Animal Behavior

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Animal Behavior
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Animal Behavior

• Behavior anything an animal does in response to
  a stimulus in its environment

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Ethology

• Study of how animals behave
• 4 main questions
• What stimulus elicits a behavior and what
  physiological mechanisms mediate a response?
• How does the animals experiences during
  development influence the response
• How does the behavior aid survival and
  reproduction
• What is the behaviors evolutionary basis.

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Instincts

• Innate behavior fixed
• (inherited)
• behaviors that all the
• animals in a population
• are born with (associated
• with instinct)

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Movement

• Kinesis change in activity due to a stimulus
• Taxis orientation towards or away from a
  stimulus

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Migration

• Migration a long distance change of locations
  done at regular intervals
• Usually stimulated by seasonal changes
• Use the sun, north star, or the earth magnetic
  field

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Rhythms

• Circadian rhythms daily cycles (rest, eating,
  etc), usually regulated by light and dark
• Circannual rhythms yearly cycles usually linked
  to seasons.
• Cortisol, released by the adrenal gland

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Territoriality

• - defense of a physical space, territory
• Songs, calls, intimidation, marking territory,
• attack,
• chase

bashing-bison.
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Fight or Flight

• The decision to fight or run is measured by risk
  and reward (benefits should out weight costs)

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Signaling

• Usually, visually, chemical, or auditory

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Learning

• Nature vs nurture- Genetic inheritance vs
  Environmental Influences

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Imprinting

• Imprinting a life long reaction or bond to an
  object or individual created at a young age
• Usually a baby raised by a different species
  mistakenly believes he is of that species

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Learning

• Habituation a reduction or loss of reaction to
  a stimuli (crying wolf)

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Classical conditioning

• Classical conditioning a stimulus elicits a
  response
• Povlovs dog ringing a dinner bell before
  dinner causes the dog to salivate without food
  being present

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• Pavlovs dogs

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Operant Conditioning

• Operant conditioning an animal connects his
  behavior with a good or bad response (trial and
  error)
• Rewarding dog with a treat

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Cognition

• Cognition the ability to think, reason and
  process information.
• Cognition can be used to problem solve

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Selection and Survival

• Most behaviors are ultimately formed by natural
  selection for survival and reproduction

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Mating Systems

• Promiscuous no mating bonds
• Monogamous strong bond forms one male one
  female for a long period
• Polygamous one sex mates with others

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Antagonistic behavior

• Competition to gain access to a resource.

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Altruism

• Altruism- animals reduces their individual
  fitness to increase the population fitness
• Insect societies- reproduction limited to only
  one pair, the queen and her mate. Workers take
  care of female and larvae gather food

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Social Learning

• Social learning an individual learns by copying
  the behavior of a more experienced individual.
• This breeds culture.
• Increases fitness

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Mate choice copying

• Mate choice copying females choose mates that
  other females find attractive