8.1.1 response to the environment

Behavior

The way in which an animal acts in response to its environment or a particular stimulus

Stimulus

External or internal cue that triggers a change in behavior

4 questions to understand a behavior

1. causation

2. Development

3. Function/adaptive value

4. Phylogeny

Distinguish innate from learned behaviors

Only innate behaviors will be expressed by naive individuals

Learned vs Innate spectrum

many behaviors are not solely learned or innate but a combination of the two

Innate behaviors

genetically hardwired behaviors

1. reflexes (simple)

2. fixed action patterns (complex)

3. Kinesis

4. Taxis

reflexes

involuntary and rapid response to a stimuli

• some reflexes are so fast that they bypass the brain

fixed action pattern

• predictable, complex series of action triggered by a stimulus

Kinesis

non direction innate movement in response to a stimulus, such as speeding up or slowing down

Taxis

innate directional response to a stimulus, such as moving towards or away from a stimulus

1. Phototaxis

2. Chemotaxis

3. Geotaxis

Phototaxis

moving toward/away from light

Chemotaxis

moving toward/away from chemical stimulus

Geotaxis

moving with/away from force of gravity

learned behaviors

behaviors developed through experience

1. Classical Conditioning

2. Operant Conditioning

3. Cognition

Classical conditioning

associating a NEW stimulus to an already established stimulus and response

Operant conditioning

NO previous stimulus and response pair needed

NEW behavior (originally done at random) is reinforced by either reward or punishment

cognition

using knowledge and understanding to solve problems

behavior may be stimulated in the mind before acting

Plant responses to environment

1. Phototropism

2. Photoperiodism

3. Gravitropism

Phototropism

response to light in which a plant grows towards or away from light

Photoperiodism

plant response to the amount and type of light they are exposed to

Gravitropism

response to the direction of gravity