Animal Behavior Lecture

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture on animal behavior, including definitions of terms and explanations of related phenomena.

Altruism

Any behavior that benefits a recipient while incurring a cost to its donor.

Brood Parasitism

A strategy where one species lays its eggs in the nest of another species, tricking the host species into raising its young.

Reciprocity

A cooperative relationship where individuals provide benefits to one another, often summarized as 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine'.

Levels of Analysis

Framework for understanding animal behavior, including mechanism, development, function, and evolution.

Mechanism (of behavior)

How the behavior works, including physiological or neurological processes.

Development (of behavior)

How behavior develops and is influenced by age and experience, distinguishing between learned and instinctive behaviors.

Function (of behavior)

The adaptive value of behavior and why natural selection has favored it.

Evolution (of behavior)

The evolutionary history of a behavior and how it has developed over time.

Kin Selection

A type of natural selection that favors behaviors that help genetic relatives, enhancing the survival of shared genes.

Hamilton's Rule

The principle stating that altruism is favored when the benefits to relatives, discounted by their relatedness, exceed the costs to the altruist.

Cost-Benefit Analysis (in behavior)

The evaluation of the trade-offs between the costs and benefits of a behavior for an organism.

Instinctive Behavior

Inherent behaviors that do not require learning or prior experience, often crucial for survival.

Learned Behavior

Behavior acquired through experience and interaction with the environment.

Territorial Display

Behaviors exhibited by animals to signal territory ownership and deter rivals.

Magnetoreception

The ability of some animals, such as sea turtles, to detect Earth's magnetic field for navigation.

Alarm Calls

Vocal signals used by animals, such as prairie dogs, to warn others of the presence of predators.

Infrared Tail Signaling

Behavior in ground squirrels where tail movements are used to communicate threats to predators, detectable by snakes.