Bio II, Chapter 50: Behavioral Ecology

behaviour

an action, a response to stimulus

organismal ecology

the study of how organisms interact with their physical and biological enviornments

behavioral ecology

study of the behavioral adaptations that evolved in response to ecological selection pressures

what two levels do behavioral ecologists ask questions

proximate and ultimate

proximate causation explains

how actions occur in terms of genetics, hormonal, and skeletal-muscular mechanisms

ultimate causation explains

why actions occur based on evolutionary consequences and history

what signals oxytocin

neural signals in pituitary gland

what produces cortisol

adrenal glands

ultimate causes of consolidation behavior

traits that strengthen social bonds are favored by natural selection

innate behaviors

genetically inherited and tend to be inflexible to environmental changes

fixed action patterns

highly inflexible, stereotypical (innate) behavior patterns

learned behavior

flexible, population variation, influenced by environment, can be adaptive

learning

en enduring change in behavior that results from a specific experience

capacity to learn has a ______ basis and ______ among individuals

genetic, varies

foraging

food seeking behavior

rover allele

foraging allele that causes individuals to scatter across different food patches for food

what type of population favors rover allele

high population density

sitter

foraging allele that causes populations to stay at one food patch and not scatter from it

population that favors sitter alleles

low density

optimal foraging

hypothesis that animals maximize their feeding efficiency

optimal foraging equation

Fitness→Feeding→efficiency→Benefits / costs

optimal foraging logic

If animals maximize benefits and minimize costs, they will have more time and energy for reproduction and higher fitness

how do arctic fur seals optimize foraging

adjusting the duration and location of each dive dependent on prey density

how do bumblebees optimize foraging

they optimize their flight paths among flowers to minimize the overall distance traveled while foraging

polygyny

one male mates with two or more females

polyandry

one females mates with two or more males

promiscuity

males and females each have two or more sexual partners

w

what does the length of a waggle dance indicate

food distance

if a bee waggle dances down the food source is

away from the sun

if a bee waggle dances sideways 90 degrees, the food source is

to the right of the sun

deceitful communication example

snake playing dead to lead prey

altruism

corcern for the wellbeing of others

altruism cons

decreases individuals ability to produce offspring

altruism pros

helps other individuals produce more offspring

kin selection

natural selection behavior that decreases the chance of survival for an individual but increases that of their kin (who share a proportion of their genes)

Hamiltons Rule equation

Br>C

B in Hamiltons rule

fitness benefit to beneficiary

r in Hamiltons Rule

coefficient of relatedness (how close actor and recipient are related)

C in Hamiltons Rule

fitness cost to the actor

Hamilton’s rule states altruistic behavior is most beneficial when

1.Fitness benefits of altruistic behavior are high for the
recipient (B is high)
2. Altruist and recipient are close relatives (r is high)
3. Fitness costs to the altruist are low (C is low)

when hamiltons rule holds close relatives

are very likely to have copies of altruistic alleles

direct fitness

fitness derived from an individuals own offspring

indirect fitness

fitness derived from helping relatives produce more offspring than they could produce on their own

inclusive fitness

combo of direct and indirect fitness

reciprocal altruism

exchange of fitness benefits separated in time

cooperation

getting along between same species

mutualism

getting along between different species

why can “self-sacrificing” alleles not occur by natural selection ?

individuals with self-sacrificing alleles would die and not reproduce, Individuals with selfish alleles would survive and reproduce, “Selfish” alleles would increase in frequency while “self-sacrificing” alleles would decrease in frequency