Animal Behavior - BIOL 1407

Flashcards covering the genetic and environmental bases of behavior, types of learning, communication methods, and reproductive fitness strategies as discussed in Chapter 43.

Behavior

Any action that can be observed and described.

fosB

A single gene in mice that, when activated by sensory receptors and the hypothalamus, is responsible for maternal nurturing behavior.

Fixed Action Patterns (FAPs)

Behaviors originally assumed to be elicited by a sign stimulus (an environmental trigger) but which can improve further after practice.

Learning

A durable change in behavior brought about by experience.

Imprinting

A form of learning that occurs when a young animal forms an association with the first moving object it sees.

Sensitive Period

The specific period of time during which a particular behavior, such as imprinting, develops.

Orientation

The ability of an animal to travel in a particular direction, often using sun or star cues.

Migration

Long-distance travel from one location to another.

Navigation

The ability to change direction in response to environmental cues, such as Earth’s magnetic field.

Classical Conditioning

A type of learning where the paired presentation of two different types of stimuli causes an animal to form an association between them, such as Pavlov’s dogs salivating at a bell.

Operant Conditioning

The gradual strengthening of stimulus-response connections through rewards or training, such as rats pressing a lever for sugar pellets.

Cognitive Learning

Learning that occurs through observation, imitation, and insight.

Insight Learning

Solving a problem without prior experience by drawing upon prior experience with other circumstances to find a solution.

Communication

An action by a sender that influences the behavior of a receiver, which can be purposeful or accidental.

Pheromones

Chemical signals in low concentration that are passed between members of the same species.

Auditory Communication

Communication through sound, which is faster than chemical signals, effective day and night, and can be modified by pattern or loudness.

Visual Communication

Signals often used by species active during the day to establish dominance or in contests between males using threat postures.

Tactile Communication

The transfer of information from one animal to another through touch, such as the waggle dance of honeybees.

Behavioral Ecology

The study of how natural selection shapes behavior.

Territoriality

The behavior of defending a specific area, typically to secure food, breeding opportunities, and a place to rear young, despite high energy costs.

Optimal Foraging Model

A theory stating that it is adaptive for foraging behavior to be as energetically efficient as possible.

Polygamous

A mating system where a single male mates with multiple females who invest more energy in the offspring.

Polyandrous

A mating system where one female mates with more than one male, typically occurring when the environment cannot support several young at once.

Monogamous

A mating system where one male mates with one female and both participate in rearing young.

Sexual Selection

A form of natural selection favoring features that increase an animal’s chances of mating, often resulting in female choice or male competition.

Dominance Hierarchies

A social structure used to apportion resources where higher-ranking individuals have greater access to essentials.

Altruism

Behavior by an individual that increases the fitness of another individual while decreasing its own personal fitness.