Animal Behaviour Lecture Series

What is animal behavior?

Everything an animal does and why and how it does it.

What is behavioral ecology?

How adaptive behaviors contribute to survival and reproductive success.

What did early humans understand about animal behavior?

They had practical knowledge of animal behavior for survival.

What major transition occurred during the Neolithic Revolution?

The transition to farming and animal domestication.

Who were Darwin and Wallace?

They developed theories of evolution by natural selection.

What was the significance of the 1973 Nobel Prize winners in animal behavior?

Tinbergen, von Frisch, and Lorenz won for their work, shifting animal behavior into a rigorous scientific discipline.

What is an ethogram?

An objective description of behaviors that is quantifiable and repeatable.

What does ethology study?

The functional significance of behaviors in evolution.

What does behavioral psychology investigate?

The physiological mechanisms controlling behaviors.

What questions do Tinbergen's four questions explore?

Proximate and ultimate questions about animal behavior.

What are proximate questions in animal behavior?

Questions about how a behavior happens, including environmental/internal stimuli and genetic mechanisms.

What are ultimate questions in animal behavior?

Questions about why a behavior occurs, focusing on survival and evolutionary history.

What is a fixed action pattern?

A genetically-based behavioral response triggered by specific stimuli.

What is imprinting in animal behavior?

A combination of innate and learned components that occurs during a critical/sensitive period.

What is spatial learning?

Using environmental cues to locate resources.

What is classical conditioning?

A neutral stimulus becomes associated with reflex-eliciting stimuli.

What is operant conditioning?

Voluntary behaviors that are reinforced or punished.

What is kinesis?

A non-directional response to a stimulus.

What is taxis?

Directional movement towards or away from a stimulus.

What are the types of taxis?

Rheotaxis (stream orientation), geotaxis (earth orientation), phototaxis (light orientation).

What is migration in animal behavior?

Regular, long-distance movement for reasons such as finding food or avoiding unfavorable conditions.

What are behavioral rhythms?

Cyclical patterns of behavior such as circadian, cicannual, and circa-tidal rhythms.

What key takeaway is emphasized in animal behavior?

Most behaviors are subject to natural selection, favoring survival and reproductive success.

What is social behavior?

Interaction of two or more animals of the same species.

What are the benefits of living in groups?

Capture large prey, locate scarce resources, and share resources.

What are the costs of living in groups?

Disease transmission, competition for resources, and increased visibility to predators.

What is the selfish herd?

Competition for central, safer group positions among animals.

What is group defense in animals?

Prey animals can collectively defend against predators.

What are foraging benefits of social behavior?

Information sharing and collective hunting.

What is altruism in animal behavior?

Behavior that benefits another at one's own expense.

What is reciprocal altruism?

Exchange of aid between individuals.

What does Hamilton's rule explain?

Conditions under which altruism can evolve based on relatedness and costs.

What are the defining characteristics of eusocial species?

Overlap of generations, reproductive division of labor, cooperative brood care.

How do males and females differ in parental investment?

The sex investing least typically competes for the higher-investing sex.

What is sexual selection?

When one sex gains advantages in obtaining mates.

What are the types of sexual selection?

Intra-sexual selection (competition within one sex) and inter-sexual selection (mate choice).

What is polygyny in animal mating systems?

A single male mates with multiple females.

What is polyandry in animal mating systems?

A single female mates with multiple males.

What is monogamy in animal mating systems?

A male and female mate exclusively with each other.

What is runaway selection?

Exaggerated traits develop through positive feedback between male ornamentation and female preference.

How do females select mates based on parasite load detection?

Females choose mates with physical characteristics that indicate parasite resistance.

What promotes communication among animals?

The need for senders to produce signals and receivers to utilize them for decision making.

What are channels of communication in animals?

Visual, chemical, acoustic, vibratory signals.

What is a limitation of visual communication?

It is only useful in sufficient ambient