ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

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ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

• Chapter 41

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Learning Objectives

• Introduction how is behavior related to
  genetics, evolution and ecology?
• What is innate behavior and what are some
  examples?
• What is learned behavior and what are some
  examples?
• What are other behaviors that combine innate and
  learned aspects?

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Evolution and Ecology
  DNA Lifes information in genes   Evolution Shap
ing species by shaping genes in
populations   Behavior  Behaviors of species
result from evolutionary processes acting on
genes in the struggle to Win the Game
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The Subdisciplines of Ecology     Ecosystems
Communities and Environment   Communiti
es Species Interacting Ecology with
Other Species     Populations Survival of
Species   Behavioral Evolved Behaviors
to Ecology Win the Game
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Behavioral Ecology
  Behaviors are usually a result of genes and
environmental influences Nature Nurture
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Genes and Environment
Nature and Nurture
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Behavioral Ecology
 Nature Genes Innate behaviors Learned
behaviors Environment Nurture
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Learning Objectives

• Introduction how is behavior related to
  genetics, evolution and ecology?
• What is innate behavior and what are some
  examples?
• What is learned behavior and what are some
  examples?
• What are other behaviors that combine innate and
  learned aspects?

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Innate and Learned Behaviors Represent a Continuum
Innate Behavior
Learned Behavior
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Behavioral Ecology
Characteristics of Innate Behaviors appropriate
behavior without experience behaviors very
important to survival and reproduction automatic
responses to important stimuli or releasers
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Examples of Innate Behavior

• Escape or defensive behaviors
• Fixed Action Patterns (FAPS)

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• A. Innate Behavior
• Inborn behavior that is largely genetically
  determined.
• Ex. escape or defensive behaviors
• Many innate behaviors are stereotyped (all
  members of a species perform the behavior
  identically).
• Stereotyped behavioral sequences are called fixed
  action patterns (FAPs).
• Ex. egg retrieving behavior of graylag goose

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Once begun, FAPs continue to completion, even
without appropriate feedback.
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• FAPs are triggered by a specific stimulus called
  the releaser (sign stimulus).
• What is releaser for graylag goose egg retrieval?
• Releasers can be
• visual (red underbelly of stickleback fish light
  flashes of fireflies gaping mouth of baby birds)
• auditory (sounds of mosquitoes crickets)
• tactile (male prodding of female stickleback)
• chemical (pheromones)

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• Supernormal releaser - a model that exaggerates a
  releaser elicits a stronger response than does
  the natural object.

Herring gull chicks obtain food from their mother
by pecking on her bill. Normal releaser is red
spot on an oblong object.
Supernormal releaser is an oblong object that is
totally red or has red stripes.
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Learning Objectives

• Introduction how is behavior related to
  genetics, evolution and ecology?
• What is innate behavior and what are some
  examples?
• What is learned behavior and what are some
  examples?
• What are other behaviors that combine innate and
  learned aspects?

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Examples of Learned Behavior

• Habituation
• Classical conditioning
• Operant conditioning
• Imprinting
• Insight learning
• Latent learning

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• B. Learned Behavior
• Behavior modified by experience.
• Types of Learning
• 1. Habituation (simplest form)
• Animal learns to ignore irrelevant stimuli.
• Young chicks learn to ignore falling leaves
  silhouettes of non-predatory birds.
• Birds learn to ignore scarecrow.
• Mothers learn to ignore noisy children.

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• 2. Classical Conditioning
• Animal learns to associate a new stimulus
  (conditioned stimulus) with a reward or
  punishment.
• Dog associates the sound of a bell with food.
  Pavlovs dogs
• Ducks associate people with food.

• Bears associate cars with food.
• Extinction - loss of a conditioned response.

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• 3. Operant Conditioning (trial-and-error)
• Animal learns to associate one of its own
  behaviors with a reward (positive reinforcement)
  or punishment (negative reinforcement).
• Used extensively by animal trainers.

• Coyote learns to avoid porcupines.
• Rat learns to press a lever to obtain food.

• Parrot learns to ride a scooter.

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• 4. Imprinting
• Animal learns during a limited time period
  (critical period).
• Newly hatched chicks, goslings or ducklings learn
  to identify the first moving object they see as
  mother.
• (Konrad Lorenz)

• Baby birds learn species-specific songs.
• Mother goat learns to identify her kids odor.

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• 5. Insight Learning (reasoning)
• Animal applies prior learning to new situations
  without trial-and-error activities.
• Rare seen mostly in primates.
• Chimpanzee figures out how to stack boxes to
  reach bananas hanging from the ceiling.
• Human child figures out how to build a vehicle by
  placing a box on roller skates.

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• 6. Latent Learning
• Animal uses past observations to perform a new
  activity occurs without obvious punishment or
  reward.
• Rats learn to negotiate a maze more rapidly if
  theyve been previously exposed to it.
• Wild animals learn details of their range during
  daily explorations.
• Predators learn hunting tactics by observing
  their mother.

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Learning Objectives

• Introduction how is behavior related to
  genetics, evolution and ecology?
• What is innate behavior and what are some
  examples?
• What is learned behavior and what are some
  examples?
• More complex behaviors involving innate and
  learned aspects --- highly adaptive for a
  species and are modifiable by natural selection.

