Behavioural Ecology

What is Classical conditioning?

This involves learning through association. e.g. Pavlov’s dog learning that the sound of a bell was a cue for food was coming.

What is Operant conditioning?

Learning through consequences. Eg Skinner’s rat and pigeon experiments in a box. They learnt that if they pushed a lever they got a food reward.

What is Observational learning?

Learning new behaviours by watching others

What is Trial and Error learning?

Learning through experimenting

What is Insight learning?

More intelligent species such as dolphins and great apes are able to think a situation through to a solution.

What is adaptive learning?

Learning a behaviour that increases the fitness of the individual

What is maladaptive learning

Learning a behaviour that reduces the fitness of the individual.

What is an ecological trap

An ecological trap occurs when animals mistakenly prefer habitats that are actually of lower quality for their survival and reproduction. E.g a bird might choose to nest in an area with abundant food but high predation risk, which leads to lower survival rates for its offspring

What are the 5 learning processes?

Classical conditioning

Operant conditioning

Observational learning

Trial and Error

Insight learning

What are Tinbergen’s 4 questions?

1 What is the mechanism that produces a behaviour?

2 How does behaviour develop?

3. What is the survival value (utility) of a behaviour?

4. How did the behaviour evolve from an ancestral state?

Explain the question: What is the mechanism that produces a behaviour?

The mechanism is physiological. e.g. hormones, nerves, muscles.e.g increasing day length causes a hormone change in Starlings that makes them sing.

Explain the question: How does the behaviour develop?

Where does a behaviour come from? genetics or the environment. learnt or innate e.g. Starlings sing because they have learnt the song from their parents or neighbours.

Explain the question: What is the survival value of the behaviour?

What is the usefulness of the behaviour to benefit fitness, (survival and reproduction). In terms of adaptive advantage or function e.g. starlings sing to find a mate, this improves their reproduction rate.

Explain the question: How did the behaviour evolve from an ancestral state?

How did the behaviour begin as a long time ago. E.g. how song has evolved from a simple one to one with complexity.

What does Evolutionary Stable Strategy (ESS) mean?

A strategy that cannot be replaced or invaded by another strategy by natural selection.

What is ideal free distribution?

Theory that animals will distribute themselves across areas depending on resource availability

What is ideal despotic distribution?

Dominant individuals occupy the highest value patches first.

What is dispersal?

one-way, permanent movement from one area to another.

What is migration?

Movement away from an area with a subsequent return (return trip)

Why do animals disperse?

1. Inbreeding avoidance hypothesis

2. Conspecific competition avoidance hypothesis

3. Philopatric (stay in their natal area)

What are allee effects?

Positive effects of increasing density on fitness. e.g. in small populations, it may be hard to find a mate, in larger populations, this is not such a problem.

e.g. African wild dogs, pack size needs to be large enough to have some members look after young while others hunt, also for breeding success and for hunting large prey

What are the benefits of group living?

Protection from predators

Foraging efficiency

Mating opportunities

Learning of social structure

Thermoregulation

Reduced energy cost during flight

What are the costs of group living?

Increased conspecific competition

increased disease transmission

increased visability to predators

conflict and aggression

Infanticide