Animal behaviour

animal behaviour paert of bio114

what is Altruism

what is Altruism

co operative behaviour - behaviour thats costs the individual but benefits others

give an example of Altruism

• one meercat sounding an alarm for the group

• vampire bats sharing food with those unsucessful

• dolphins helping injured pod members to the surface

give an example of a cost of grouping

• increased competition

• incresed energetic cost of movement

• increased disease risk

give an example of the benefits to grouping

• can be less vigilant but more likley to spot prey/predators

• less likley to be captured

• more efficiant in locating prey

• more efficiant problem solvers

• enables reduced energy cost of movement

• defend larger territory

• mating oppertunities

what are the different foraging strategies

• generalists

• specialists

• hunters

• ambush predators

• grazers

• browsers

• scavengers

• filter feeders

• tool users

what are generalists

feed on a variety of food items and will exploit any food source in their environment. e.g. racoons

what are specialists

feed on specific types of food e.g. panda

what are hunters

predators that will stalk, chase and ambush prey e.g. lion

what are ambush predators

use camoflauge to ambuch prey e.g. crocodile

what are grazers

feed on grasses e.g. cow

what are browsers

feed on branches and leaves e.g. elephant

what are scavengers

feed on dead organic matter

what are filter feeders

passivley collect oragnisms like planton from the water column e.g. wales

what are tool users

use sticks and stones to manipulate food e.g. chimpanzees

what is optimal foraging theory (OFT)

a theory to understand animal foraging

who was the optimal foraging theory developed by

Robert Mac Arthur and Eric Pianka

what is energy maximisation

maximise energy gained per time spent foraging

what is time minimisation

minimise time spent foraging for other activities

what is risk sensitivity

take into account different risks per food source e.g. predation

what are the 3 optimal foraging models

• marginal value - predicts optimal time to leave a resource patch based on diminishing returns

• diet choice - predicts optimal diet composition by considering the energy and time handling of prey

• patch use - predicts how organisms should allocate their time between patches

what is animal behaviour

the way animals physically and socially interact with their environment and surroundings

how is animal behaviour studied

repeatable, definable and recognisable units

what can hormones be stimulated by

• temperture

• day length

• season

what are chemical senses

• taste

• smell

what are mechanical senses

• touch

• sound

• pressure

• vibration

what are electromagnetic senses

• sight

what is Inate behaviour

developmental changes (not learning)

e.g. frogs learning how to swim and birds flying

what is single stimulus

• non associative learning

• no signal/cue

• one action and response

• habitualisation

• sensitisation

what is stimulus-stimulus

• associative behaviour

• a warning before the behaviour

• pavlovian conditioning

• classical conditoning

what is response reinforce

• associative behaviour

• a reward or punishment after action

• operant learning

• instrumental learning

how do animals learn from each other

• social cues (stimulus-stimulus)

• evolved signals (response reinforce)

• imitation

• teaching

what are tinbergerns 4 questions?

• ontogeny

• causation

• eveloution

• survival value

what are the three main ways to avoid being eaten

• defend

• pretend

• team up

types of defence (anti-predator behaviour)

• wepeon

• signal

  e.g. skunk spray

types of pretend

• mullerian mimicry

• batesian mimicry

• pretence (deceptive behaviour e.g. play dead)

how do animals team up to avoid predators

• collective defence (loud calls)

• collective escape

what is the ‘arms race’

ongoing cycle of adaptation between predators and prey

what is proximate

close in space of time (hormones and environmental factors that may predict behaviour)

how

what is ultimate

end of a process (evolution and natural selection)

why

what are the ways you can record behaviour

• point focal sampling

• continious focal sampling

what is agression

a defensive posture or attack either through threat or competition

what are the reasons for agression

• defence

• courtship/reproduction/parental care

• recource competition (inter/intraspecific)

• territorality

how can animals signal agression

• olfactory (smell)

• auditory

• visual

what are the benefits of play

• improve wellbeing

• decrease in self destructive behaviours

• develop physical and phycological skills for unexpected events

• increase versatility movements

• forms relationships

costs of play

• energetic cost

• danger from predators

• injury (rarely serious)

play is poorly studied and difficult to observe

what are the types of play

• object

• locomotor

• social

how do storms affect sea birds

• at the nest - increases nest failure rates

• at sea - seabird strandings

what is one of the first responses to environmental change

movement

what are the technological developments for tagging and marking

• ringing

• marking

• pit tags

• VHF

• ARGOS

• GPS

what is the definition of movement

a change in the spatial location of the whole individual overtime

what is marginal value

predicts optimal time to leave a resource patch based on diminishing returns

what is diet choice

predicts optimal diet composition by considering the energy content and handling time of prey

what is patch use

predicts how organisms should allocate their time between patches