module 10 animal behavior

Ethology

The study of animal behavior.

Learned behavior

Responses acquired by an organism through experience.

Innate behavior

Behavior genetically programmed in an organism in response to a stimulus.

Taxis

Movement of an organism towards or away from a specific stimulus.

Kinesis

Random movement of an organism showing no orientation with respect to the stimulus.

Agonistic behavior

Animal behavior involving aggressive or submissive responses towards others.

Mating behavior

A series of activities facilitating finding, courting, and mating with a member of the same species.

Proximate causes

Investigate how an animal responds to a stimulus and the underlying physiological and neural mechanisms.

Ultimate causes

Investigate why an animal behaves in a certain way, focusing on the evolutionary explanation.

Chi-Square test

A statistical test used to determine the significance of differences between observed and expected data in categorical variables.

Chi Square Table

A table used to find critical values of the Chi Square distribution for hypothesis testing.

Degrees of Freedom (df)

The number of classes minus one, representing the number of independent observations in a statistical test.

Significance Level

The level of confidence chosen for a statistical test, typically set at 0.05 or 5%.

Null Hypothesis

A statement that there is no significant difference or relationship between variables in a statistical test.

Alternative Hypothesis

A statement that there is a significant difference or relationship between variables in a statistical test.

Geotaxis

The response of organisms to the force of gravity, either positively (moving with gravity), negatively (moving against gravity), or randomly.

Phototaxis

The response of organisms to light, either positively (moving towards light), negatively (moving away from light), or randomly.

Statistical Significance

The likelihood that a result or relationship is not due to chance, determined through statistical tests like Chi Square.

Kinesis in Pill Bugs

Study of pill bugs' response to wet and dry environmental conditions through observing their movement behaviors.

Pheromones

Chemical substances released by termites to communicate, find food, and mark trails for others to follow.

Trail Following

Behavior in termites where they track and follow chemical trails, such as those mimicking pheromones left by other termites.

2 (PE)

Volatile solvent found in blue and black ink of ballpoint pens that can mimic termite pheromones and attract termites.

Termite Behavior

Observing how termites interact with different ink lines to determine which pens contain chemicals mimicking pheromones.