AP Bio Ch. 39 - Animal Behavior

Innate vs. Learned behavior

Innate: Developmentally fixed, instinctual.

Learned: Behaviors that result from trial/error, experience, and observation

Choose an animal behavior. Determine its proximate and ultimate causes.

• Chemotaxis

• Migration

• Fixed action patterns

• Imprinting

Define fixed action patterns and sign stimulus, give an example

Fixed action pattern (FAP): A set of instinctual behaviors usually carried out to completion once started.

Sign stimulus: Sensory input that triggers the FAP

Ex.: Male stickleback aggression when viewing red. FAP=Aggression/territory defense, SS=Seeing the color red

Distinguish between kinesis and taxis. Provide examples of types of taxis

Kinesis: Random, non-targeted movement.

Taxis: Targeted movement towards (positive) or away from (negative) a stimulus.

Phototaxis, Chemotaxis, Thermotaxis

Explain how migrating animals track their position on a route

Using landmarks, sun/star position, and magnetic fields

Describe bee communication

“dance language”, circular movements show direction of food and waggles show distance. Pheromones keep the social order.

Reproductive vs. Non-reproductive pheromone examples

Reproductive: Fruit fly females secreting pheromones to identify themselves as part of the species during courtship

Non-reproductive: Minnows releasing pheromones from skin when injured to alert other minnows to seek safety

Define imprinting and identify a proximate and ultimate cause for it.

Imprinting: The establishment of a long lasting behavioral response to an individual or object, formed during a sensitive period while an animal is young.

P: Young sees an object that meets certain characteristics and follows

U: The young bonds with a parent who will now protect them, and learns survival skills→survivability→reproduction

Describe Tinbergen’s experiment with digger wasps

• Digger wasps cover their nests, then leave for food and find nest again

• T first put pine cones in circle around nest, moved pinecones away, wasps continued to fly to pine cones

  • Demonstrates cognitive maps and spatial learning

Classical vs. Operant conditioning

Classical: Animal learns to associate neutral stimulus with significant stimulus

Operant: Animal learns to associate behavior with reward/punishment

Mating systems, with an ultimate cause for each

• Monogamy: One parent of each sex, long lasting

  • U: More care for young→Survivability

• Polygyny: One male mates with many females

  • U: Favorable traits from male (due to intersexual selection)→Survivability

Intersexual vs Intrasexual selection

Intersexual: Mate choice, usually females choosing a male mate (opp. sexes)

Intrasexual: Same sex, usually males competing for a mate

Define altruistic behavior (using Belding’s ground squirrels)

Altruism: An animal reduces its individual fitness to increase the fitness of the group.

SQUIRRELS! Females make an alarm call to alert colony of a predator. Only happens with related individuals to protect their genes!