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• Most animal behaviors have both genetic (nature)
  and environmental (nurture) components.
• C. Types of Behavior
• 1. Orientation and Navigation
• Many animals orient (move in a specific
  direction) and navigate (follow a specific
  course).
• Male moths flying toward pheromone-releasing
  females.
• Bees flying to from nectar sources.

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Examples of Complex Behaviors

• Short-distance orientation and navigation
• Long-distance navigation and migration
• Aggression reducers
• Territoriality
• Dominance hierarchies
• Mating Behavior
• Altruism
• Group Living (Sociality)

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Round dance indicates that food is close to the
hive.

• Waggle dance indicates that food is far away
• orientation of the run relates direction
• frequency of waggles relates distance

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Behavioral Ecology
 Major Types of Behaviors Orientation and
Navigation Genes and environmental cues feeding
and breeding Birds Salmon Sea turtles Monarch
butterflies
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• The most complex orientation navigation
  behaviors are seen in migrating animals.

Migration a regularly repeated journey from
one specific geographic region to another.
Bird migrations
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Salmon Migration Cost/Benefit
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My personal experience with migrating salmon
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(No Transcript)
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Map of the General Area
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Beaver Taking Off!
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This Grizzly Just Walked Away From a Half-Eaten
Meal
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Huntin Fer Food!
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Drat! That Salmon Cut Right and I Went Left!
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I Finally Caught One!
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Ah - A Glass of White Zinfandel Would Go Great
With This !
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Spawning Salmon Pink and Chum in July August
period
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Gulls Will bob For Salmon Eggs Below The Surface
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Bald Eagle Checking Things Out Above Pack Creek
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Behavioral Ecology
Monarch Butterflies What is adaptive about this
migration? What are the genetic and
environmental influences on this behavior?
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Monarch Butterfly
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Behavioral Ecology
Monarch Butterflies 3-4 generations born during
summer months Last generation of summer arrested
in development, lives about 8-9
months Environmental cues trigger migration
south to Sierra Madre Mountains in Central Mexico
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Southward Migration- Fall
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Monarch Clusters!
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Happy School Kids Get Involved!
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Northward Migration Spring and Summer
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Monarch Migration Data - Spring 2001
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• Most migrating species use environmental cues for
  orientation navigation.
• sun stars
• earths magnetic field
• sounds, odors, landmarks

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• 2. Aggression
• Often displayed when individuals are competing
  for the same resources (mates, food, shelter,
  nesting sites).
• Aggression is minimized by territoriality and
  dominance hierarchies.
• Territoriality - behavior that defends ones
  territory.
• Common among insects, birds mammals.

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• Territories can be
• large or small
• defended against all members of the species or
  members of one sex
• defended year round or seasonally
• Ownership is displayed by marking boundaries

• pheromones
• scent glands
• urine
• dung

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• Dominance hierarchy - a social ranking of adult
  members of the same sex.
• Common among vertebrates (domestic hens, wolves).

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• 3. Mating Behavior
• Many animals have elaborate, species- specific
  courtship displays (prevents interspecific
  mating).

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Mating Behavior in Fiddler Crabs

• Common inhabitants of sandy beaches and muddy
  bays
• Adults sexually dimorphic
• Several species coexist in same habitat
  competition for mates is fierce!
• Males have evolved different claw displays
  (waves) to entice females to burrows

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Uca pugnax fiddler crab
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Uca belleni
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Uca coloradensis
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Waving Activity of Two species of Fiddler Crabs
(Uca)
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• Mating Systems
• Monogamy - male female are paired for a period
  of time (days, season, lifetime) tend to care
  for protect young.
• Ex. elephant shrews Bewicks swans
• Polygamy - member of one sex mates with several
  members of opposite sex members are usually
  sexually dimorphic.
• polygyny - 1 ? / many ?s
• polyandry - 1 ? / many ?s
• polygynandry - both sexes have multiple partners.

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• Bewicks Swans
• Monogamous and pair for life

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Northern Fur Seals are good examples of animals
that illustrate polygyny (1 male, several
females)
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Northern Fur Seals True Surfer Dudes!
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N.F.S. Bull (Very Territorial!)
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N.F.S. Bulls and Harems
Bull
Bulls
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Hi! Im practicing for the circus!
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Get on with the lecture, will ya?
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The Sierra dome spider illustrates polyandry

• Female produces pheromone and draws in the males
• Female selects strong robust male
• They mate for awhile (up to several hours)
• Then they smoke some cigarettes
• She dismisses the suitor, she eats and then
  invites another one in

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Sierra dome spider
Male
Female
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• 4. Altruism
• Behavior that increases anothers fitness at the
  expense of ones own fitness frequently seen in
  complex social groups (honeybees, naked mole
  rats).
• Altruism is explained by kin selection.
• By helping a relative survive and reproduce, the
  altruistic member ensures that some of their
  genes are passed to the next generation.

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• D. Group Living
• Many animals live in groups.
• Advantages
• conserve heat or moisture
• better defense (confusion, mobbing)
• enhanced reproductive success
• improved food acquisition
• improved learning
• Disadvantages
• rapid depletion of limited food supply
• spread of disease

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• Eusocial animals exhibit 4 characteristics
• cooperative care of young
• overlapping generations
• division of labor
• communication
• chemical (alarm pheromone of ants)
• auditory (sperm whales elephants)
• tactile (grooming behaviors of nonhuman primates)
• visual (round waggle dances of honeybees)

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• Examples of eusocial animals

Snapping shrimp
Honeybees
Naked mole rats