Easily modified

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Types of behavior

• Imprinting - learning which occurs during a
  critical period of time
  

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Early life

• Precocial alert and well-developed
• Altricial require more parental care

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Habitat Selection

• Is habitat selection inherent or learned?
• Chipping sparrows select small pines

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Habitat Selection

• Chipping Sparrows prefer small pines
• Group 1 - Wild caught birds
• Group 2 - Hand-reared birds with access to
  pine and oaks
• Group 3 - Hand-reared birds reared in oaks
• WHERE WILL THEY NEST AS ADULTS?

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Habitat Selection

• Habitats preferred by adults
• Pines
  Oaks
• 71 Group 1 29
• 67 Group 2 33
• 54 Group 3 46

Conclusion -- Habitat preference has a genetic
component, but can be modified by learning
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Social Behavior

• Hierarchies status systems in animal societies
• Less fighting
• Less tension
• Less energy loss

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Social Organization

• Behavior and genetics
• Altruism care giving is costly
• Kin selection benefits relatives

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Social Organization

• Benefits of flocking
• Detects predators
• Confuse predators
• Feeding and hunting advantages
• Synchronize breeding
• Facilitate movement

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Partitioning Resources

• Territories - defended
• Mating
• Nesting
• Feeding
• Loafing

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Reproduction

• Leave as many offspring as possible
• Mating systems
• Monogamous strong pair bonds
• Polygamous several mates

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Communication

• Ritualized behavior and displays, often involving
  special anatomical features

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Communication

• Postures
• Auditory
• Visual
• Chemical

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Chemicals
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Chemicals
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Management implications

• Reproduction manage species
• Sex ratios for breeding
• Adjust harvest to match breeding

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Management implications

• Pest control
• Translocation of problem animals
• Pheromone traps
• Taxis - mosquitoes

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Management implications

• Censusing wildlife
• Breeding lek behavior
• Auditory howling surveys
• Migration corridors

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Management implications

• Research - capture
• Pecking order
• Territoriality

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Management implications

• Learned behavior captive breeding

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Management implications

• Imprinting captive breeding

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Management implications Provide suitable
high-quality habitat