AP Biology: Animal Behavior

Ethology

study of animal behavior

Behavior

what an animal does and how it does it

Instinct (Innate) Behavior

behaviors that are inherited

Kinesis

random movement of animal in relation to stimulus; the stimulus causes an alteration in rate or direction of activity or movement.

Fixed-action Patterns

sequence of unlearned acts that are unchangeable and usually continue until they are completed

Signal

stimulus that causes change in behavior

Learned Behaviors

Behaviors that are modified based on specific experiences
example: nest building

Habituation

loss of responsiveness to stimuli with little or no meaning; animal can ignore meaningless stimuli

Associative Learning

ability to connect one stimulus with another

Classical Conditioning

arbitrary stimulus associated with particular outcome
example: training a dog

Operant Conditioning (trial and error)

when faced with two choices, an organism can learn to choose the option with the best reward.
example: students who study to improve their grades

Cognition

process of knowing that involves awareness, reasoning, recollection, and judgement

Social Learning

learning by observing others

Altruism

engaging in behavior that doesn't help you, but helps rest of population (selfless)

Inclusive Fitness

total effect of producing offspring and helping relatives

Kin Selection

altruistic behavior that enhances reproductive success of relatives

Agonistic Behavior

threats, rituals, and combat; settles disputes over resources, asserting dominance

Foraging

food obtaining behavior

Sexual Selection

seeking and attracting mates/choosing and competing for males

Pheromones

Chemical signals

Suckling

A mammal is born knowing how to nurse.
example: pig suckling at birth

Imprinting

Some baby bird species will follow the first moving object they see usually the mother.
example: ducks

Migration

organisms move from one place to another periodically, generally in response to temperature or food availability.
example: geese, monarch butterflies

Hibernation

An organism goes dormant for a long period of time to escape cold temperatures
example: bears, chipmunks, frogs

Estivation

An organism goes dormant for a long period of time to escape hot temperatures.
example: African bullfrog, fringe toed lizard, turtle

Positive Chemotaxis

An organism responds to a chemical by moving towards it.
example: male cockroach pheromones attract females

Negative Chemotaxis

An organism responds to a chemical by moving away from it.
example: the smell of a skunk repels other animals

Positive Phototaxis

An organism responds to light by moving towards it.
example: moths to a light

Negative Phototaxis

An organism responds to light by moving away from it.
example: moles live underground

Mutualism

Both species benefit
example: bee and flowers

Commensalism

One species benefits and the other is unaffected
example: whale and barnacle

Parasitism

one species benefits and the other is harmed
example: dog and flea

Intra-specific Competition

occurs among organisms of same species

Inter-specific Competition

Occurs among organisms of different species
example: competition between hyenas and lions for a dead zebra

Resource Partitioning

Species consume slightly different foods or use other resources in slightly different ways

Aposematic Coloration

"stay away" color
example: black widow's red underbelly

Batesian Mimicry

Mimicking a poisonous organism's coloring

Disruptive Coloring

Obscures size/shape of an organisms body
example: zebras's stripes