Behavioral Ecology Review

Flashcards for reviewing key terms and concepts in Behavioral Ecology.

Communication

The use of specifically designed signals or displays to modify the behavior of others.

Chemosensory Communication

Includes both taste and smell; often functions over short distances using odorants and pheromones.

Acoustic Communication

Involves the transmission of sound, which can travel faster in water than in air and is used by males to attract females.

Visual Communication

Involves elaborate coloration and ornamentation, often used to signal strength or attract mates.

Tactile Communication

Involves touch, used for social bonding, dominance, grooming, and mating.

Multimodal Communication

The use of multiple channels of communication at once, such as the honeybee waggle dance to convey food location.

Altruism

Behavior that appears to benefit others at a cost to oneself, often seen in close relatives.

Kin Selection

Behavior that lowers an individual's fitness but enhances the reproductive success of relatives.

Reciprocal Altruism

A behavior where an organism provides a benefit to another with the expectation of receiving a benefit in return.

Eusociality

A social structure in which workers help a queen raise offspring but have none of their own.

Sexual Dimorphism

Differences in appearance or characteristics between males and females of the same species.

Monogamy

One male mates with one female, often associated with biparental care.

Polygamy

One male mates with more than one female, often associated with uniparental care of young.

Polyandry

One female mates with several males, often seen in species with specific reproductive strategies.

Intersexual Sexual Selection

Where one sex chooses a mate based on certain characteristics, usually involving female choice.

Intrasexual Sexual Selection

Where members of one sex compete for partners, often leading to male-male competition.

Innate Behaviors

Behaviors that are genetically hardwired and often independent of the environment.

Learned Behaviors

Behaviors that are acquired and influenced by environmental conditioning.

Fixed Action Pattern

A sequence of behaviors elicited by a stimulus that continues to completion even when the stimulus is removed.