Behavioral Ecology: Chapter 43

Organism

A living thing

Population

A group of one species of organisms that live in the same area at the same time

Community

A group of different species of organisms

Ecosystem

A group of biotic and abiotic factors that interact

Biome

Multiple of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms that are in different parts of the planet

Biosphere

All living and non-living things on Earth

Biotic factors

Living things

Abiotic factors

Non living things

How do biotic factors influence an ecosystem

Availability of food, number of predators, competition

How do abiotic factors influence an ecosystem

Resource availability, environment

Stimulus

A signal to an organism that results in an action

What causes behavior

Environment + genetics

Innate behaviors

Behaviors that are from genetics, instinct/reflexes

Learned behaviors

Behaviors that are learned from experience

Migration

Moving from one location to another (usually innate)

Hibernation

Sleeping through winter

Circadian rhythm

The body's natural internal process that determines when an organism falls asleep/wakes up

Courtship signals

Behaviors organisms use to attract mates/initiate reproduction

Fixed action patterns (FAPs)

Sequences of the same behavior that occur in exactly the same fashion, in exactly the same order, every time a specific stimuli is introduced (innate behaviors_

Estivation

Sleeping through summer

Habituation

Decreased response to repeated stimulus (learned)

Imprinting

Learning that occurs at an early stage of life (chick follows first object it sees) (learned)

Conditioning

Classical conditioning

Associating two things (dog salvating with food and bell)

Operant conditioning

Reward and punishment in result of specific actions

Communication

Organisms sending signals/messages through sound and color

Fitness

The ability to survive and reproduce

What might a female do when there is a limited number of primates

A female may mate with multiple mates

What may occur when there is limited mating for males

Monogamy (both male and females help with young/stay together)

What factors affect reproductive strategies

Number of males and females and resources present in environment

Altruism

Potential to decrease lifetime reproductive success of the altruist, while benefitting another member of society

Natural selection

The process where new traits are either favored or eliminated over time

Inclusive Fitness

Personal reproductive success and success of relatives

Direct fitness

A relative passes a shared gene directly to an offspring

Indirect fitness

A relative passes a shared gene to the next generation

Reciprocal altruism

One individual helps another, even at cost to itself, expecting the favor will be returned later

Kin selection

A form of natural selection that favors the reproductive success of an organisms relatives

Unlike kin altruism, reciprocal altruism can happen with animals that are not….

close relatives

Foraging

Animals need to find a food source that provides more energy than the amount of energy it takes to obtain the food (can be learned, but also partially innate)

Ecological niche

A species role in an ecosystem

Components of an organisms ecological niche

What it eats, where it lives, how it interacts with others, when its active, how it reproduces

Can two species occupy the same exact niche?

No

Visual cues

Animals detect movement, colors, or shapes

Auditory cues

Organisms respond to sound waves

Mechanical cues

Detecting pressure, vibration, or touch

Chemical cues

Detecting chemical signals through smell or taste

Phototrophic cues

Responding to light intensity or cycles

Taxis

A direction movement in response to a stimulus (innate)

Phototaxis

Toward/away from light

Chemotaxis

Toward/away from chemicals

Geotaxis

Response to gravity

Kinesis

Undirected, random movement in response to stimuli (innate)

Autocommunication

Organisms communicating through themselves (eg. bat echoes through making sound as a survival tactic at night)

Reasons animals communicate

To attract a mate, establish/defend territory, convey info about resources, warn other animals, establish dominance

Cooperative Behavior

Individuals or groups work together over a common goal

Herd Behavior

Organisms forming groups (innate)

Physiological mechanisms

Physical and chemical processes like respiration, sweating, metabolism

Insight Learning

The “Aha” moment when an organism learns how to respond to a stimulus as it keeps receiving it over time

Social learning

The process of getting new behaviors and knowledge as an organism observes and imitates others

Assosiative learning

The process of associating a stimulus with a specific result (ex. associating a loud drill at the dentist with pain)